Ankle Sprains & Lateral Foot Pain: Don't forget about the Cuboid!

Your athlete comes into see you and has bruising and pain around the lateral ankle, extending down to the foot.  He reports that he was at basketball practice and turned his ankle pretty hard.  He has a history of lateral ankle sprains and presents with increased swelling consistent with a lateral ankle sprain. Yet, he complains of pain along the lateral aspect of his foot and some pain on the plantar side.  

The above scenario is something I have seen many times.  Just last year I had a NBA draft prospect that sprained his ankle during a draft workout but was not getting better and had trouble walking.  By the time I saw him he was 6 weeks from date of injury and struggling to understand why his ankle sprain wasn't better.  There was a slight prominence on the plantar side of his foot about where the cuboid was.  He had lots of pain with walking and weight bearing with pinpoint pain around the cuboid.  I performed a cuboid whip and he immediately had relief of pain.  

Cuboid syndrome is an often overlooked diagnosis with lateral ankle sprains and lateral foot pain.   Cuboid whips are a very effective treatment for these type of injuries.  Signs of cuboid syndrome often go unnoticed because of similarity to ankle sprains.  Some of the more common signs include:

• Sharp pain on the outer and underside of the foot
• Increased pain when weight bearing
• Relief with rest and non-weightbearing on the foot
• Potential mild swelling on the outer side of the foot

Learning to effectively treat ankle sprains and cuboid syndrome with manual therapy can be very beneficial.  Check out the video below to learn how to perform some of mobilizations and manipulations of the foot!

Learn how to perform some of the most beneficial mobilizations and manipulations of the mid-foot/forefoot

Dr. Brian Schwabe, PT, DPT, SCS, COMT, CSCS
​Board Certified Sports Physical Therapist


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