1. Do you experience your ankles giving way when walking or doing other activities, or even just standing?

2. Do you experience chronic pain or swelling in your ankle?

3. Does your ankle feel wobbly or unstable?

4. Have you experienced multiple sprained ankles in your lifetime?

5. Are you an athlete or especially physically active?

If you answered yes to any of the questions above, you might suffer from chronic ankle instability. This condition usually develops after a person has suffered repeated sprains, and leads not just to a giving-out of the ankle but also to pain and swelling. Sprained ankles are a very common injury, with more than 25,000 people suffering a sprain each day. When left untreated, the ligaments that were sprained could heal with one in a lengthened position or with scar tissue, which leads to ankle instability.

Another cause of ankle instability is over or under-pronation. Pronation is the motion of the foot as it rolls, and if you have a tendency toward over or under-pronation, you are putting more stress on one side of your ankle.

You don’t have to be an athlete to suffer from chronic ankle instability. Many things we do in our daily lives can cause this condition, including wearing high heels or loose-fitting clogs, tripping and falling, or landing awkwardly after a jump.

Treatments

If you’re suffering from the frustration and pain of ankle instability, Foster Chiropractic can help. The first step in the treatment process is to come in for an assessment. We will assess range of motion and possibly do an x-ray to examine your ankle. Next we’ll look at treatment options, which include:

Chiropractic Adjustment. This helps improve blood flow to the ankle which reduces pain and inflammation, as well as strengthening the joint. Adjustments can help increase mobility and flexibility. Scott Foster is certified as an extremity practitioner, so he brings a special expertise to conditions such as ankle instability.

Orthotics. Customized orthotics can help keep the ankle in alignment and prevent excessive pronation. At Foster Chiropractic, we use Foot Levelers to assess your gait and create custom orthotics to help improve your ankle’s performance.

Strengthening exercises. Foster Chiropractic takes a holistic approach to healing, which means we want to give you practices to improve your health both in and out of the office. For people with chronic ankle instability, we provide exercises to do at home that will help improve the strength and stability of your ankle.

If you suffer from chronic ankle instability, contact our team at Foster Chiropractic today. We can schedule a consultation to help you find a way to enjoy the activities you love pain-free.