You don’t realize that your ankle might be in a lot of pain until you actually start to put weight on it and walk. So, if you are in the same boat, here are the reasons your ankle hurts when you walk. In some cases, you may have to see an orthopedic surgeon.

Reasons Your Ankle Hurts When Walking

Arthritis

First up is a disorder that targets the joints and the ankle. If you didn’t know this already, the ankle is also a joint, and arthritis will make the pain ten times worse. So, what exactly is arthritis? It is a disorder in which the bones and joints, specifically, degenerate. Think of your bones and joints deforming and withering away. It can either be due to age or it can be an autoimmune disorder.

In autoimmune disorders, the immune system attacks your own body due to some sort of problem within, and this is what causes your joints to degenerate. This is really bad and one of the symptoms you will feel is immense pain, especially in the joints, including the ankle. Your bones and joints are already weak, and they are on the brink of withering away, so if you put additional weight on them, this will cause more pain and you will find it very hard to even walk, because your ankles hurt a lot.

So, if you feel like this is aggravating, then you need to check in with a doctor and come up with a treatment plan.

Ankle Sprain

If you twist your ankle and it is not healed, then it will hurt a lot too. Sprains are really common to occur, especially if you are someone who engages their legs and feet a lot.

Sprains are injuries of the region near the leg and feet, and if you experience swelling in it too, then it will hurt like the devil when you try to walk. This is why it is recommended that you give your ankle a rest and ice it from time to time. You will feel better in no time.

Lupus

Lupus is also another autoimmune disorder and this also has to do with the weakening of your immune system and one of the symptoms involved in it includes pain in the ankle when you try to move it too much. Lupus also causes pain in the joints, including the ankle and it will really hurt when you walk and if you wear really uncomfortable shoes.

This is bad and you want to seek management of this disorder before it worsens even more. Lupus can also cause other disorders down the line, like kidney disorders and more.

Gout

Gout is a disorder in which your joints can become weak and very stiff, thanks to the deposition of a byproduct called uric acid. Uric acid mainly gets collected in the toe, but in worse cases, it can also deposit in the ankles, and this can cause immense pain when you walk or even stand, basically putting any sort of weight on the foot.

It is easily managed, though, so that is a good thing, but you need to act quickly before it gets out of hand. You want to take the prescribed medication and try to rest as much as you can.

Flat Feet

When you look at your foot, it has a natural arch at the bottom, which helps to distribute the weight of the whole body when you stand and walk. However, there are some people who don’t have an arch on their foot and that is because of flat feet – a disorder in which you basically don’t have any arch in the foot.

It can be genetic and some people are born with it but what flat feet does is that it causes all of the weight to be exerted on the ankles and after some time, it can hurt a lot.

Bursitis

Bursae are small sacs of fluid that cushion the joints in case of an impact. Bursae are present in front of the knees, the ankle, and even the elbows, and their main job is to act as a shock absorber to help keep the joint from shattering or getting damaged to a greater extent.

However, bursitis is a disorder in which there is inflammation or too much fluid filled in these sacs, and this causes pain in the joint where the problem is – in this case, it will be the ankle. It will be swollen, you will feel uncomfortable, and it will hurt a lot too. However, if you notice knee pain as well, get in touch with an orthopedic doctor for knee pain Woodbridge.

Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome

The tarsal tunnel is a long cavity that passes through the inside of the ankle and inside, there are many nerves. The tibial nerve is one of them and one of the major ones that can be at risk of compression, leading to tarsal tunnel syndrome.

This can lead to extreme pain in the ankle when you move it or even try to walk. You want to rest as much as you can, try and wear comfortable shoes, and consult with a doctor if the nerve needs to be decompressed via a small surgery.

Achilles Tendonitis

The Achilles heel is the part of your foot that is located at the back of your foot, right above the ankle. When you move your ankle a certain way, the Achilles tendon can get torn, and that is not good at all, because this can lead to the back of the ankle and the foot to hurt a lot, especially when you walk.

It’s a common overuse injury in athletes. This is why you want to rest until the tendon heals on its own. If the tendon is torn too much, then you have to consult with a doctor to get it fused surgically.

Fractures

Fractures are also very common in the ankle. This is something that you have to be very careful about, because you don’t want the ankle to stay fractured. The joint that makes up your ankle is the tibia, fibula, and talus, and because this is a very complex joint, the fractures and fissures can also be very serious.

Fractures can occur due to an accident or too much impact on the foot. This is really bad and you want to treat it right away, so that you don’t damage the joint any further than it already is.

Dislocation Due To Injury

The ankle is a joint and while it has an ability to protect itself from minor dislocations, sometimes, major ones can occur, and they can cause deformity in the bone, as well as pain when you try to move or walk.

You definitely don’t want to test your leg when you are up against a deformity and you want to wait for it to heal completely. Dislocation can be really painful and the healing is crucial, so make sure that you are taking it easy and not putting unnecessary strain or weight on the ankle.

Conclusion

There can be more than one reason why your ankle hurts when you walk, so you don’t want to wait around and let it get worse. Visit a podiatry clinic Woodbridge right away.