Yesterday was the first day of autumn which means that Australian winter sports are slowly gearing up.
Soccer, Netball, and Footy Trials are well underway which means we are starting to see one of the most common injuries walking, rather hobbling, into the clinic. Some of the ankles we see look like this…
Lateral (Outside) ankle injuries are one of the leading causes of time off sport in the winter. They are also one of the injuries that can be avoided or prevented with a few simple steps.
WHAT GETS INJURED
Your ankle joint (Talocrural Joint) is made up of 3 bones. They are the Tibia and Fibula, which also make up the shin, and the talus.
This joint us supported by 3 distinct ligaments on the outside (lateral) and a fan-shaped ligament on the inside (medial). The outside ligaments are the most common ligaments to get injured in most sports.
These injuries occur when an athlete has jumped up and lands on another athletes foot, or steps into an uneven patch of the playing surface.
Along with the ligaments on the outside of the ankle there is a group of muscles called the Peroneals.
The Peroneal muscle group has the main function of pulling the foot toward the outside of the body making the feet look like ducks’ feet. When these muscles are injured there can be a significant amount of bruising and difficulty moving the foot outward (Pronation).
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DO ROLL YOUR ANKLE??
- Don’t Panic and apply the R.I.C.E.R. principle
- Make an appointment with one of our Physiotherapists, the Physio will assess the severity of the sprain and whether an XRAY might be beneficial and discuss treatment with you
- Early Immobilization in a CAM Boot is helpful in a higher-grade sprain
- Range of Motion Exercises to promote a reduction of swelling, and decreased pain
- Proprioception Exercises to assist in the full recovery of athletic performance
HOW LONG ARE YOU OUT?
A very generic answer is 4-8 weeks. The quicker recovery will occur when there are less tissues that need to heal. The greater the extent of injury the longer you will take to recover. The good news is, this injury is common and with the correct treatment and time off most athletes will return to full participation in their sports with no ongoing problems
YOU CAN PREVENT ANKLE SPRAINS!!!
The best way to avoid this injury is train your balance. You can do this by completing exercises that challenge the proprioception (the body’s ability to know where it is in space).
Standing on a folded towel with your eyes closed
Standing on one leg tossing a ball to yourself
Some Yoga Poses
Give us a call if you have injured your ankle on the weekend during a game, or during the week at training and we will be happy to help you out.
Call us if you want to be shown a few more exercises that you can do to prevent this injury
