Have you had an injury or fracture to your ankle or foot? Are you experiencing pain, swelling or issues moving your ankles, feet or toes? Our experts can help. At The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, you’ll receive world-class comprehensive care from our orthopedic foot and ankle surgeons and sports medicine doctors. Our team helps patients with a wide range of conditions of the foot, ankle and lower leg. Some injuries may be treated with non-surgical options such as physical therapy, rest or bracing, while other issues may require surgery.
What we treat
Some of the common areas where we treat damage or injuries to the ankle and foot include:
- Ligaments: ankle sprains and high ankle sprains
- Joints: ankle arthritis or injuries to the cartilage inside the ankle
- Tendons: Achilles tendon ruptures or chronic Achilles pain
- Bones: broken bones in the foot and ankle, from complex trauma to simple fractures
- Bunions: great toe deformities
- Flat feet: collapse of the arch with painful deformity
- High arch: painful deformities and diminished function
- Sports injuries: sprains, strains or tears sustained by athletes of all levels
- Chronic exertional compartment syndrome: when leg muscles swell and create pain and pressure, causing numbness in the foot, cutting off vascular supply and impeding movement
- Revision surgery: when other surgeries have not helped your persistent pain and deformity. We’ll provide a fresh prospective and treatment options.
Common foot and ankle injuries
Achilles tendon tear
The Achilles tendon connects your heel bone to muscles in your calf. Every time you run and jump, you use this tendon. A tear can happen when you push off your feet, break into a run or make a stop-and-start move.
Symptoms include:
- bruising or swelling around your foot or leg
- feeling of being kicked or stabbed in the back of the ankle
- difficulty walking or climbing stairs
- inability to stand on your toes
- sharp pain in your ankle or your leg
Stress fracture
Sports that involve a lot of running and jumping, like basketball, soccer and track and field result in overuse injuries of the leg, foot and ankle. This can often lead to a small crack in bones, especially the shinbone (tibia) and bones in the foot called the metatarsals.
Symptoms include:
- pain that becomes more severe with activity and less severe with rest
- pain and swelling when supporting weight
- tenderness in the bone
How we diagnose foot and ankle conditions
You’ll see one of our board-certified and fellowship-trained orthopedic foot and ankle surgeons or an experienced advanced practice provider to begin the diagnostic process. This process includes a thorough history and physical exam and, if needed, diagnostic imaging such as an X-ray done in our facility during your appointment. Your provider may order additional testing, such as an MRI, CT scan, lab testing or ultrasound.
Your treatment is tailored to your condition. Our foot and ankle team works as a cohesive unit to help you from diagnosis to treatment and through recovery. Our therapy teams not only help with rehabilitation, but can provide a full gait analysis to evaluate those who want to improve their running form or posture.
