Conditions / Ankle, shin & Achilles
Ankle, shin & Achilles pain
Weekend five-a-side. Marathon training. Keeping up with the kids. An injury doesn’t have to mean sitting on the sidelines — sprains, strains and stress-related niggles all respond to the right plan.
Some injuries come through our door on repeat: rolled ankles from netball and basketball, calf strains from soccer and touch football, and shin splints or Achilles niggles in runners building up for their next event. Different sports, similar stories — an injury that needs a proper look before you get back out there.
What’s actually happening
An ankle sprain is a stretched or torn ligament, most often from the ankle rolling inward. A calf strain is an overstretch or small tear in the calf muscle, common in sports with sudden acceleration. Shin splints (pain along the front or inside of the shin) usually follow a sudden increase in running volume or a change in surface or footwear. Achilles tendon pain shows up as stiffness above the heel, often worse first thing in the morning, and tends to build gradually rather than from a single incident.
Seek urgent medical attention rather than a podiatry appointment if you can’t bear any weight at all, notice significant swelling or visible deformity, or suspect a fracture — these need prompt assessment and imaging, not a wait-and-see approach. Persistent, worsening shin pain is also worth having assessed rather than assumed, since shin splints and a stress fracture can be hard to tell apart without a proper look.
How we can help
- Ankle sprains, calf strains, shin splints and Achilles pain, assessed with gait analysis under load
- Structured rehabilitation, including strength and conditioning programs
- CAM walker boots fitted on-site for sprains, stress fractures or post-surgical recovery that need offloading
- Realistic, upfront timeframes
Reviewed by Burwood Podiatry. This page is general information, not a diagnosis — book an assessment for advice about your own feet.