Ankle Pain

Wow, thanks for this! 

I'm kinda doing a bit more than before. I was already walking at least 1 mile each day, even when I was at my heaviest. Now it's at least doubled, or more. I'm not yet running regularly (mostly because I'm afraid to because of my ankle).

You know, I actually went to a weight loss clinic and they had me get on a scale that determines muscle loss. They told me I had a lot of muscle loss in my legs, so that makes sense. 

Thanks! I think I will do that instead of an Orthopedic. Do the doctors you suggest usually do x-rays? Just curious.

Thanks so much for the response! :D

I live in Ontario, so I can't really say for sure, but here they can run diagnostics like X-rays and MRIs. 

Hope you find an answer soon!

Thank you so much! I hope so, too. I've let this go on for too long. I'm going to my Chiropractor on Monday. So I'll keep everyone updated. 

I have had so many joint problems since I was a teenager, I could write a book.

Come to find out, auto-immune diseases and a sorta-condition called "lax ligaments" runs in my family.  We all twist, sprain, and even shift joints slightly out of place very easily.  That led to some joint damage for me early on, that turned into osteoarthritis in a couple of my joints.  Then my auto-immune started up (for me I was 45, but it starts at all ages) and I developed rheumatoid inflammation in a bunch of other joints.

When I was a kid, all of my joint pain and injuries got blown off by my family and the doctors.  If there wasn't a break or a clear sprain, they generally made me feel like I was being a whiner.  Which meant that I didn't get the proper treatment before there was damage to the joints.

So.  For you, it could be anything.  You could have some mild joint damage from a previous injury.  You could have some other type of systemic thing going on (but you only mentioned the one joint, so I wouldn't think so).  You could have developed a habit of rolling your foot a particular way when walking to avoid pain, but that acquired habit has created its own injury/pain process.  You could have stretched out some of the ligaments/tendons and your joint is unstable.  It could be a combination of things.

If you don't get good answers from your orthopedic, I recommend if s/he isn't a sports orthopedist specializing in foot/ankle to find exactly that.  I have found as a nurse and a patient that when it comes to joints, sports orthos are usually more proactive in getting people back to a higher level of function than general orthos.

I also echo someone else who said get a referral to a kinesiologist or other physical therapist to assess your gait.  You may also need to get fitted for professional orthotics, at the very least for your exercise shoes.

Good luck!!

Oh wow, I am so sorry about all the crap you've had to deal with. I'm sorry you felt neglected like that. My best friend has RA, and she's only 26. She's had so many health issues. I really admire her because she's such an awesome person and does so much for other people despite her conditions.

If I have joint damage from a previous injury, then I definitely don't remember the injury. I just remember going up a medium flight of stairs at my high school, and out of nowhere, my ankle felt like it didn't connect back to my foot properly. It didn't twist or anything. I'm beginning to wonder if I'm made of paper and glass, lol. 

Now that I think of it, at age 14, I became MUCH more active. I was doing just about every activity in my P.E. class. I went through a lazy phase at ages 12-13, and then became active again at age 14. So that might be why. But I don't remember injuring myself while doing those activities.

Thanks for the info! I think I'll cancel my Orthopedic appointment and find another specialist. This might be a dumb question but, can Chiropractors make an ankle diagnosis? I saw my chiropractor adjusting a kid's ankle a few weeks ago because he injured it. 

Thanks again! :D

Your ortho may be fine, and you need to have it evaluated by a joint specialist if it's been hurting that long.  I wouldn't cancel, I was just advising if you don't get answers, you may have to be more persistent.  :)

Chiros are hit and miss.  I have a fantastic one, but he used to be a physical therapy assistant and a kinesiology something or other (not sure of the certifications there).  So he doesn't have some wild idea that chiropractic can cure anything.  Him I would trust to look at a joint and tell me if it's in his scope of practice or not.  Other chiros, not so much.  The rule in our family is if we have a joint injury we get it looked at by an orthopod.  If they don't see a break or obvious sprain to treat, then my chiro takes a run at it.  That's because my kiddo had a wrist issue that was xrayed twice with 3 pediatric specialists looking at it, and all of them threw their hands up and said they couldn't figure it out.  She was with me on a trip to my chiro and I was venting about it, he asked to look at it, and 3 pops later had fixed the problem.  But he'll admit that he prefers to have acute joint injuries or potentially odd stuff looked at by an ortho first.

Sounds like you have a fantastic Chiro. I'm kinda jealous, lol! My Chiro is pretty good, but I'm not sure about his specialties in other things. He has amazing ratings, though, lol. I may call and ask him later. He's very nice and more than willing to take a look at anything I may have an issue with. He could also give me a referral to another specialist.

That's so awesome about your son's wrist. I love hearing these kinds of stories! :D

It sounds like you need a doctor that will do more than an xray. You probably need an MRI to look at the soft tissue in the area.

Scott

I think you're right. It could honestly be anything. 

My ankle started popping this morning every time I take a step. It's like the pain is travelling around my ankle. At first, it was in the front of my ankle, near the Talus. Then it moved behind the Medial malleolus, and would hurt when I pressed on it. Now it's behind the Medial malleolus and near the Talar shelf. It's like there's a ligament popping over a joint (it feels like the tibiocalcaneal ligament).