Managing foot and ankle pain
Foot and ankle care
We use our feet and ankles so often that it’s easy to forget how complex they are. Twenty-six bones and more than 30 tiny joints work together when you flex your toes, jump off a diving board or just take a walk in the park. A problem with even the tiniest part of your foot can be a big pain, but Geisinger is here to help.
Our approach to foot and ankle pain
Foot and ankle pain can affect anyone at any age, but women and people who play sports are at a higher risk. Whether your foot and ankle pain is the result of an injury, a chronic health condition like diabetes or everyday wear and tear, Geisinger’s orthopaedic team will help you find relief.
Our doctors bring leading-edge foot and ankle pain treatments — like Mako® robotic-assisted joint replacement surgery — to central, northeastern and south-central Pennsylvania.
Common foot and ankle conditions
Many of our patients seek foot and ankle care at Geisinger because they have symptoms caused by one of these conditions:
Inflammatory arthritis
Osteoarthritis
Achilles issues
Diabetic foot
Bone spurs
Plantar fasciitis
Bunions
Flat feet
Gout
Hammertoe
Ankle sprains and instability
Fractures
Tendinitis
Diagnosing your foot and ankle pain
Still have pain after two or three weeks of home treatment, such as rest, over-the-counter medication and ice or heat therapy? You may need to visit a foot and ankle doctor. If you have severe pain or swelling, an open wound or signs of infection (redness, warmth, tenderness or a fever), or you’re unable to walk, seek immediate medical attention.
Our ankle doctors may use one of the following tests to diagnose your foot and ankle pain during your first visit:
- Physical exam: Your doctor will feel your foot and ankle to find issues in your bones or joints. They may ask you to walk a short distance to see how your foot and ankle move.
- X-ray: If your doctor thinks your pain is coming from your bones, you may be asked to have an X-ray to take a detailed image of your foot and ankle.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): An MRI takes an image of the inside of your foot and ankle. It lets your doctor see problems not visible to the naked eye and that don’t appear on an X-ray.
Foot and ankle treatments
You don’t have to live with chronic foot and ankle pain. Our orthopaedic specialists can quickly diagnose the cause of your pain and recommend a personalized treatment plan, so you can enjoy walking, running, playing sports and all of your hobbies again.
Your foot and ankle doctor could recommend:
Your doctor may recommend a steroid injection, or steroid shot, to treat inflammation and joint pain.
Changing your footwear, such as choosing flat-bottomed shoes rather than high heels, can help with pain. Your doctor may also prescribe an insole to wear in your shoes to help relieve pain and offer extra support.
Physical therapy can reduce foot and ankle pain through repeated exercises and stretches. We treat several kinds of foot and ankle injuries through our sports medicine program.
Your doctor may suggest surgery to solve the problem and bring stability to your foot and ankle. Options may include:
- Joint replacement surgery replaces your worn joint and restores mobility and functionality in your foot and ankle.
- Salvage surgery can help restore functionality if your foot or ankle has been damaged. This surgery removes the damaged part of a bone and replaces it with a prosthetic rod or bone grafts.
- Forefoot and rearfoot surgery focuses specifically on the front or back part of your foot that’s causing pain.
- Peripheral nerve surgery can reduce pain caused by issues with the nerve(s) in and around your foot and ankle.
- Ankle fusion or ankle replacement can ease the pain of arthritis by removing damaged tissue and fusing the bones together with plates, screws or bone grafts.
- Diabetic (Charcot) foot surgeries repair damaged tissues, joints and bones using a variety of techniques. Your doctor will recommend the right option for you based on your diagnostic testing results.
Why choose Geisinger foot and ankle pain care?
Our orthopaedic specialists and surgeons offer:
Experienced joint pain care
When an orthopaedic team treats thousands of patients and performs hundreds of surgeries every year, you know you’re in good hands. And everything we do at Geisinger is backed by nationally renowned expertise and innovation.
Better, faster healing
Our ProvenCare® program can assist your healing by identifying and consistently providing treatment. With ProvenCare, you’ll spend less time in the hospital and recover faster.
Leading specialty care
Turn to Geisinger for specialty orthopaedic care. No matter the cause of your joint pain, the right specialists with the right specialized skills are here to ease it.
Range of treatments
Depending on your diagnosis, you have options for reducing joint pain, from non-invasive treatments like medications and physical therapy to orthopaedic surgery. Many of our joint replacement surgeries are backed by our ProvenCare program.
Specialized athletic care
Ready to get back to walking, running, swimming, biking, dancing and playing — pain free? Then you’ll love our focus on sports medicine. Here, we don’t just treat injuries. We help athletes properly rehab to avoid developing joint pain in the future.
