Your feet and ankles are among the most complex—and hardest working—structures in the body. They provide the stability needed to support your full body weight while also acting like springs that propel you forward with every step. At the same time, they must remain flexible enough to adapt to uneven and changing surfaces.
This remarkable combination of strength and flexibility is what keeps you moving comfortably. However, it also makes diagnosing and treating injuries more challenging. Every day, your feet absorb an extraordinary amount of force—often exceeding one million pounds—making them especially vulnerable to stress-related injuries over time.
Each foot is made up of 26 bones, 33 joints, and more than 100 muscles, ligaments, and tendons working together in a highly coordinated system. While the ankle is commonly thought of as a single joint, it is actually a complex structure composed of multiple joints that allow for smooth, controlled movement.
Your feet and ankles handle an incredible amount of stress every day, so it’s common to experience occasional aches and pains. In many cases, this discomfort is temporary and often related to soft tissue injuries such as sprains or strains.
However, some types of pain may signal a more serious issue. It’s important to seek further assessment if your pain:
In some cases, these symptoms may be caused by a fracture in the foot or ankle. Because this area is highly complex, identifying the exact source of pain can be challenging—making accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment especially important for proper healing and recovery.
Foot fractures are more common than you might think. They can happen from a simple fall, a misstep or twist, or even from hitting your foot against a hard surface. The result is often pain that worsens when you stand, walk, or put weight on the affected area. Treatment varies depending on which bone is involved and the type of fracture.
Your healthcare provider may first examine your foot for visible signs like swelling or changes in shape. While this external check is important, it doesn’t always tell the full story. Imaging is often needed to understand what’s happening beneath the surface.
X-rays are typically the first step and can identify many fractures or signs of arthritis. But in more complex cases—especially when pain persists without a clear cause—more advanced imaging may be recommended.
A bone scan with SPECT/CT (single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography) is a specialized form of nuclear medicine imaging that provides a much more detailed view. It not only shows the structure of your bones but also how they’re functioning. This allows doctors to pinpoint the exact source of pain, even in areas with many small bones and joints like the foot and ankle.
This level of precision can make a meaningful difference—especially when planning treatment or surgery—by helping ensure the right problem is identified and treated effectively.
If foot or ankle pain is lingering or unexplained, advanced imaging can provide the answers needed to move forward with confidence.
A bone scan with SPECT/CT is a two-part appointment designed to give your doctor a detailed look at your bones. The first part usually takes place in the morning and lasts about 15 minutes. During this time, a small amount of a safe, radioactive tracer is injected into a vein in your arm. Your body will eliminate the tracer naturally throughout urine output.
This tracer travels through your bloodstream and collects in the bones in the area your doctor is concerned about. A special gamma camera then captures images of your bones in a “planar” format, helping your healthcare team see exactly where any issues may be.
This process is simple, safe, and provides important information that X-rays alone may not reveal.
During the scan, you will lie on your back on the imaging bed while the gamma camera is positioned over the area being examined. The first set of images shows how blood is flowing to the bones in the area of concern, highlighting areas of increased or decreased activity. Once this is complete, you’re free to go about your normal daily activities until the second part of your appointment, which is usually scheduled 2–4 hours later.
For the second part, no additional injections are needed. This session captures detailed images of how the tracer has been taken up by your bones. The scan typically takes about 30–45 minutes. You will be asked to lie as still as possible and breathe normally, since any movement can blur the images and make them harder to interpret. The SPECT/CT portion of the imaging will be performed toward the end of this second session, providing precise, 3D images to help your doctor pinpoint exactly what’s happening in your foot or ankle.
SPECT/CT imaging combines two types of scans to more precisely locate areas of unusual activity that may appear on a standard bone scan. During the SPECT portion, a specialized camera gently rotates all the way around your body, capturing signals from a small amount of radiation in your system. These signals are then used to create a detailed 3D image. For the CT portion, a low-dose CT scan—similar to a regular CT but using less radiation—is performed to provide clear pictures of your body’s structure.
These two sets of images are then combined to give your care team a more complete and accurate view of what’s happening inside your body. This exam does involve a small amount of radiation, both from the tracer that is gently injected into your vein and from the CT scan. The CT portion uses X-ray technology and involves a bit more radiation than a standard X-ray, but the amount is still low.
For most patients, the information gained from a bone scan with SPECT/CT—especially when it helps detect or better understand a health concern—greatly outweighs the very small risk associated with this level of radiation.
This exam is covered by the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan and requires a referral from a healthcare provider. To decide if it’s right for you, your doctor will consider factors such as your medical and family history, any risk factors, how long you’ve had symptoms, and how those symptoms are affecting your daily life.
If this test is recommended as the next best step, your doctor will provide a requisition, and an appointment can then be arranged at a convenient time.
Mayfair Diagnostics performs these exams at our Castleridge, Mahogany Village, Market Mall, Mayfair Place, and Sunpark locations in Calgary. Learn more at Bone Scan with SPECT/CT – Mayfair Diagnostics.
Angin, S. & Demirbüken, I. (2020) “Ankle and foot complex.” Comparative Kinesiology of the Human Body, chapter 23, Pages 411-439. Accessed March 27, 2026.
Canadian Podiatric Medical Association (2022) “Foot Health.” www.podiatrycanada.org. Accessed March 27, 2026.
Classen, L. et al. (2014) “Influence on Therapeutic Decision Making of SPECT-CT for Different Regions of the Foot and Ankle.” BioMed Research International, Volume 2014. Accessed March 27, 2026.
Horisberger, M. et al. (2015) “Nuclear Medicine Imaging of Ankle Injuries.” Nuclear Medicine and Radiologic Imaging in Sports Injuries. January 2015: p. 803-816. Accessed March 27, 2026.
Singh, V.K., et al. (2013) “The diagnostic value of single photon-emission computed tomography bone scans combined with CT (SPECT-CT) in diseases of the foot and ankle.” Foot and Ankle Surgery, vol. 19 (2): 80-83. Accessed March 27, 2026.
Versus Arthritis (2022) “Why do I have pain in my foot or ankle?” www.versusarthritis.org. Accessed March 27, 2026.
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