Towards the end of last year I went to the GP as the occasional pain that I felt on the front of my left ankle when the toes were pushed up, for example by stepping on a log, had become more persistent. I was referred to the physio whose holistic approach undoubtedly saw my back and core stability improve but did little for my ankle. Yesterday I finally made it to a foot and ankle specialist at the Wessex Nuffield hospital (yes – the IBM medical insurance is paying!) via the X-ray department. After a brief description of the symptoms he took a look at the images and immediately diagnosed anterior impingement, better known as “footballer’s ankle”.
Apparently the bones either side of the ankle joint have grown little spurs which, in dorsiflexion (toes pushed upwards), impinge on the soft tissue in-between. It is the subsequent inflammation and swelling that causes the pain. The consultant stressed that matters are not likely to deteriorate but neither are they going to improve of their own accord. I now have to decide whether or not I want to pursue the option of keyhole surgery to shave off the spurs. With baby’s birth just a month and a half away, now probably isn’t a good time to be on crutches for a week or more. That and I was looking forward to getting fit during my paternity leave!