Most people know exactly how it feels (in short, far from great!). The common ankle sprain is also known as a rolled ankle or more appropriately an “inversion sprain”. Most people have a story where their leg went one way and their foot went the other. It could happen when jumping, running and or sliding to catching the curb “just right”.
Here’s what happens
The movement stresses the tendons, ligaments and muscles on the outside of the ankle joint and in cases of significant injury we can see complete tearing of ligaments and fractures.
This movement forces the front of the foot inward and pressure onto the outside of the foot. This stresses a ligament known as the Anterior Talofibular Ligament (the name means that it connects the talus and fibula in the front.)
These ligaments play a role in stability of the joint as well as offering feedback which allows you to know where your joint is without looking at it. If you’re not sure you can close your eyes and point your toes – you’ll know they are pointed without looking at them. This is known as proprioception, a pretty neat feature we possess.
Treatment
OK, so your ankle is in trouble. We typically recommend ice (or a frozen bag of peas) to get the recovery process started and help control the inflammation for the first days of your injury. But: if you are experiencing significant bruising it’s important to get your ankle looked at to evaluate the injury.
Good to know: if you cannot bear weight on your ankle following your injury this would be a good time to see your medical practitioner.
The recovery process from this type of injury is important. You need to strengthen the muscles and ligaments in the area of injury as well as increasing your awareness of the position of your foot. It sounds like a simple concept, but people move differently following an injury. When in doubt come check us out at the MaxFit Movement Institute, we can help you with that and help you be back on your feet and active before you know it.
Courtesy of Dr. Kyle Stunden
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