When mild ankle, foot, and tendon pain first starts to bother you, it can be easy to ignore the pain. While it’s normal for everyone to have the occasional ache and pain, when it starts to negatively impact your quality of life, has lasted longer than four weeks, or is continuing to worsen, it’s time to see a specialist. At Macomb Pain Management, our foot and ankle pain specialists are here to give you the tools you need to manage your pain when conservative and at-home treatment aren’t working. Let’s take a closer look at chronic ankle, foot, and tendon pain to explore when you should see a specialist and some of the treatment options available to you.
What are the Most Common Causes of Ankle, Foot, and Tendon Pain?
Ankle, foot, and tendon pain can have several different causes, each with its own preferred treatment pathway. From mild injuries like sprains to more serious underlying medical conditions, our team has decades of experience treating several different causes of ankle, foot, and tendon pain. Some of the most common causes we see in our patients include:
- Tendonitis
- Ligament strains
- Plantar fasciitis
- Chronic ankle pain
- Overuse pain
Having your pain evaluated, especially when it’s negatively impacting your quality of life, increasing, or has lasted longer than four weeks, is crucial for effective treatment.
When Does Conservative Treatment Work for Ankle, Foot, and Tendon Pain?
Conservative treatments like over-the-counter pain medications, rest, and icing typically work best if you’ve been dealing with mild pain for a couple of days and your pain levels are decreasing. Sometimes, taking simple steps like changing your footwear to more supportive shoes, stretching, and resting can help you manage and recover from simple overuse injuries and mild traumatic injuries like sprains. When your pain fails to improve or worsens, it’s time to seek the care of a specialist.
When Should I See a Specialist for Foot, Ankle, and Tendon Pain
As we’ve stressed in this article, surefire signs that you should have your pain evaluated by a specialist include pain that continues to worsen, pain that has lasted longer than four weeks, and pain that is negatively impacting your quality of life. If you experience pain that doesn’t have a clear explanation, like a recent minor sprain, this can also signal that you should have your pain evaluated. Oftentimes, when pain meets these criteria, it can indicate a more serious injury or an underlying medical condition that needs to be properly diagnosed and treated.
Treatment Options for Foot, Ankle, and Tendon Pain When Conservative Treatments Fail
When conservative treatments fail to provide you with effective pain relief, there are several minimally invasive and medication-free treatment options available for you. At Macomb Pain Management, some of the most common treatment options we have for our foot, ankle, and tendon pain patients include:
- Targeted injections
- Trigger point injections
- Image-guided injections
- Nerve-focused treatments
If your foot, ankle, and tendon pain has continued to impact your life after conservative treatments have failed, you have several minimally invasive, safe, and effective treatment options available at Macomb Pain Management.
Safe, Effective, and Affordable Treatments for Foot, Ankle, and Tendon Pain at Macomb Pain Management
When conservative treatments fail to provide you with the pain relief you need, or your pain is continuing to negatively impact your life, Macomb Pain Management is here to help. To get started exploring your treatment options and get to the root cause of your pain, contact our team today at (248) 844-8281.
