Outside of the Foot Pain [Lateral Foot Pain]
Pain On Outside Of The Ankle [Causes, Symptoms & Best Treatment]
Pain On Outside Of Ankle: 95% is one of these causes: Ankle ligament sprains, peroneus brevis & peroneus longus tendonitis, or sinus tarsi pain!
Table of Contents
Pain on the outside of the ankle causes & treatment:
Outside of the ankle causes:
Outside of the Foot Pain Picture Gallery:
Look:
- Fifth toe pain usually has nothing wrong with the bone unless it has recently been broken. The pain usually results from pressure against the front of the shoe, causing a callus or ingrown toenail.
- The fifth toe joint can cause a Tailor’s bunion to occur. This can also result in nerve pain and arthritis of the fifth toe joint.
- The bone connecting to the fifth toe is called the fifth metatarsal. It is possible to develop a stress fracture or “Jones” fracture.
- It is also possible to have pain and tendons and nerves outside the ankle from pressure against the outside of the shoe.
- The peroneal tendons can also be causing pain. This means the peroneus brevis tendon and the peroneus longus tendon.
- Cuboid syndrome can also cause pain at the back and outside of the foot.
Click on the photo gallery to see descriptions!
Most common causes:
The most common causes of outside of the ankle-foot pain are:
- An ankle sprain.
- Peroneal tendonitis.
- Sinus tarsi pain
- A broken Ankle.
Ankle Ligament Damage or Ankle Sprain:
Ankle Sprain Symptoms:
- This can cause instability.
- Usually after a traumatic twist or sprain.
- Inability to bend ankle in or out without pain.
Ankle Sprain Causes:
- Most commonly, this is due to a sprain or twist of the ankle.
- This can be called a rolled ankle motion.
Ankle Sprain Home Treatment:
See below for our recommended products are located below:
- An ankle sprain requires a strong stability brace immediately after the injury. This will prevent future injury.
- If the majority of your ankle sprain pain has healed, a compression race can work really well after the first month or two.
- For long-term pain, in great orthotic with a good supportive shoe is an excellent idea.
For More Specific Information:
- If you have a specific ankle injury, consider some of our following guides for ankle sprain pain.
- This can really help you out!
Sinus Tarsi Syndrome & Pain:
- This is the joint directly below the ankle joint.
- This can become very painful from pressure during the day.
Sinus Tarsi Pain Symptoms:
This is pain just below and in front of the outside ankle bone:
- This is more of an aching and burning pain that gets worse after standing for a long time.
- It can be worse in the morning after a long day.
- It can get tender at the end of a long day, then be painful while in bed.
Sinus Tarsi Pain Causes:
- This pain occurs because the outside of the foot compresses against the outside ankle bone.
- When the foot gets fatigued, the muscles tire, and the foot continues to turn out and grind against the ankle bones.
Sinus Tarsitis Home Treatment Options:
Read below for our recommended products:
- The best is a combination of a good supportive shoe, a supportive brace, and full-length orthotics.
- For low-level pain, a compression brace can work wonders.
- If you have difficulty fitting your brace shoes, at the very least, get a good supportive orthotic in a good shoe.
- Doing the simple step alone has changed lives in our clinic before!
Peroneus Longus Tendonitis:
- The peroneus longus tendon could lead to the back across the back of the ankle and side of the foot.
- This muscle is responsible for push-off with foot and ankle stabilization.
- It can commonly be irritated while running.
Peroneus longus tendinitis symptoms:
- These can lead to soreness stretching up your leg.
- Numbness, burning, and tingling.
- Pain up the side of the outside of your leg when you push down with your big toe joint.
Peroneus longus tendinitis causes:
- This is most commonly caused by people pushing off with the front of your foot.
- I have seen this most commonly in people who push off with their big toe and sprain the outside of their ankle.
- This radiates up the side of your leg, almost to the outside of your knee.
Peroneus longus tendinitis home treatment:
Look at the products below for our recommendations:
- Probably the number one thing you want is a good supportive orthotic.
- We prefer full-length orthotics and a good supportive running shoe.
- The second thing you want to do is modifying your activity. Look for activities that cause you to push off with your big toe joint.
- Look at a good supportive compression brace.
Peroneus Brevis Tendonitis:
- The peroneus brevis tendon could lead across the back of the ankle and side of the foot.
