Ultrasound Imaging for Foot & Ankle Assessment – Perth
Clearer diagnosis. Better informed treatment.
When foot or ankle pain persists, getting the diagnosis right matters.
At Footcare Scotland, we use musculoskeletal diagnostic ultrasound as part of a detailed clinical assessment to help investigate injuries and painful conditions affecting the foot and ankle.
We do not scan everyone and we do not use ultrasound simply because it is available. Imaging is recommended when we believe it will provide useful additional information, clarify the diagnosis or influence how your condition should be managed.
Ultrasound is part of the assessment, not a replacement for it
An ultrasound image only makes sense when it is interpreted alongside your symptoms, clinical examination, medical history and activity levels.
For that reason, patients are assessed by one of our musculoskeletal clinicians before an ultrasound scan is arranged.
Your initial assessment allows us to establish a likely diagnosis and decide whether further imaging is actually necessary.
Sometimes the clinical examination gives us enough information and a scan is not required.
When ultrasound is likely to add useful information, we can then use it to investigate the relevant structures in greater detail.
This approach helps us avoid unnecessary investigations while ensuring that imaging is available when it can genuinely contribute to your care.
What can diagnostic ultrasound assess?
Musculoskeletal ultrasound allows us to examine many of the soft-tissue structures around the foot and ankle in real time.
These include:
- Achilles tendon
- Plantar fascia
- Tibialis posterior tendon
- Peroneal tendons
- Other tendons and tendon sheaths
- Ligaments
- Joint capsules
- Bursae
- Areas of inflammation or fluid
- Ganglia and some soft-tissue lumps
- Muscle and tendon attachments
Ultrasound can also be useful because structures can be examined while you move your foot or ankle. This dynamic assessment can sometimes provide information that cannot be obtained from a static image alone.
What happens during the process?
1. Musculoskeletal assessment
We start by listening to what has been happening.
We will discuss your symptoms, how they started, previous treatment or investigations, your normal activities and what you would like to get back to doing.
We then carry out an appropriate clinical examination.
From this we establish a working diagnosis and decide whether imaging is likely to add useful information.
2. Diagnostic ultrasound
If ultrasound is appropriate, the relevant area of the foot or ankle is examined using a specialist ultrasound probe.
The scan is performed in real time and, where useful, structures can be assessed while you move.
3. We explain what we find
One of the major advantages of point-of-care ultrasound is that the findings can be discussed with you during your appointment. We will explain what we can see, what the findings mean and — equally importantly — whether they are relevant to your symptoms. Not every abnormality seen on a scan is necessarily the cause of pain.
4. We agree the next step
The purpose of the scan is to help make a clinical decision. Depending on the diagnosis, your management might include:
- advice and activity modification
- rehabilitation and strengthening
- footwear changes
- foot orthoses
- shockwave therapy
- ultrasound-guided injection
- further investigation such as X-ray, MRI or CT
- referral to another healthcare professional or specialist
- reassurance and no further treatment.