Ask the Doctor

Is it too late to rehabilitate my ankle?

QI sprained my ankle a couple of years ago and it has been giving me a lot of trouble since. I am in my mid-40s and took a turn going down a step resulting in a lot of pain and swelling. The GP sent me to a pyhsio hut I never did the exercises. I feel a lot of pain every now and then and am afraid to run or play sports. Have I left it too late to fix?

AJoint pain is most commonly due to a lifetime of wear and tear, injury or failure to care for our skeleton properly. If you injured a joint previously and it didn’t heal as well as it should it can put you at risk of pain or problems in that area in the years to come. Obesity, poor posture or balance can alter the body’s centre of gravity leading to pressure through the ankles and feet. High intensity exercise that involves jumping or running also puts a strain on the structures of the ankle. Pain across the ankle may be due to some arthritis or inflammation here.

If your ankle has been problematic since the last injury and you have increasing pain now, then physiotherapy is a good place to start. A registered physiotherapist will formally assess your ankle and the supporting structures.

I do always stress that when a physio advises exercise it is similar to a doctor prescribing medicine. Completing the course is usually essential to full recovery. If pain is ongoing despite physiotherapy, I would advise seeing your doctor. X-rays are not necessary for a simple sprain but an MRI may be needed to define a more serious ligament injury.