Containing 28 bones, along with an intricate arrangement of ligaments, muscles, tendons, and nerves, a single foot and ankle is both structurally and functionally complex. When something disrupts this functionality, either through injury, disease, or your natural ageing process, you may experience significant difficulties moving.
Pain, stiffness, or weakness experienced in your foot or ankle may interfere with your normal daily routine, bringing understandable concern for you when there is no clear cause. That’s why our orthopaedic consultants at The Sarum Road Hospital specialise in finding you an accurate diagnosis promptly, bringing relief to your symptoms with a personalised treatment plan as well as helping to tackle the root cause of your concerns to prevent any flare-ups in future.
If you live in or around Winchester and are struggling with an ankle or foot problem, expert help is available, fast. At The Sarum Road Hospital, highly experienced foot and ankle surgeons provide assessment and treatment for a wide variety of foot and ankle symptoms, such as:
- Stiffness and pain
- Swelling of the foot
- Lack of movement/range of motion
- Prominence on the big toe
- Aching arches
- Clicking or snapping ankles
- The feeling of something in your shoes, or like walking on a pebble
- Instability, ankle giving way
Certain stress factors can also contribute to your issues, especially as you may have taken up a new hobby during lockdown which has brought on an onset of pain, such as running. Injuries and sprains cause notable issues, but in some patients, problems may arise gradually over time.
There are a number of problems that can affect the toes, forefoot, midfoot, hindfoot or ankle. Some of the reasons people book a private appointment are:
Toe & forefoot problems:
- In-growing toenails
- Toe deformities
- Big toe pain
- Forefoot pain
- Bunions
- Bursitis
- Morton’s Neuroma – feeling like a pebble in your shoe when walking
Midfoot & hindfoot problems:
- Midfoot pain
- Plantar fasciitis (heel and arch pain)
- Achilles’ tendonitis – pain along the back of the heel
- Flat feet (“fallen arches”)
- High arch foot pain
- Foot drop
- Tendon disorders
Ankle problems:
- Ankle sprains
- Ankle pain
- Ankle stiffness
- Ankle instability
In addition to the symptoms and conditions listed above, osteoarthritis can affect a foot or ankle, which occurs through gradual wear and tear, causing pain and stiffness in the joints. Most commonly this will develop in the big toe or ankle, but it can develop in any joint.
For many of these conditions, you may not require surgical intervention, but an accurate and reliable diagnosis from orthopaedic specialists is needed to ensure you get the necessary treatment to relieve your symptoms. At The Sarum Road Hospital, it is easy to arrange a private appointment with an experienced foot and ankle surgeon for expert assessment and advice.
For many patients, a combination of physiotherapy (such as shockwave therapy, which reduces pain and promotes healing and recovery) and guided stretching can be effective in reducing your symptoms, especially for conditions such as plantar fasciitis.
Steroid injections can be administered within the clinic, helping to alleviate swelling and reduce pain. Some can be offered at the time of your initial consultation. Other injections are more intricate and may require ultrasound guidance for added accuracy, which can be arranged for a later date.
A number of other foot and ankle treatments are available at the hospital, depending on your needs. Conservative (non-surgical) treatments include:
- Guidance on foot care
- Using aids such as walking boots and crutches
- Bracing or splinting
- Pain relief medication
- Physiotherapy
- Orthotics (insoles)
- Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT)
Where these are not able to provide suitable symptom relief, surgery may be required. These surgeries can be tailored to your specific requirements, with a vast array of options for you to consider. Foot and ankle surgical procedures available at The Sarum Road Hospital includes:
Ankle arthroscopy (keyhole surgery) – for assessment and treatment of several ankle conditions, such as cartilage damage and bone spurs. Very small incisions (cuts) are used, resulting in reduced pain, less visible scarring, and faster recovery than with traditional open surgery.
- Ankle fusion
- Ankle replacement
- Bunion surgery
- Ingrown toenail surgery
- Fusion of big toe.
When you come to The Sarum Road Hospital for your initial consultation, your consultant will first take a detailed medical history, and ask you to describe your symptoms. They will likely ask you:
- What symptoms have you been experiencing?
- How long have these symptoms lasted?
- Have they become progressively worse over time?
- What type of pain is it? Pain when moving or nerve pain?
- Have you tried any treatments previously?
- Are you currently taking any medication?
Private consultations typically last around 30 minutes, allowing you time to go into much greater detail and giving your consultant a chance to get to know you and how your condition has been affecting you.
A clinical examination will then be performed of your whole leg, from your toes all the way up to your hip. Even though your symptoms may only be in your foot or ankle, problems in the knee or hip can sometimes be the cause so need to be ruled out. This examination involves manipulating the foot or ankle joint and pressing along the foot to assess your responses. They may also ask you to perform some simple tasks and movements to demonstrate your symptoms.
Sometimes this is all that is needed for your consultant to make a diagnosis, and a treatment plan can be formed accordingly.
Other patients may need further investigations, such as an X-ray, MRI, CT or ultrasound scan, all of which are offered in our on-site Imaging department. You will then have a follow-up consultation, where your treatment options will be outlined, and together you can decide how best to proceed, whether that be surgery or conservative treatment.
The majority of people who visit us for help with a foot or ankle problem live in Winchester or the surrounding areas. However, excellent road access makes it easy to visit us from further away should you wish.
We see both private medical insurance and self-pay patients. While a medical referral can be helpful, you can easily self-refer to us to avoid delay.
When you visit us for help with a foot or ankle problem, you will benefit from:
- Rapid access to a leading expert – Any problem in the foot or ankle can cause significant problems with many aspects of everyday life and you won’t want to face a long wait to be seen. We can quickly and easily book you a private appointment with an experienced Consultant.
- Tailored approach – Your Consultant will oversee every aspect of your care, from initial assessment and diagnosis through to treatment, recovery and post-treatment follow-up.
- Remote Consultation – Consultations for foot and ankle problems are usually carried out in person at The Sarum Road Hospital. For your convenience, we can also offer remote consultations by telephone or online video call if required and where clinically appropriate.
- Experienced staff - With leading Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeons, Physiotherapists, Radiologists and many other healthcare professionals working on-site, you will be well supported at every stage of your treatment and will always see the most appropriate person for your particular needs.
- Recommended by patients – In an independent survey, 99.5% of the people we treated said they were likely or extremely likely to recommend The Sarum Road Hospital to their friends and family.
- Location – You’ll find The Sarum Road within minutes of the centre of Winchester, making it extremely easy to travel to us. The hospital is located in a stunning rural setting on the edge of the Royal Winchester Golf Club.
