Ankle pain involves any discomfort in one or both ankles.
Ankle pain is often due to an ankle sprain.
In addition to ankle sprains, ankle pain can be caused by:
Problems in areas near the ankle that can cause you to feel pain in the ankle include:
To treat an ankle sprain:
As the swelling and pain improve, you will need to keep extra stress off your ankle for up to 10 days for a milder sprain and 2 to 5 weeks for a more severe sprain.
The injury may take a few weeks to many months to fully heal. Once the pain and swelling are mostly gone, the injured ankle will still be a little weaker and less stable than the uninjured ankle.
You will need to start exercises to strengthen your ankle and avoid injury in the future. Do not begin these exercises until a health care professional tells you it is safe to start.
For arthritis and other ankle problems, follw the treatment your doctor recommended.
Go to the hospital if:
Call your doctor if:
Your doctor will perform a physical examination, including a detailed examination of the ankles, and will ask questions such as:
Diagnostic tests that may be performed include the following:
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs), special foot gear, or braces may be prescribed. Surgery is sometimes needed.
Pain - ankle; Sprain - ankle; Ankle sprain
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Reviewed by: Linda Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington School of Medicine; and C. Benjamin Ma, MD, Assistant Professor, Chief, Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service, UCSF Dept of Orthopaedic Surgery. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
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