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Foot and Ankle pain in Cheltenham
reclaim your stride, live free from foot and ankle pain
Foot and ankle pain can unsettle your routine fast, every step becomes a reminder of your pain. Foot and ankle pain can come from sprains, overuse, tendon irritation, or arthritis, and foot and ankle physiotherapy focuses on reducing pain, restoring mobility, and building resilience so you can return to daily activities and sport.
Why Use a Physiotherapist for Foot and Ankle Pain?
- Natural Pain Relief – Gentle, evidence‑based techniques reduce pain through movement, strengthening muscles, improving posture, and restoring mobility, without relying on medication or invasive procedures.
- Improved Mobility – Physiotherapy focuses on safe, guided strategies to improve joint and soft‑tissues to help you move more freely, without stiffness.
- Strengthening support – A tailored strengthening program with progressive loading makes your foot and ankle resilient to future strain.
- Injury Prevention – Smart rehabilitation and movement coaching reduces the risk of re‑injury.
- Personalised Care – Every injury is unique, whether it’s a sports sprain, arthritis, or post‑surgical recovery. Physiotherapy provides personalised care plans designed around your specific condition, lifestyle, and goals.
What Treatments May Include
- Assessment and education – Identify pain triggers, gait and movement habits, and your activity goals.
- Load management – Gradual progression, just enough stress to stimulate healing without provoking flare‑ups.
- Manual therapy (optional) – Joint and soft‑tissue techniques can reduce pain and stiffness alongside exercise.
- Exercise therapy – The core, mobility, flexibility, strength, balance, and functional drills.
- Shockwave therapy - This non-evasive treatment works by improving blood flow, stimulating cell activity, and breaking down scar tissue to promote healing. It is often used in conjunction with other physiotherapy treatments.
- Return-to-activity – Criteria‑based progressions for walking, running, jumping, and sport-specific movements.
Common Foot and Ankle Pain Conditions We Treat
- Ankle sprains and strains – rehabilitation exercises restore ligament strength and prevent instability.
- Plantar fasciitis (Policemans Heel) – stretching and strengthening exercises reduce heel pain.
- Achilles tendon problems – eccentric loading exercises improve tendon resilience.
- Arthritis – gentle mobility and strengthening help maintain independence.
- Post-surgery recovery – structured rehabilitation enables a safe return to activity.
What to Expect
At Straight Back Physio you can expect a thorough assessment, tailored exercises, hands‑on treatment if needed, and clear guidance on how to manage and prevent future flare‑ups. They will then create a treatment plan designed to relieve pain, restore mobility, and help you get back to doing what they love.
Types of foot and ankle pain
Some of the most common types of foot and ankle pain conditions include Plantar Fasciitis, Achilles Tendonitis, and Ankle Sprains. Although we also see a wider range of conditions at our physiotherapy clinic.
Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar Fasciitis, also known as Policemans Heel, is an inflammation of the Plantar Fascia. One of the main symptoms is a sharp pain around the bottom of your foot, around your heel and arch. Plantar Fasciitis is common in runners and can be caused by the type of shoes you wear, especially high heels for women, your foot structure, playing sports, exercising without stretching or warming up, and the type of surfaces you walk or exercise on.
Foot physiotherapy treatment can include hands-on joint mobilization, shockwave therapy, stretching, myofascial release, and strapping techniques.
Achilles Tendonitis
Achilles tendonitis is an overuse injury of the achilles tendon which is the band of tissue that connects the calf muscles at the back of the leg to your heel bone. We often see patients suffering from achilles pain when running, although it is also common to older people who play sports such as tennis or running only at the weekends, as the tendon weakens with age.
Although complete rest and anti-inflammatory pain killers may improve mild symptoms, the mainstay of foot physiotherapy treatment is to build up the strength and function of the achilles tendon. We also use dry needling, and shockwave therapy to help ease the pain.
Ankle Sprains and Strains
Suffering from an ankle injury is painful and affects the quality of your everyday life. You may be uncomfortable or, in the worst of circumstances, lose your entire mobility. Depending on the severity of the injury, the recovery time for a sprained ankle is often lengthy. Physiotherapy is often the preferred treatment for ankle pain.
When you sprain your ankle, you injure the ligaments of your ankle. If you strain your ankle, you’ve injured the tendons of the muscles around your ankle, see above for achilles tendonitis. During your assessment we will diagnose which type of injury applies to you and treat you accordingly.
Physiotherapy for ankle pain primarily focuses on assisting with the healing of the ligaments. Ankle sprain physiotherapy treatments help to reduce swelling, improve weight bearing, and promote pain free range of movement. As the ligament progresses and heals, treatment will typically shift toward strength and stability to help restore the ankle’s previous level of function.
“I'm a kitesurfer and I had a niggling foot injury that was keeping me off the water, in fact I could barely walk! I just couldn't shake it off and it had been going on for a few months. After following some advice from the team at Straight Back Physio I was back on the water within 10 days :). I am very pleased with the results and would recommend Straight Back Physio to anyone with an injury that is hampering their movement.”
Nathan, Google review
Book now
Schedule an appointment with a foot and ankle physiotherapy expert in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, we provide a comprehensive approach to foot and ankle pain treatment, utilizing various recommended therapies specifically designed to help you stay free from pain and injuries. Our preventative services are aimed at supporting your overall well-being and boosting your activity levels.
Recover faster, our chartered physios can usually get you back to redoing the activities you can't do now within 4 to 8 sessions.
We understand that some people may want to find out a bit more about the cost before they book an appointment at our physiotherapy clinic. Our unique
save as you recover packages can save you up to 20% on the cost of a single session.
Insured
For insured clients we can either work directly with your insurance provider or offer receipts for cash-based plans, allowing you to reclaim your expenses.
Not Covered by Insurance
If you want see the best physiotherapist in your area, feel free to book an appointment at our Cheltenham physiotherapy clinic without needing a referral from your GP.
Why Choose Us
No other local physiotherapy clinic can match our level of expertise and rehabilitation services, thanks to our extensive experience and in-house gym facilities. You'll receive the full benefits of physiotherapy through a tailored combination of interventions designed to guide you on your path to recovery.