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The response to the question below was authored by Marc Mitnick DPM

tightness and zinging pain behind ankle bone

by Deb
(Wisconsin)

When doing calf stretch type exercises, downward dog yoga position for example, when I try to put my heel down to the floor, I get a zinging pain right behind the outside ankle bone. There is no shooting pain to anywhere else, it's just localized there. And if I rub the spot, it feels numb. Is this part of the achilles? Should I refrain from exercise, ice it....???? I exercise fairly regularly...yoga once a week, circuit training 2-3 times a week, walk (wearing shape up shoes), or jog once or twice a week. Not at all overweight. Have issues with tight IT band on that side, and am currently having some hip pain and groin strain on that same side of the body.

ANSWER

Hi Deb,

The zinging sensation you are experiencing on the back portion of your ankle just behind the outside ankle bone (lateral malleolus) sounds like it might be either a tendon strain or a nerve irritation.
Obviously, as you put your heel down, you are stretching something which then gives off the zinging sensation.
The two muscles potentially involved are the peroneal muscles (peroneus brevis and peroneus longus). The potential nerve involved the sural nerve.
So the short answer is it does not sound like it is part of the achilles tendon but because there is numbness when you touch the area I am leaning more towards sural nerve involvement.
I cannot really give you more information than that because I do not have the luxury of examining you.
I am curious if you get this "sensation" at other times other than when doing calf stretches.
I do not know if you should refrain from exercise per se, because again I cannot examine you and I am not getting a feel as to how bad this bothers you.
If you are just doing stretches and not actually running or doing some other type of high impact activity I am not sure that you can do any real damage, but the only way you would know that for sure would be to see a foot specialist and let he or she first make an accurate diagnosis and secondly give you guidance going forward as to what you should or should not do in terms of exercise.

Marc Mitnick DPM
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Aug 29, 2011
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stress fractures
by: Bonnie

I had broke my right foot and had a fusion and then a revision and then hardware removal and then more hardware removal. I have recently had severe pain in the top of the right foot. I went to the ER and done x-rays however they said no fractures, so I went to a Podiatrist and he diagnosed me with stress fractures in the 3rd and 4th metatarsal without looking at x-rays. My question is how do DR's arrive at a diagnosis without seeing x-rays? One of the other questions is how long of a healing time does that involve? Also did having the fusion done possibly weaken bones thus making me prone to stress fractures? Thanks for your help. Bonnie

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Columbia University Department of Rehabilitation

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Stanford Health Care

Illinois Bone and Joint Institute

Mount Sinai Hospital

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University of Florida Health

American Family Physician

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tightness and zinging pain behind ankle bone

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