Question: My daughter dances ballet, jazz, and hip hop about 9 hours a week. For the two years prior she was dancing over 15 hours a week and one of her teachers really pushed them (dances would often have leaps and then turns and then leaps without breaks in between). Her ankle injury started over a year ago and then calmed down after she rested it and iced it and did exercises for it. About a month ago the injury (what we thought was some form of tendinitis) flared up again. Her foot around the ankle on both sides (malleolus?) and in the back of the ankle has been hurting for weeks now. The doctor finally did an xray and said there is some fuzzy area showing a possible impediment where the calcaneus meets the talus. The doctor said she might need surgery. She is stressed about it and depressed about not dancing for several weeks now and possible many more. Now they are scheduling an MRI. She can't point her foot fully for ballet and it hurts mostly in the back of her ankle when she goes on releve. We have been icing her ankle, massaging it, putting tiger balm and deep blue on it, having her wear better more supportive footwear, and resting it for three weeks now. She said it's getting better but it's still not good she says. What is the likelihood that she has something real serious that needs surgery? The doctor said it's not tendinitis or plantar fascitis. Can she at least do the dance classes like hip hop that don't require her to go up on the balls of her feet?