Preventing Ankle Sprain Injuries
We are all aiming for an injury free holiday season – for parents and kids. Ankle injuries can account for approximately 25% of all sporting injuries and can result in weeks off sport, or time on the sideline instead of kicking the soccer ball with the kids at Christmas.
Ankle sprain injuries are commonly seen in netball (39.8%), hockey (34%), touch football (22%) soccer (21.2%), basketball (15.9%), and rugby (11.6%) (Fong et al 2007).
Prevention of an ankle sprain is extremely important in those sports above, and results in athletes maintaining participation in competition for longer. Preventing an ankle sprain requires a balance between ankle joint stability and mobility – but what does this mean and why?
Stability or good balance of the ankle joint comes from the interaction of our ligaments, muscles and bones along with our kinaesthetic awareness of where we are in space. By incorporating strength and proprioception drills into your exercise regime you can improve your reaction time, enhance your stability in correcting ankle movements and prevent injury. Inadequate strength and proprioception leads to poor ability to correct excessive motion which could lead to an ankle sprain injury.
If you are returning from ankle sprain injury it is important to progress rehab up to high level dynamic balance activities which replicate high levels of ankle proprioception so that you are meeting demands of your sport.
Our physiotherapists can assess your risk of ankle sprain and develop suitable exercise programs to address ankle strength, mobility and proprioception deficits to keep you in play injury free!
Call us on 48611223 or book online via our website today. We will be closed next week for a well deserved break, but back in the clinic on the 2nd January. Wishing everyone a happy and safe holiday.
1.Tik-Pui Fong, Daniel & Hong, Youlian & Chan, Lap Ki & Yung, Patrick & Chan, K C. (2007). A Systematic Review on Ankle Injury and Ankle Sprain in Sports. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.). 37. 73-94. 10.2165/00007256-200737010-00006.