Your feet work hard every day, and pain in your feet or ankles can seriously affect your daily routines. Simple activities like climbing stairs, walking to work, or driving may become painful tasks. Many things can cause foot and ankle pain, but at Stride Physical Therapy, we're here to help you recover. Physical therapy is effective for healing injuries and easing all types of pain. Book an appointment with our skilled physical therapists in Freehold, NJ, and find out how we can help you feel better!
Your foot is a complex system with about 24 bones, 30 joints, and more than 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Pain in the feet and ankles is very common due to this complexity. A foot or ankle injury can be so painful that you might not bear weight on it, forcing you to hop on the other foot or stay seated and immobile. Even slight pain can limit your daily activities and inconvenience those around you.
A strain happens when a muscle or its tendon is overstretched. A sprain happens when a ligament is overstretched or ripped.
Arthritis, a widespread joint inflammation, triggers joint pain. The most often seen forms—osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis—particularly affect the foot and ankle.
Tendinitis occurs from excessive overuse of the tendons, causing them to become inflamed for a long time.
Bursitis occurs when the Tendinitis results from overworking the tendons too much, leading to prolonged inflammation. rub against the “bursae” or anti-friction sacs, causing them to become irritated and uncomfortable.
Broken bones happen when they are hit too hard and either crack or completely snap. If you break a bone in your foot or ankle, you might need to rest for several weeks to heal properly.
Tarsal tunnel syndrome happens when the nerve that travels from your ankle to your foot gets compressed and irritated.
Your foot has various tendons that help create your arch. When these tendons function correctly, they create a normal arch. If they don’t work together well, you may have a low or no arch—known as flat foot—which can lead to pain or discomfort over time.
Plantar fasciitis is when the tissue connecting your heel to your toes on the foot's underside gets inflamed. Reasons include too much standing, bad standing habits, or wearing shoes without good arch support.
Your treatment plan combines hands-on therapy, targeted exercises, and stretches to enhance joint movement, balance, and strengthen foot and ankle muscles. We may use a balance and other specialized methods. At Stride Physical Therapy, we aim to relieve your pain swiftly and improve blood flow. We’ll assess and suggest lifestyle adjustments or orthotic shoes to avoid future issues.
Struggling with foot or ankle pain? Take control of your movement and comfort at our Freehold, NJ clinic. Stride Physical Therapy will get you moving pain-free again. Book your appointment now and step towards recovery!
Kanwal Bhardwaj
Meet Kanwal Bhardwaj, PT, M.Sc.PT, CIMT, CMNT, the driving force behind Stride Physical Therapy in Freehold, NJ. With over 20 years of dedicated experience in the field, Kanwal brings a wealth of expertise and a passion for holistic healing to his practice. Kanwal's journey began with a Master of Science in Orthopedic Physical Therapy from Quinnipiac University in 2004. Over the years, he honed his skills and gained invaluable insights during 18 years of service in outpatient physical therapy offices. In 2014, fueled by a desire to deepen his understanding of patient care, he pursued a manual therapy certification (CIMT). This transformative experience allowed him to adopt a whole-body perspective, focusing on treating the root cause rather than just the symptoms...
Finding it tough to walk without a limp? Worried that your days of being active are over? Are hip and knee pains making every move unbearable? If hip or knee discomfort is wreaking havoc on your daily life and you're seeking relief without turning to medications or surgeries, there's an alternative.
Physical therapy offers a non-invasive way to lessen the pain in your hips and knees, enhancing the performance of these essential joints. Get in touch with Stride Physical Therapy in Freehold, NJ, today to discover how we can assist you in getting back on your feet!
Once we pinpoint the cause of your hip or knee pain, our physical therapist can recommend strategies to help ease your pain and get you moving comfortably again. We might start with passive exercises where we help move your joint to increase its range of motion without pain. Exercises that ease the load on your joints are also beneficial. For example, swimming or water activity lessens the stress on your hips and knees as they don't have to carry your full weight.
We'll also suggest exercises to tackle your hip or knee pain and improve joint health. Strengthening exercises bolster the muscles and tissues stabilizing your joint, and corrective movements and neuromuscular training teach you how to keep your posture aligned and balanced.
Beyond exercises, our physical therapy includes treatments like heat, ice, and massage to help manage pain and accelerate healing.
Hip and knee pain can be caused by a variety of problems. Some of these are related to musculoskeletal misalignment, poor posture, and/or excess weight; others occur as the result of natural aging or unhealthy sports/work habits. Your hip or knee pain may stem from:
Traumatic injuries, such as dislocation of the joint
Postural/alignment issues that throw your body off balance, straining the knees or hips
Runner’s knee, an instability of the kneecap
Osteoarthritis, a painful inflammatory condition involving deteriorated joint cartilage
Tendinitis, or stretched ligaments
Bursitis, an inflammation of the friction-reducing sacs surrounding the joints
Infections
Our physical therapist can often determine the cause of your hip or knee pain from its location. For example, pain along the inside of the hip is more likely to be caused by a problem with the bones or cartilage. Pain along the outer side is typically caused by a problem in the muscles, tendons, or ligaments.
Your hips and knees play vital roles – the hips support your upper body's weight and your knees support the weight of your body above them. They need to be flexible for activities like walking and running, but this can lead to ongoing hip or knee pain. Pain in these areas can arise slowly from regular wear and tear, or quickly and sharply if you get injured.
Are you ready to reclaim your pain-free mobility through physical therapy? Contact Stride Physical Therapy in Freehold, NJ, for an appointment! Our dedicated team is here to help you find relief and improve your quality of life.