Q: I am a 34 years old working woman and from one month I am having pain in my right ankle. While walking I feel pain. I tested ASO titre few days ago - it is positive and my uric acid is 5.0. Please advise me what to do. When I work in kitchen continuously for an hour or so standing, I suffer more pain that time.

A:Ankle pain may have three entirely different categories of problems. First and the commonest are the biomechanical problems (structure, shoes, prolonged standing, etc.). The second is often related to blood circulation problem (venous stasis due to problems in the leg veins), and the last are diseases in the ankle joint. It is very important that you are seen and clinically evaluated by a rheumatologist to decide about which category your condition belongs to. Then, accordingly, appropriate treatment can be given. I must mention that ASO titre has no value as it is a test for a heart disease seen in children called rheumatic fever - it is not seen in adults with ankle pain. Similarly, uric acid is a test for a disease called metabolic syndrome in which joint disease is not a problem. Therefore, I have not idea why these tests were done; they are of no value in a young lady with ankle pain.