Pain in ankle ligament and foot arch

I'm a postman and 6 weeks ago my ankle started hurting.  I didn't have an incident which obviously caused it - it just crept up on me and got worse.  I've now been off work 4 weeks.  I can walk but need to be careful as if my foot twists the wrong way it's very painful.  Otherwise there's no pain.  The pain, when there, is on the outside of my right ankle, in the hollow just in front of the prominent ankle bone.  I'm wearing arch supports day and evening, as advised by an osteopath.  I'm seeing a podiatrist tomorrow.  I'm also concerned that the arch of the same foot has been hurting for 4 days now - sudden sharp pains.  This is all making me pretty miserable as I can't walk far and I'm just sitting around getting fat.  What's worrying me is the fact that the problem just came from nowhere.  Could I have just injured my ankle without knowing it and then just made it worse by walking 8 miles a day on the job?  Any advice would be warmly greeted!

[Dr Vinod]

Hello!

You should apply ice packs and take pain killers such as ibuprofen to get relief from pain and inflammation.

It is important to wear a brace or an ankle support band and to decrease physical exertion to get relief from your ankle pain.

It can be arthritis, infection, injury or any soft tissue injury to muscle or tendon. Get some scans done and follow up with a foot specialist.

Take care!

[Martin294]

Thanks for your comment.  Just to remind you, I get a sharp pain in the hollow of my ankle (just in front of the outside bone) when I move my foot a certain way.

I had an MRI which showed a ganglion cyst (4mm) in the area where the pain is but the radiologist said it was 'highly unlikely' to be the cause.  But I read that if it was catching a nerve then such cysts can be very painful.

Would you agree that I should see an orthopedic consultant, or would you too dismiss the cyst as a potential cause?

Thanks again.

Martin