Pain in swollen ankle

Swollen Ankle – Common Problem

This painful condition troubles many. However, the most endangered groups prone to suffer from pain caused by a swollen ankle are older people, athletes, and women in their pregnancy periods. However, other people can suffer from swollen ankles as well. Therefore, read on in order to get more informed.

Causes of Swollen Ankle Pain

The most common reason behind ankle pain and its swelling is a direct injury. Besides this, infection and water retention serve as the two additional, most common causes. However, there are numerous underlying health conditions that may have painful swollen ankles as their side-effect.

First of all, one of the most common conditions causing our ankles to swell and hurt is arthritis. Causing inflammation in most of our joints, this condition also triggers swelling in our ankles. Also, a common variation of this disease, called gout, tends to cause the condition this article is about. Namely, sometimes, our organism increases uric acid in our body. This acid gets into our joints, causing inflammation, swelling, and pain.

As mentioned above, both water retention and pregnancy add to the list of possible causes. During pregnancy, the female body gets a different shape, and the size of the stomach makes it difficult for the veins to function properly. Therefore, one's ankles receive imbalanced amounts of blood causing this condition in them. Also, both pregnant women and older people may have too many fluids situated in their skin tissues. This, if left untreated, may easily cause swelling and inflammation of ankles, resulting in pain.

Ankle injuries are experienced by 20% of the population who sustain joint injuries. Around 23?000 ankle injuries per day have been reported in the United States, and 5000 per day have been reported in the United Kingdom. Lateral ankle sprain (LAS) is one of the most common specific injuries affecting the lower limb among the general and sport populations, and Fong et al reported that it was the major regional body injury in 33 of 43 sports reviewed. Up to 74% of individuals with LASs have residual impairments for 7 years after the injury.

Studies identified by the search strategy were screened according to the eligibility criteria, and 2 independent reviewers extracted the data. Outcome measurements were (1) pain ratings using measures such as a visual analog scale and (2) other residual impairments, such as feelings of weakness, giving way, or deficits in functional performance.
In most studies, ankle pain was present in 50% to 79% of participants with chronic ankle instability.
Self-reported pain was usually intermittent and mild and occurred during vigorous physical activity.
No researchers investigated the effects of ankle pain on associated impairments or functional activities among participants with chronic ankle instability.

✓ Fact confirmed: The Prevalence of Pain in People With Chronic Ankle Instability: A Systematic Review Saeed Al Adal, Fereshteh Pourkazemi, Martin Mackey, and Claire E. Hiller; 2019 Jun 11.

Many other things may trigger this condition. Therefore, it is important to seek medical attention in order to treat swollen, painful ankles as soon as possible.

Possible Treatment

Firstly, the underlying disease causing the swelling needs to be diagnosed. Once it is treated, there is a high probability that the swelling and pain in the ankles will disappear.

Many patients get prescribed some anti-inflammatory drugs or similar medications. They are also advised to drink sufficient amounts of water since proper hydration is a must in these situations. Resting, wearing proper footwear, and having a healthy diet, are the most common pieces of advice.

Finally, if a direct injury causes a painful, swollen ankle, it is of great importance that the injury be examined and treated in order to eliminate any possible complications likely to occur.