When you’re an athlete, there are a lot of things that can go wrong with your body. There are many injuries associated with the legs, hands, and every other part of the body. So, here is everything you need to know about ankle sprains and when to see an orthopedic surgeon.

Sprained Ankle In Athletes

The foot contains a lot of complex joints, ligaments, and even bones, which are really important for everyday movement and even doing mundane things that you don’t even think twice about doing.

However, these ligaments or joints can also be prone to injuries and that is not good at all. An ankle sprain occurs when your ankle joint is injured. Basically, the ankle joint is the connection of the two bones in your foot, and this is the protruded pointy structure that you see on the sides of your feet.

Well, when this joint is extended beyond the limit of its motion, that is when the ligaments can get stretched beyond that limit too, and this can cause a tear in the ligament. This leads to extreme pain and the inability to move your foot for some time.

In some cases, you can move your foot, but it is better that you stop motion completely and have someone check your foot. It is better not to strain the ankle or your foot any more than it already has been, so that things don’t turn south.

Ankle sprains are really common in athletes who engage their feet in a lot of sports, such as football, baseball, basketball, and even running.

Causes Of Ankle Sprains

You might get the gist of how ankle sprains are caused. But what happens in the injury that leads to a sprain? Well, there are a lot of motions that our feet and ankles can do and they help us in our everyday lives.

• Sometimes, you can also twist your ankle and while nothing normally happens if it has been twisted lightly, sometimes, the extent of the twist can be too much and this can lead to problems.
• Your ankle can only twist or turn so much, so if you play sports and the ankle is twisted or bent too much to the point of getting sprained, you know that something is very wrong.
• Mostly, when people are playing sports in which they have to run a lot, change directions, and pivot every now and then, that is when the risk of getting your ankle sprained is at an all time high. So, you want to ensure that you’re looking at these motions and movements and taking care that you don’t twist your ankle. Sometimes, extending the ankle beyond a certain point can also cause sprains in the ankle.

There are a lot of causes of ankle sprains when it comes to sports injuries, so you really can’t tell what can cause what.

And a lot of the time, you can’t control the range of motion you have, especially when you’re in the middle of a game and the stakes are high. You might not even realize that you have sprained your ankle until the adrenaline wears off and then you start to feel the pain. So, the causes are plenty, but the result is the same. Your ankle won’t be in good shape if you extend it beyond its capabilities.

Symptoms Of Ankle Sprain

Now that you know what ankle sprain is and how it can be caused, especially in athletes, here are some of the very important symptoms and signs that you need to look out for. Once you know the symptoms that you’re dealing with, you will know how to combat the issue.

Ankle Pain

The first and most obvious symptom of an ankle sprain is pain in the ankle joint as well as the foot in general. It doesn’t matter if your foot is at rest or if you’re putting weight on it, like you’re walking or even standing, the ankle pain will be unbearable.

The ligament is torn, either partially or fully, and you obviously can’t move your foot or your ankle like you normally do, which is why the pain is just so much. So, you need to get to the bottom of this issue and cease movement completely. This won’t stop the pain, but it will prevent things from getting worse, which is what you want.

Swelling

You will also experience swelling around the ankle and sometimes, bruising can be involved too. This is really bad because swelling usually indicates inflammation, and inflammation means that your foot is very injured, which is not a good sign at all. So, you need to refrain from moving your foot, because the wrong weight placement can ruin things completely.

Difficulty In Standing And Walking

You will feel like your ankle is giving out on you. Normally, when you stand up, your ankle can bear your weight easily, and that is all good and dandy. However, when your ankle is sprained, things can be very hard to deal with.

You will feel like your ankle is jelly and it will be unable to support your weight for longer, which is really bad and you have to visit a podiatry clinic Woodbridge immediately.

Treatments For Ankle Sprains In Athletes

RICE

If the sprain is just pain-related and you don’t feel any bruising or swelling, then you don’t need to seek medical attention. You just need to follow the RICE method.

Rest, icing, compression, and elevation. You want to rest the foot and not walk, at least for the time being. Then, you have to alternate between icing the foot and compressing the area. And then, you have to keep the foot elevated in order to alleviate the pain. This works like a charm and your sprain will be healed in no time.

Pain Medication

Pain medication can help too, especially if it hurts a lot and you can’t seem to do anything without feeling waves of pain in your ankle.

Braces

You can also put on braces or bandages on your ankle to keep the ligament in place and avoid any more tears in the damaged ligament. This is really good and it really helps, along with better movement of the ankle.

Lightly Twisting And Rotating The Ankle

Lightly twist your ankle and rotate it, but only do it if you don’t feel pain when moving it. This is also something that helps with keeping the ankle moving and it won’t be foreign for the ankle to move regularly once you resume regular movement.

Surgery

If the ligament is torn beyond the point of repairing non surgically, you can go for a small surgical procedure in which the ligament will be fused back in place. This is a very short procedure, but it is a surgical procedure nonetheless and it can take some time to heal.

So, you want to ensure that you are not moving your ankle around too much until the ankle fully heals. It usually takes some weeks.

Conclusion

Ankle sprains are really common when it comes to sports injuries. So, now you know exactly what to do in this case and how you can deal with it in time so that things don’t get out of hand. Proper treatment is the only way to speedy recovery and getting back on the field, so consult a sports medicine specialist Woodbridge ASAP if you experience the symptoms.