Ankle injuries are one of the most common sporting injuries. Ankle injuries include but are not limited to ankle sprains. Ankle sprains can mask injuries to other structures such as subtle fractures, tendon injuries or osteochondral lesions hence professional evaluation is recommended.
Ankle sprain – What is it?
Majority of ankle sprains are inversion injuries (foot roll outside) which suggest damage of the lateral ligamentous complex compared to eversion injuries which may result in damage to the medial ligamentous complex. During an inversion injury, the Anterior Talofibular Ligament (ATFL) is most commonly affected followed by the Calcano-Fibular Ligament (CFL) and Posterior Talofibular Ligament (PTFL). In severe injuries both medial and lateral ligaments may be affected, however, this is infrequent.
Most sprains are minor injuries that heal with home treatments like rest and applying ice. However, if your ankle is very swollen and painful to walk on — or if you are having trouble putting weight on your ankle at all, be sure to see your doctor. Without proper treatment and rehabilitation, a more severe sprain can weaken your ankle—making it more likely that you will injure it again. Repeated ankle sprains can lead to long-term problems, including chronic ankle pain, arthritis, and ongoing instability.
What you can do:
The degree of disability following such injury indicates the severity of the damage. For the 1st 48-72 hours, PRICEM is a well-established protocol for initial management of ankle sprains.
- Protect – avoid subsequent injury.
- Rest – avoid weight bearing if it’s painful. Use crutches.
- ICE – 10-30 mins every few hours. Do not apply ice directly to your skin.
- Compression – bandages or ace-wraps will immobilize and support your injured ankle and provide some positive pressure. Avoid excessive compression, if toes feel numb/ tinging, or there is change in colour in your foot release the compression.
- Elevation – Feet above heart level.
- Mobilisation – early mobilisation has better outcomes compared to immobilisation for less severe ankle sprains. Start to move your ankle as tolerated in all directions as soon as possible. Severe injuries may require a period of immobilisation.
How can we help – Explain – Treat – Advice – Exercise rehabilitation and Prevention.
- Controlling the pain and swelling – Initially, treatment will focus on controlling the pain and swelling.
- Restoration of the full range of motion – subsequently the treatment will focus on establishing a good range of motion in the joint, this will help prevent stiffness and ensure a better recovery.
- Improve muscular control (proprioception) and strength – tailored exercises will be given to mobilise the joint, stretch the surrounding muscles and improve balance and muscle strength. Your practitioner will guide progression through these steps depending on your own injury status and personal goals. Supplementary exercises are likely to be given even after full recovery for preventative purposes.
Further on our treatment and patient management approach:
We always aim to explain and advise on your condition and how to actively manage your symptoms. We believe that educating our patients is the fundamental step towards their own recovery. It also helps to take away any unnecessary stress and anxiety caused by their condition.
We offer an all-rounded tailored treatment to help reduce your pain levels and facilitate your recovery.
We will provide you with therapeutic exercises and guide you throughout your recovery process to start returning back to normal daily activities as soon as possible.
We believe that prevention is always a better option than cure! Thus we help you create personal prevention strategies to avoid a similar situation in the future.
We take a patient-center approach where we will refer you for scans, other tests or to an appropriate consultant if your condition requires further investigation.
See also:
- Running Related Injuries (RRI’s)
- Slipped Disc or Disc Herniation
- Sciatica – What is it?
- ICE or HEAT
- Part 1: Tendonitis Vs Tendinopathy – The difference!
Sources:
Evidence-based treatment for ankle injuries: a clinical perspective (2010). Chung-Wei Christine Lin, Claire E Hiller, and Rob A de Bie. J Man Manip Ther. 18(1): 22–28.