- This muscle is responsible for push-off with foot and ankle stabilization.
- This is the muscle that you use for turning the foot out.
- It can commonly be irritated while running.
Peroneus brevis tendinitis symptoms:
- This usually leads to numbness, burning, and tingling, radiating up the side of your leg.
- This is usually due to your foot twisting out to compensate for another injury.
- The outside of your ankle in the soft meaty is sore behind your bone (fibula).
Peroneus brevis tendinitis causes:
- This is most commonly caused after compensating for another injury.
- For example, if you have a sore knee or hip, your foot would rotate out to take pressure off of the impact.
- Eventually, the peroneus brevis gets really sore.
- This is also related to a tight ankle joint or hamstring.
Peroneus brevis tendinitis home treatment:
- The single number one thing is a good stability ankle brace.
- We also like a combination of the deep full-length orthotic.
- Consider a good supportive shoe or boot.
- If this is more of a chronic type of pain, and you cannot fit your stability brace into your shoe, try a good compression brace.
A Broken Ankle:
- If you think you might have a broken ankle, you would likely have black and purple bruising. Next paragraph most the time he suffered a traumatic injury recently, or you had a really hard fall.
- The only way to really get a broken ankle without a traumatic injury is to be very osteoporotic.
- This usually means that you are way over 65 years old and likely hit menopause or have a vitamin D deficiency.
- Or you even have some chronic disease that may be inhibiting your bone health.
Broken ankle symptoms:
- You will likely have suffered a traumatic injury.
- You will likely have dark or black bruising.
Broken ankle causes:
- This is almost always related to a traumatic injury.
- It is possible to have a stress fracture. This will be if you have a medical condition such as osteoporosis or extreme stress.
Broken ankle treatment:
- The best thing to do is to get an x-ray and to visit your podiatrist.
- You do need either cast or supportive boot.
- Once you heal, you can get a good stability ankle brace
Lesser Outside of the Foot Causes:
- Pain in the pinky toes can be caused by numerous factors.
- It can be caused most commonly by compression inside the shoe or a sprain, or even a hammertoe.
A)5th Toe Numbness, burning, or tingling:
- This is most common after standing, walking, or running.
- This is usually associated due to compression of the 5th metatarsal against the shoe.
- Consider wearing a larger shoe in the front.
B) 5th Toe Callus, Bump, Or Corn:
- Calluses or corns can really cause pain!
- It is also very possible to sprain or injure your pinky toe.
- If you jammed it very hard, consider a sprain!
D)Bunionette:
At the front of the foot, you can develop a bunion at the outside of the foot by the base of the toes.
- The pain can be relieved with 5th toe bunion padding & shoe accommodation.
- But in the end, only surgery will permanently correct the deformity.
Outside of the Foot Home Treatment:
- If you have 5th toe pain, tailor’s bunion pain, outside of the foot pain, or other lateral foot pain, this guide is for you!
- These are the recommended treatment products that will help you get better the fastest.
- The key is to stop your foot from turning outward and causing further damage to your foot.
The real key to fix outside of the foot pain in order:
1) Most important is a good shoe & a good insole for your shoe.
- Good shoes and good foot insoles are the best value and best long-term option.
- This will stop your foot from turning outward.
- Give these 1-2 weeks of effort, and you will really notice the pain relief.
- This does not instantly fix the pain but prevents future damage.
2) Gel pad to offload the toe.
- This will give your toes some cushion to keep pressure off the toes.
- Read below to see the specific gel pads for each specific condition.
3) Ankle brace for a possible correction.
- Check the recommended braces below.
- For ankle pain, this is almost guaranteed to improve your problem.
4) Menthol-based cream for pain relief.
- Creams and gels like Biofreeze act like ice but save you 20 minutes!
- Check below for our recommended pain relief options.
Best Treatment Products:
5th Toe Gel Pads:
- Fifth toe gel pads can stop your fifth toe or your Taylor’s bunion from rubbing against the side of your shoe.
- There are downsides because these don’t last forever, and they do start to break apart and develop older.
- They can be a low-cost option for tighter shoes during business meetings and at work.










