Why its not “just an ankle sprain”.
Image: Lateral Ankle Ligaments
“It’s Just an ankle sprain”- hands up if you have heard that one before?
You’ve rolled your ankle, it’s painful, it’s swollen, yet they say “it’s just an ankle sprain”. You don’t often hear, “it’s just an ACL, you’ll be right, put a bit of ice on it, rest up and you’ll be back playing in no time”. Both scenarios are ligament injuries, both have significant roles in joint stability, but why are ankle sprains not taken seriously? Why are we not prioritising care of these ankle ligaments when injured?
The most common ankle injury is when the ankle and foot roll in, spraining the lateral ligaments (aka outside ankle ligaments) shown in the picture above. Sports such as netball, touch football, rugby, soccer and basketball have the highest rates of ankle sprain injuries due to player contact, uneven playing surface and change of direction manoeuvres performed at speed.
So why aren’t people prioritising treatment of their ankle ligament sprain injury?
The stigma regarding ankle sprains is that they are common, 70% of general population will have one in their lifetime, and that they are unlikely to cause lifelong issues. These misconceptions leads many to not respecting the ‘simple’ ankle sprain injury, and therefore not realising future potential problems associated with inadequate rehabilitation.
The stats say it all! After one ankle sprain without any rehab, a person is 85% likely to re-sprain and injure that same ankle. Why is that a problem? Well, no one enjoys being injured, missing training, missing games, missing opportunities. Especially for “just an ankle sprain”. Recurrent ankle sprains can cause the ankle joint to become chronically unstable, with up to 40% of first time ankle sprains developing chronic ankle instability within 1 year (Doherty et al 2016). This ongoing ankle instability can lead to secondary injuries with return to sport, most of which have the potential to end the season. Now that simple ankle sprain just got a bit more complicated!
Studies have shown 2 clear factors that lead to developing chronic ankle instability:
Lack of treatment and rehabilitation sought by individuals
Premature return to sport
Therefore, don’t just ice, rest for a week and return to sport. Accurate assessment and sport specific rehabilitation is important, and a return to sport should only commence once you are clinically ready, not just after 4 weeks of healing time.
What’s does rehabilitation really mean?
To properly manage a lateral ankle sprain and avoid chronic ankle instability, first we need structured rehabilitation programming prior to safe return to sport. Rehab includes exercises to restore ankle joint range of motion, strength and balance/ proprioceptive skills. Followed by programming of functional and sport specific skills- landing, hopping, return to running, change of direction and any other sports specific manoeuvres.
Secondly, any return to running and sport needs to be determined through objective assessment/s to decide if a person is clinically ready and the risk of re-injury is minimal. This includes completion of standardised testing, rather than just waiting for pain resolution alone.
At The Physio Space we weave the return to sport process throughout your rehab journey to ensure seamless transition and reduce the risks of re-injury from premature return to competition.
If you or a team mate experiences an ankle sprain injury this season, prioritise your recovery! Be sure to get it assessed and rehabilitate it appropriately for a successful return to the rest of the season.
Moss Vale Clinic: 4868 3994
Bowral Clinic: 4861 1223
Or book online via the website.