• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Middle Aged Mama

Blogging about my Midlife Adventures

  • About
  • New? Start Here!
  • What’s Middle Age?!
  • Work With Me
  • As Seen In
  • Workshops
  • Fine Print
  • Contact
  • Show Search
Hide Search

Honey I Rolled My Ankle!

Janet Camilleri · 11/05/2018 ·

Working from home, I don’t wear shoes – let alone high heels – all that often.

So I guess it’s not surprising that when I wore heels to a funeral about a year ago, I had a bit of a mishap.

Walking back to the car, I missed my step and rolled my ankle – ouch! It brought tears to my eyes but at least I didn’t completely embarrass myself by falling over, as I was able to clutch on to hubby for support.

Back at the car, I swapped over to a pair of flat shoes for the wake, and promptly forgot all about it. It didn’t really hurt, and there was no visible swelling or bruising. It didn’t stop me from going for my morning walks so I didn’t realise the damage I’d done.

foot mobilisation therapy review after I rolled my ankle

What Happened After I Rolled My Ankle

However … over the following months, I noticed that my ankle just wasn’t quite “right”. Nothing major; there were just a couple of little niggles, such as:

  • Tenderness under the outside ankle joint, when I sat cross-legged;
  • And, I struggled to walk in high heels (which I lamented in this post, Put Your Best Foot Forward, back in May last year)!

On the odd occasion when I *did* wear heels, I tottered along, feeling very unstable and insecure. Plus, I got a weird pain in the top of my foot (especially when walking or standing). It was clear that my foot really didn’t like being forced into that angle!

I couldn't wear heels after I rolled my ankle
Wearing shoes like these was agony

I pretty much gave up on the fancy shoes, and put these little twinges down to getting older (as you do). However as time went by, and things weren’t improving, I began to worry. Maybe I was developing arthritis?

How I Discovered Foot Mobilisation Therapy

I probably would have let things continue except I read an article by a local podiatrist, and one sentence really stuck with me: “I often encounter clients that say, ever since I had that sprained ankle, my foot has never been quite the same”. It then went on to explain a treatment called Foot Mobilisation Therapy. I was intrigued!

That was pretty much how I felt, except – I hadn’t really sprained my ankle, just rolled it.

In the end I booked an appointment, although I was pretty sure it was “nothing”.

But to my surprise, it wasn’t “nothing”  – it was actually “something”. You see, when I rolled my ankle, I’d placed an enormous amount of abnormal forces on it, causing joints and ligaments to pop out of alignment.

When the podiatrist tested my muscle strength, the injured foot was as weak as a kitten – it had nowhere near the power of the other one!

And the treatment was so simple, I wish I’d sought out help earlier.

Foot Mobilisation Therapy (or FMT) is a fairly recent development in the world of podiatry, and involves manipulating your foot until things go back into place – it’s a bit like chiropractic for the foot.

During the treatment, I lay on my stomach while the podiatrist poked and prodded, stretched and pulled, bent my leg up and straightened it again – and sure enough things popped back into place. I know, because I actually heard it!

Despite the cracking and popping, it didn’t hurt at all.

after foot mobilisation therapy I wore strapping tape for a couple of days
My foot was taped for a couple of days afterwards

But Did Foot Mobilisation Therapy Work?

Yes, it did!

My ankle immediately felt looser, and I had a much better range of movement and strength straight away.

My foot was then strapped up with kinetic tape which I left on for a couple of days. It was explained to me that when I rolled my ankle, I’d disrupted the neurological pathway – the flow of information from my foot to my brain, and vice versa. It was almost like, as far as my brain was concerned, my foot wasn’t there anymore! No wonder I struggled to walk in high heels. The kinetic tape was to help my brain and foot re-connect.

For a day or two afterwards, my foot, ankle and calf felt a little bit tender and even tingly but since then, I can honestly say I’m as good as new. I’ve just come back from an event and I wore heels all day without any problems!

now I can wear heels again!
Back to wearing and walking in high heels! Wearing dress and vest by Vivid International*

It was like a miracle cure, and I really wanted to share it here in case there are others like me, thinking it’s “nothing much” and “not worth bothering about”, because “it’s just part of being middle aged”.

I do a lot of copywriting and SEO for health professionals and if there’s one thing that I’m learning, it’s that pain is NOT just part and parcel of getting older. It’s a sign that something isn’t quite right, and we would do well to heed that message and do something about it.

So if you too have an ankle that is “not quite right”, even if you don’t remember spraining or rolling your ankle, it is worth getting it checked out … foot mobilisation therapy could be the solution!

Disclosure: My local podiatrist is also one of my clients. However, I was not paid to write this story nor was I encouraged to write a testimonial. I was just so impressed that I wanted to let others know about it.

This post is dedicated to Susan 🙂

*NB This post includes items sent to me for editorial consideration in accordance with my disclosure policy.

Filed Under: Health & Wellbeing

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jan Wild says

    12/05/2018 at 7:26 pm

    Oh that’s great to hear, as I definitely have a problem ankle. Time to make further investigations.

    • Janet Camilleri says

      25/05/2018 at 12:25 pm

      Trust me Jan, it’s worth it. I felt a bit embarrassed as it seems so “minor” when I went to the podiatrist, and like I was making a fuss over nothing, but now I’m so glad I did!

  2. Susan Turner says

    13/05/2018 at 10:49 am

    Oh thank you so much Janet! ?
    What a fascinating technique! So pleased it worked for you. I’m seeing my podiatrist soon so I’ll talk to him about. Xx

    • Janet Camilleri says

      25/05/2018 at 12:26 pm

      Not all podiatrists do it; apparently FMT was only introduced in Australia in 2011 so it’s quite a recent technique. But judging from my experience it definitely works!

  3. Susan Turner says

    13/05/2018 at 10:52 am

    That was meant to be a smiley face not a question mark Lol xx

Primary Sidebar

Meet the Middle Aged Mama

Janet Camilleri is an Australian bloggerHi - I'm Janet Camilleri aka the Middle Aged Mama; crazy cat lady, award-winning business woman, and mother of two grown children. I might be a middle aged woman, but that doesn't mean I've lost all interest in looking stylish! I love chocolate, chick lit, cruising holidays and the husbear - and not necessarily in that order wink. I live in Brisbane, Australia, and I'm learning how to fashion a new life now that we have an empty nest - did somebody say "travel"?!

Middle Aged Mama logo

Ads & Affiliates




Topics

  • Blogging, Reading & Writing
  • Fashion & Beauty
  • Health & Wellbeing
  • Home & Garden
  • Leisure
  • Memories
  • Middle Age
  • Rants & Ramblings
  • Relationships & Parenting
  • Travel
  • Work & Finances

Follow My Adventures On:

Facebookpinterestrssinstagram

Footer

Archives

where you can find me

How to dress over 40

Bloggernity

Blog Directory

Search Middle Aged Mama

© 2025 Janet Camilleri / Middle Aged Mama