Ankle Pain and Ankle Tendinitis (Tendonitis)
William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.
- Ankle pain and ankle tendinitis facts
- How is the ankle designed, and what is the ankle's function?
- What causes ankle pain and ankle tendinitis?
- What injuries can cause ankle pain, and how are they treated?
- What diseases and conditions can cause ankle pain, and how are they treated?
- What are associated symptoms and signs of ankle pain and ankle tendinitis?
- How are ankle pain and ankle tendinitis diagnosed?
- What is the prognosis for ankle pain and ankle tendinitis?
- Is it possible to prevent ankle pain and ankle tendinitis?
- Find a local Orthopedic Surgeon in your town
Ankle pain and ankle tendinitis facts
- The ankle is a "hinged" joint.
- Ankle pain can be caused by injury or disease of the ankle joint.
- The severity of ankle sprains ranges from mild (which can resolve within 24 hours) to severe (and can require surgical repair).
- Tendinitis of the ankle can be caused by trauma from injury and overuse or inflammatory diseases.
How is the ankle designed, and what is the ankle's function?
The ankle is a "hinged" joint capable of moving the foot in two primary directions: away from the body (plantar flexion) and toward the body (dorsiflexion). It's anatomy is formed by the meeting of three bones. The end of the shinbone of the leg (tibia) and a small bone in the leg (fibula) meet a large bone in the foot, called the talus, to form the ankle. The end of the shinbone (tibia) forms the inner portion of the ankle, while the end of the fibula forms the outer portion of the ankle. The hard, bony knobs on each side of the ankle are called the malleoli. These provide stability to the ankle joints, which function as weight-bearing joints for the body during standing and walking.
Ligaments on each side of the ankle also provide stability by tightly strapping the outside of the ankle (lateral malleolus) with the lateral collateral ligaments and the inner portion of the ankle (medial malleolus) with the medial collateral ligaments. The ankle joint is surrounded by a fibrous joint capsule. Tendons that attach the large muscles of the leg to the foot wrap around the ankle both from the front and behind. The large tendon (Achilles tendon) of the calf muscle passes behind the ankle and attaches at the back of the heel. A large tendon of the leg muscle (posterior tibial tendon) passes behind the medial malleolus. The peroneal tendon passes behind the lateral malleolus to attach into the foot.
The normal ankle has the ability to move the foot, from the neutral right-angle position to approximately 45 degrees of plantar flexion and to approximately 20 degrees of dorsiflexion. The powerful muscles that move the ankle are located in the front and back portions of the leg. These muscles contract and relax during walking.
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