What You Didn’t Know About Swollen Ankles
If you’re versed in some basic medical knowledge, you likely know that swelling can be a sign of stress within the body. In more serious cases, swelling can be an important warning sign that a person has circulatory issues. In less urgent cases, swelling could simply mean you’ve been on your feet all day and could really use some rest and relaxation (don’t we all?). What many people don’t realize, however, is that semi-regular swelling of just one ankle can be a side effect of weakened ankles. What can even lead to your ankles weakening, anyways?
Excess Weight - carrying excess weight can have many negative health implications. On a daily basis, the structures of our feet and ankles handle several times that of our actual body weight due to gravity. This can lead to faster wear and tear, i.e., weakening your ankles.
Unsupportive Shoes - when your shoes aren’t supportive, it’s like giving a high-rise building an off-balance foundation to stand on. These imbalances can lead to issues arising, like certain areas of our feet and ankles becoming weak, damaged, or vulnerable to injury.
Fallen Arches - especially when combined with excess weight and unsupportive shoes, our feet can quickly fall victim to fallen arches. This is also called flat feet and refers to the natural supportive arch in your foot flattening out due to stress and a lack of support.
Plantar Fasciitis - did you know that plantar fasciitis could develop due to excess weight, unsupportive shoes, over-use, injuries like ankle sprains, and fallen arches? Plantar fasciitis can both worsen weakened ankles and be a cause of ankles becoming weakened.
Ankle Injury - last but not least is sustaining an injury to your ankle! Sprains are the most common ankle injury among all different kinds of people. A lack of treatment and rehabilitation after a sprain can and will lead to weakened ankles.
In summary, ankles that are swollen on a semi-daily basis are likely trying to tell you that they need help from a podiatrist! Call us today at (609) 587-1674 to schedule an appointment with Dr. James C. Ricketti or Dr. Stephen J. Skokan at our location in Hamilton Square, New Jersey.