A sprained ankle is a type of injury that can occur when you roll, twist, or turn your ankle suddenly or awkwardly. During an injury, the ligaments that help stabilize the joints and prevent excessive movement can be forced beyond their normal range of motion.
However, it’s worth noting that the prevalence of ankle sprains is… According to a report, it was found that 30% of sports injuries involve sprained ankles, making it one of the most common musculoskeletal injuries. Primarily, sportspeople, including athletes and non-athletes, seek the utmost medical care and precautions for ankle sprains. In this topic, we will discuss ankle sprain exercises, grades of sprained ankles, causes, prevention, and signs and symptoms.
Causes of Ankle Sprain
An ankle sprain is mainly caused by the sudden twisting or rolling of the foot, which forces the ankle joint to move out of its normal position. While performing physical activities such as sports, weightlifting, or running, the ankle may be twisted inward. This can further lead to ligaments around the ankle stretching or tearing.
Due to these stretches and tears, there may be some swelling and bruising. The person suffering from an ankle sprain can feel pain and discomfort. And the blood vessels, cartilages and tendons might rupture due to this.
However, several risk factors are associated with a sprained ankle.
- Sports participation.
- Irregular surfaces
- Past ankle injury
- Bad physical condition
Complications
If an ankle sprain is not treated correctly, it can lead to numerous complications, including both long-term and short-term effects. Upon conducting a comprehensive analysis, we find that ankle instability, arthritis, and ankle pain may occur. Where the chronicle sprained ankles may lead to instability of the ankle, and each ankle sprain can cause joint damage.
Signs and Symptoms of a Sprained Ankle
There are several signs and symptoms of a sprained ankle, including pain, swelling, bruising, tenderness, and restricted motion.
3 Grades of Ankle Sprains
Ankle sprains can range from minor to severe and are classified into three grades, which are based entirely on the extent of damage.
Grade 1: The ankle will feel a little bit sore and swollen, where the ligaments are overstretched but not torn.
Grade 2: The ligaments are partially torn, and might be the cause of long-term pain and swelling. The patient may experience difficulty bearing his entire weight on the ankle. You may also notice the bruising; however, due to the tear, there could be bleeding under your skin.
Grade 3: In this category, the ankle ligaments suffer a lot and get a complete tear. A popping sound would be heard, and the level of pain, swelling and bruising would be intense.
Prevention: To prevent ankle pain injuries, we must focus on specific areas.
- Engage in a mild warm-up exercise before engaging in any strenuous physical activity or playing sports.
- Keep a close eye on the surface where you are walking, running, or working on uneven terrain.
- If you have a history of ankle injuries, be cautious when using an ankle support brace or tape on the affected areas.
- The shoes must be well-fitted and should be suitable for the sports activity.
- Must avoid high-heeled shoes.
- You must do the exercises, which may help strengthen or provide flexibility to your muscles.
- Training can be a good choice before proceeding to any sport
Diagnosis of Sprained Ankle
Diagnosis of a sprained ankle involves the physical examination of the ankle, foot and lower leg. Where this may involve imagining techniques to trace out the broken bones, these may include X-ray, MRI, CT scan, and ultrasound.
X-rays are perfect for finding fractured bones, whereas MRI uses radio waves and a strong magnetic field to create 3D images of the soft internal structure.
Ankle Sprain Treatment
There are several treatments available for ankle sprain, which entirely depend upon the severity of the injury. The objective of ankle sprain treatment is to reduce swelling and pain and to promote faster healing of the ligament. Meanwhile, it’s used for restoring the function of the ankle. If the injury is of high severity, then you may be referred to a specialist, such as a physician or orthopaedic surgeon.
Here, over-the-counter pain relievers, such as ibuprofen and naproxen sodium, are effective in reducing the pain of a sprained ankle. After the reduction of pain and swelling, you may participate in physical therapy, which includes range-of-motion, balance, and control exercises, as well as strengthening and stretching exercises. Finally, surgery becomes mandatory if the ankle remains unstable for an extended period and therapy and exercises are ineffective in treating the ankle sprain.
Ankle sprain exercises
There are at least 15 types of ankle sprain exercises, which are broadly classified under the following categories.
- range of motion
- stretching
- strengthening
- balance and control
Range of motion
- Ankle alphabet
- Knee motion
- Towel and tissue scrunches
Ankle stretching exercises
- Towel stretch
- Standing calf stretch
- Heel raise
- One-leg balance
Ankle strengthening exercises
- Elastic band push
- Ankle out
- Ankle In
Ankle balance and control exercises
- Basic Balance
- Balance with eyes closed
- Pillow balance
- Pillow balanced with eyes closed
We at ANODYNE SPINE CLINIC assess the grade of the condition and plan a treatment accordingly. Individualised exercise programs are prescribed according to a patient’s strength, endurance, and stability. Stabilising exercises for the Ankle and calf are designed for the patient to enhance the healing process and relax overly tight ligaments.
The use of advanced technology cannot be overlooked to achieve optimum results; hence, Toning machines, along with simulators, are used to obtain better and faster results.