What is a strain?
A strain is an injury affecting your tendons or muscles. When you suffer a strain, you overstretch or tear the tendon or muscle. Your tendons are the thick cordlike tissues that bind your bones and muscles together.
Strains are most common in the back and legs, but they can also affect your ankles. The most common kind of ankle strain occurs in the peroneal tendons that help stabilize your foot.
These tendons are in your outer ankle area behind your fibula bone. An ankle strain typically causes symptoms within the outer ankle area.
What are the symptoms of strains?
Strain symptoms can vary depending on whether you injured a muscle or tendon. Muscle strains can cause spasms, along with discomfort and swelling.
Tendon strains often cause pain, swelling, limited range-of-motion, and stiffness. An accurate diagnosis is essential because it's easy to confuse foot strains and strains – symptoms are very similar.
How are strains and sprains different?
Strains and sprains are two different injuries. While strains affect your tendons or muscles, sprains happen in the ligaments that connect your bones. These two types of injuries frequently cause the same or very similar symptoms.
These two injuries affect different types of soft tissue, so you need customized area-specific treatment. The Advanced Foot, Ankle, & Wound Specialists, PA, team can expertly determine whether it's a sprain or strain and then prescribe the best treatment for you.
How do you treat foot and ankle strains?
The team assesses and diagnoses your injury using a hands-on exam and X-ray or MRI imaging; then, they prescribe a treatment plan that encourages tissue healing. Common treatments include:
- Anti-inflammatory drugs
- Compression
- Immobilization with brace
- Prescription exercises for strengthening and flexibility
- Custom orthotics
There may be situations in which conservative care can't heal your muscle or tendon damage. If this occurs, the team may recommend foot reconstructive surgery in which your surgeon repairs or replaces torn tissue.
The board-certified podiatrists at Advanced Foot, Ankle, & Wound Specialists, PA, understand the intricacies of foot and ankle strain treatment, and they’re ready to design a custom recovery plan for you. Call the office nearest you or schedule an appointment today.
