How can virtual physical therapists pick out ankle pain causes?

You’re walking to your mailbox, and instead of thinking about your mail, you’re merely thinking, “Ouch, ouch, ouch.” Why this preoccupation with pain? You may be feeling pain in your ankle with every step you take. 

This scenario is fictional, right? It’s not for far too many people. One medical study reports that 15% of people, or nearly 50 million Americans, experience frequent ankle pain. Many issues can cause the ankle pain that you and so many others are experiencing. A virtual physical therapist can help you learn about some of the most common ankle pain causes. These specialists can also help you determine which issue is causing your pain. 

Common ankle pain causes a virtual physical therapist may discover in your ankle

The certified physical therapists who do virtual physical therapy are much like those you see in person. They have the same extensive background in the human musculoskeletal system. This knowledge allows your virtual physical therapist to identify routine causes of ankle pain, such as: 

• Damaged or torn ankle tendons. 
• Sprained ankle ligaments. 
• Osteoarthritis. 
• Bursitis.
• Fractures. 

Three steps your virtual physical therapist can take to determine the cause of your ankle pain

It might seem like it would be harder for virtual physical therapists to diagnose and treat ankle problems. They don’t have the ability to physically touch your ankle, after all. But these specialists can still accurately identify which issue is specifically affecting your ankle. Three steps they can take to do so are: 

1. Listening to what you say — A physical therapist’s ears are one of their most vital diagnostic tools. They allow these specialists to listen to what you have to say about your ankle pain. This is valuable when it comes to diagnosing the source of your pain. Why? You’re the one who is actually experiencing it. 

2. Asking you questions — Another step your virtual physical therapist may take is to ask you certain questions. Some of these questions will be about how much pain you feel. Others will seek to nail down which movements or activities increase or decrease your pain. You may also be asked questions about your medical history. Your clinician may also inquire if you have any chronic medical issues, like diabetes. 

3. Having you move around — Watching you move around is another way for virtual physical therapists to gain valuable insight into your condition. That’s why your physical therapist will take you through a comprehensive movement screening. Such screenings typically happen at the same time that your clinician is asking you some of the questions mentioned above. 

Agile Virtual PT is prepared to help you find the cause of your ankle pain

Bewildered by a flock of potential ankle pain causes? Our Agile Virtual Physical Therapy clinicians are here to help you cut through the confusion. They can do a free virtual screening of your ankle to pinpoint the source of your pain. Following that, they can create a treatment plan for you that’s personalized, intended to reduce your pain and designed to prevent future ankle pain. 

Contact our team today for more information about what we can do to help you with ankle pain or to schedule an initial virtual appointment with us.