Symptoms of Foot and Ankle Injuries

People of all ages can injure their feet and ankles in many different ways. Here are just a few of the many signs that you have injured your foot or ankle:

• Pain
• Stiffness
• Swelling
• Deformities
• Popping noise or sensation
• Heel pain
• Not able to bear weight on the affected side
• Bruising

Foot and Ankle Treatment

At Midlands Orthopaedics & Neurosurgery, our team is dedicated to finding the right solution to help your foot and ankle pain. We have several options for both surgical and non-surgical techniques to get you back to normal.

Your treatment will depend on your injury and how severe it is. Some of the more mild conditions will get better with rest, while others may need a surgical approach to healing.

Some of the nonsurgical treatments include:

• Rest, ice, compression, and elevation
• Injections
• Physical therapy
• Anti-inflammatory medication

Surgical treatments may include:

• Ankle fusion
• Ankle arthroscopy
• Bunion surgery
• Total ankle replacement
• Foot fusion

Recovery After Foot and Ankle Surgery

After surgery it’s important to keep these things in mind:

• You need to have someone drive you home
• It’s important to follow written and expressed instructions given to you by your physician
• Rest and evaluate as often as possible for the first 2 weeks to help with swelling
• Be sure to keep the incision site dry, especially the bandage used to cover it
• Do not smoke

Your recovery will depend on many things, but most of all, your ability to follow a rehabilitation program at home, as well as in your physical therapy sessions with our therapists. Below is an outline of your recovery after foot and ankle surgery:

• Footwear – Most foot and ankle procedures delay typical footwear due to bone healing and swelling. Certain foot and ankle operations allow normal footwear to be resumed in 2-3 weeks, but most require at least 8 weeks
• Returning to work – If your job requires you to be on your feet for a large part of the day, you may not be able to return to work in less than eight weeks after surgery. Complex operations may require 3-6 months off work
• Resuming normal activities – Activities are usually gradually reintroduced in the following order:
  • Very restricted activities with required rest and elevation
  • Restricted activities
  • Full activities with restricted footwear
  • Activities with standard footwear
  • Non-impact exercise activities with standard footwear
  • Full weight-bearing exercise activities

Foot and Ankle Surgery Recovery Time

Recovery time after a foot or ankle surgery depends on many things, such as how complicated the surgery was, your age and general health, and how well you follow instructions, such as for activity levels, rest, and elevation. Most foot and ankle surgeries cause pain and swelling that can last for 3–4 months, and for more complicated surgeries, recovery can take up to a year or more.