X-rays
One of the main diagnostic tests for acute ankle pain is an X-ray. They are sometimes made before a physical exam because doctors want to ensure there are no fractures before maneuvering the affected joint and making patients feel even more pain.
So, don’t be scared if you go straight to the hospital’s imaging department if you come with ankle pain before actually being examined by your doctor. That’s a common thing to do to spare patients from more pain during manipulation. Still, doctors try to avoid unnecessary X-rays using something called the Ottawa Ankle Rule. They will briefly examine some areas and look for tenderness in these small spots. If there is tenderness in them and doctors consider X-rays appropriate, that’s the first exam you will get.
Your foot X-rays should have a particular angle to help doctors evaluate the joint space they need to see in a radiograph. Thus, you might need to collaborate with the technician in X-rays to achieve a correct angle. This step can be particularly difficult in children with fractures or ankle pain because some may not collaborate or find the position very uncomfortable.