What can you do for Ankle and Foot Pain?

by Carol D
(Hillsboro, OR, USA)

I'm kind of old (59) and significantly overweight O.K., obese,I'm addressing that.

Three or four months ago my right ankle started being very painful and swelling (no injury).

I went to several doctors who all believe the problem comes from an ancient really bad ankle sprain (I was about 8 or 10) that didn't heal correctly.

One doctor thought there might be fragments of cartilage that float around and cause trouble because at first this was intermittent.

I went to a reflexologist/twana masseuse who helped a lot, but the pain just moved from my ankle to my foot... often the top of my foot, but it moves around.

For at least 8 weeks now my ankle is always at least a little swollen and after being on my feet for a while, it is very swollen and painful.

I went to a podiatrist who said he thought the issue was tendonitis, but that seems really unlikely given that I have been staying off of it, elevating it and icing it for months now with no real relief.

I'm sure strengthening it would be a help.

Is that something your program would help with?

I'm also a little confused because several doctors have told me I have flat feet (I never did before), but the podiatrist said he didn't think I was and that he, in fact, thought I had overly high arches, so I'm baffled.

When I look at my feet I think they probably are flat and it made me wonder what kind of a quack the podiatrist was, to be honest. Wearing arches helps somewhat but isn't very comfortable.

When I stand or walk much my foot gets very painful and very stiff.

Can your program help me?

I know you're not a doctor, but I figure you have experience with what kind of results you get and what kind of problems you've addressed.

Thank you.

Carol D.

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Hello Carol and thanks for entrusting me with your foot and ankle problems.

You are correct, I am not a doctor and don't want to get into diagnosing, however I have a woman about your same age and obese who is having similar problems.

Initially she stayed off her feet until most of the pain went away, we worked on doing non weight bearing stretches and some massage was helpful for her too.

If you have access to a recumbent bike that would be a good way to improve circulation.

Understand that as we age we all lose the shock absorption in our feet and they tend to flatten out as well, so sometimes getting orthotics or better padded shoes is the best recommendation.

I always add the cheap $7 inserts from Walgreens into my shoes and they last longer and feel better.

I would recommend using a stretch band wrapped around the feet and doing flexion and extension and rotation exercises to both stretch and strengthen your feet and ankles.

You can view some of those exercises here.


There are other Foot and ankle exercises in my Foot Ebook here.

Pick and choose the non weight bearing exercises first and then add the others sitting in a chair rather than standing.

Add only one or two foot exercises at a time so you don't overdo.

Do these most days adding more as you are able.


Best to you and your feet!

Jennifer Adolfs