Topical Pain Relief Creams:
- Menthol-based creams have been studied medically and show safety and excellent results.
- This is best for nerve irritation.
- This can help with the nerve pain on the outside of the foot. Just don’t use this as your only treatment option.
- This is not fluff, and these are scientifically backed!
- Bio-freeze is cost-effective and shows great results.
- This is more for people who have difficulty sleeping or walking due to significant issues.

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
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
Massage & Ice Products:
- Ice is an excellent option that can be safe for almost everyone.
- There are many nerves, ligaments, and tendons on the outside of your foot.
- This can help calm the inflammation until you fix the biomechanics making your foot turn outward.
- There is some debate about whether icing is worth doing, but this can help limit the need for medications and keep your options open for chronic pain.
- This works great for your arch, less for the ball of the foot.
- The more muscle and ligament tissue there is, the better ice will work there.


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Massage Sticks:
- These can work great for loosening your muscles.
- More flexibility will make your foot turn out less.
- This is a very counter-intuitive way to take pressure off of the outside of your foot!
- This allows less tightness and pressure on the ball of your foot.
- This is very effective for the arch, the gastrocnemius, calf muscle, and the hamstring and thigh muscles.
- This also works very well for the gluteus muscles if you are having butt cheek or hip pain.

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Best Shoes for Side of Foot Pain:
- Getting a great supportive pair of shoes will make sure that there is pressure removed from the outside of your foot
- This is especially important if you have flat feet.
- Consider shoes combined with a good supportive orthotic for the best pain relief!.
- The following link will show you what our favorites are.
Best Orthotics for Side of Foot Pain:
- Orthotics are the single most important way to improve your outside of the foot pain, Seriously!
- Most people don’t think orthotics will fix their foot pain.
- Besides trauma, 95% of all 5th toe, middle of the foot, and outside of the ankle pain can be improved with orthotics.
- This is because orthotics help your foot from twisting out and compressing against your shoe when you walk.
- Would you please not take our word for it? Read the reviews!
Most Important Tips For Orthotics:
- Make sure you have a roomy enough shoe.
- I’m warning you right now, don’t try to stuff a full-length orthotic into a tiny tight shoe. It won’t work.
- If you have tighter or dress shoes: try the dress shoe or 3/4″ orthotics.
Full-length orthotics give you the most correction and improvement:
- If you have roomy enough shoes like running shoes or work boots. Get a full-length orthotic.
- The cushion under the front of your foot prevents it from twisting out against the outside of your shoe as much as possible.
- These are one of the best possible options for the medium and heavy-duty correction!
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These orthotics are for slimmer shoes without laces:
- If you are tight in the front of your shoes, or the shoes are tighter, these 3/4″ might be the best choice for you.
- But if you have a choice, the full-length orthotics are much, much more supportive!
- So if you wear work boots or running shoes, get the full length. They get you more support.








Dress Shoe orthotics:
- These are premium leather orthotic recommendations for dress shoes.
- If you have a tight dress shoe get the 3/4″ orthotic.
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Outside of the Foot Trauma:
- If you think you might have a broken 5th metatarsal fracture, a Jones fracture, a stub, or a broken 5th toe, these products may be of assistance.
- This guide is meant only after getting your foot evaluated by a foot and ankle specialist first!
- Always remember to see a foot and ankle specialist like a podiatrist if you have severe outside of the foot pain or a broken bone!
5th Toe or 5th Metatarsal Injury Treatment:
- If you have a traumatic injury such as a broken 5th metatarsal fracture, a Jones fracture, a stubbed, or a broken 5th toe: consider protecting your foot!
- The best way to do this is, of course, to see your podiatrist and get evaluated with an x-ray, ultrasound, and potentially even an MRI or CT scan.
- If you cannot do so, it may benefit you to be in a cast, fractured boot, or even keep the weight off of it with a rolling knee scooter or other protective devices.
- We as podiatrists frequently take patients off work for a very long period of time when they suffer a traumatic injury. Unfortunately, there is no other way around us in labor jobs.
- If you have a sit-down job, there are ways to get people back to work quicker, but this can be impossible otherwise.
Outside of the Foot Boot Treatment:
- There are pros and cons to using a boot to treat your outside of the foot injury. The Pros are that your injured lateral foot will hopefully have a chance to heal gradually! If you are immobilized too long, the cons are that you will gradually become stiff and overworked to your other leg.
- Our favorite fracture boots and their supplies:
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Offloading and Scooter treatment:
- Sometimes the best thing to do is to keep pressure off of the outside of your foot completely.
- There are benefits to offloading in the early stages of the disease and can give you outside foot relief!
- These are favorite knee scooters and walking devices:
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Outside of the Foot Compression Brace:
- A good compression brace can stabilize your foot from turning outward.
- This prevents your foot from pronation.
- The pronated foot will turn your foot outward, in your foot will rub on the outside of the shoe.
- This has solved their pain for many of her patients and is very comfortable to wear inside your shoe.
- This solves both pain and outward pronation for a relatively low cost.
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Outside of the Foot Stability Brace:
- The stability brace goes a little bit further than the compression brace to stop your foot from turning out.
- At the same time, this is a little bit bulkier and does not affect every shoe.
- We find people are a little bit happier trying the compression brace before the stability brace.
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Outside of the Foot Pain [Lateral Foot Pain]