FOOT & ANKLE PAIN SOLUTIONS

If you’re tired of living with foot and ankle pain and are looking for alternatives to steroid injections or invasive surgery, then minimally invasive regenerative treatments could help bring balance back to your life.

How common is foot and ankle pain?

Around one in five people will suffer from foot pain at some point in their life. Your feet bear your entire body weight and cushion the impact as you walk, run and jump, which makes foot and ankle injuries quite common, especially if you're keen on sport. Around one in 10 will suffer from heel pain called plantar fasciitis during their lifetime.

What are the symptoms of foot and ankle pain?

There are several places in your feet and ankle where you might feel pain, including the ankle joint, heel, toes, sole, and ball of your foot. Possible symptoms include swelling, bruising, sharp pain between the heel and arch of your foot, and discomfort when standing on tiptoes.

Sometimes an injury in one part of your foot might cause issues in another – for example, if you sprain your ankle and damage the ligaments holding the joint's bones together, it can change how you walk and put stress on other joints in your foot.

What causes foot and ankle pain?

Your feet are very complex – each one has 26 bones and 33 joints and many muscles, tendons, and nerves. If any of these get injured, overused, or affected by underlying health issues, it can result in foot and ankle pain, arthritis, ankle instability, plantar, fasciitis, Achilles, tendinopathy/tendonitis, and other types of heel pain.

As your heel acts as a cushion for your body weight when you walk, run or jump, pain is quite common and can significantly impact your everyday life. As well as plantar fasciitis (see above), other conditions include:

Bursitis, when fluid-filled sacs in various places around your feet become inflamed
Tarsal tunnel syndrome, when the nerve passing through the ankle joint gets compressed
A possible fracture
Peroneal
tendon pain or injury
Ligament pain or injury
Subtalar arthritis or instability
Bunions

When should I see a specialist?

For some causes of foot and ankle pain, particularly injury or overuse, simply resting, applying ice, and taking over-the-counter pain relievers may be all that's needed. However, you should see your GP or a specialist if the discomfort persists – or more urgently if you have any of the following symptoms:

severe pain
it makes you feel faint, dizzy, or nauseous
you can’t walk or put any weight on the foot
the injury caused a snapping or popping sound
the shape of your foot or ankle has changed
The injured area looks infected – red, warm, and tender to the touch – and you have a fever.

What are the non-surgical options for foot and ankle pain?

If the first-step approaches of rest, ice, and over-the-counter pain medication don't help, or a specialist has advised your condition requires more in-depth treatment, several options don't involve surgery.

We offer various biological therapies that harness your body's natural ability to repair itself.

They are minimally invasive, can decrease inflammation, stop the progression of arthritic damage, and repair joint cartilage. The recovery time is also much shorter than with surgery.

Following these treatments, you are often encouraged to walk the same day and quickly return to normal activity without having to go through the risks associated with surgery.

There’s more information on these therapies above.

If you would like to discuss these treatments, please inquire or book an appointment.
What are the surgical options for foot and ankle pain?
Depending on what’s causing your foot or ankle pain, there are several different ways to relieve it through surgery.

Operations include:
- keyhole surgery, known as ankle arthroscopy, to remove tissues inflamed by arthritis
- joint fusion, where the ends of bones that meet in the ankle joint are removed and the remaining ends fixed together with pins or screws
- tendon grafts
- distraction arthrolysis, where a special device is fitted to promote bone healing and growth
As with any surgery, there are risks associated with these procedures, which you can discuss with your doctor if you require surgical intervention.
Why have a consultation at the Regenerative Clinic?

Our innovative range of treatments goes beyond what’s available on the NHS. As well as providing a full opinion on your condition that includes all the traditional non-surgical and surgical options, our experienced consultants will also assess your suitability for our Regenerate Therapies.
Who will my consultation be with?
During the consultation, our specialist will:
- discuss your medical history to find out more about your symptoms
- examine the joint and identify the source of the pain and any mobility issues
- arrange for a diagnostic investigation, usually an MRI scan
- discuss all the treatment options with you, along with their potential benefits and any risks.

Our experienced team works as part of a collaborative partnership of surgeons, sports medicine doctors, and physiotherapists to provide the perfect patient pathway to get you quickly on the road to recovery. Whether you need conventional treatment or if you are a candidate for our regenerative treatments, you can be sure that you will get the best advice.