What is an Ankle Sprain?
The most common injury to the ankle joint is a sprain. This injury causes damage or tears to the fibrous tissue of the ligaments supporting the ankle. Ankle sprains most frequently damage the lateral ligament, which is on the outside of your ankle.
What causes an Ankle Sprain?
Sprains are caused when your foot is forced away from its normal position, usually whilst loadbearing and moving. This causes the ligaments and other connective tissue to overstretch, damaging its structure with micro tears and in severe cases producing a complete tear or rupture.
It commonly occurs if you are involved in activities that involve sudden stops and quick direction changes. Or when you are moving on sloped of uneven surfaces, like grass fields. It is a common injury for people participating in sports such as football and netball, but anyone can be injured, even at slow speeds performing normal tasks.
You can also sprain your ankle if your foot is planted on the floor and you are stood still, then receive an external impact to your ankle. This can occur during an accident or be received during a sports tackle.
What are the symptoms of an Ankle Sprain?
If you have a sprained ankle, you may have heard a tear, snap or crack sound at the time of your injury.
This is usually followed by:
- Pain - sudden onset if injury sustained during single event.
- Swelling - sudden appearance over site of injury.
- Bruising - redness turning to discolouration over the hours after injury.
- Stiffness - worse in the morning or after long periods of rest.
- Difficulty to put weight onto the affected leg
How is an Ankle Sprain Diagnosed?
A sprained ankle can be diagnosed by one of our expert physiotherapists at Liverpool Physio or a doctor. You may require an X-ray to determine the extent of your injury and ensure you have not sustained other injuries to bones in your ankle such as ankle fractures.
To book an appointment, please email office@liverpoolphysio.co.uk or call 0151 558 0077.
What would a physiotherapy assessment for an Ankle Sprain involve?
A physiotherapy assessment will be carried out at your first appointment in order for your physiotherapist to diagnose your condition and work out an effective treatment plan taking into account your own personal goals and requirements.
Subjective
Our physiotherapist will listen and gain an understanding of what your symptoms are and when they started; what happened to cause their onset and how they affect you and your daily activities.
Objective
Following the subjective assessment, our physiotherapist would then assess your muscle strength, movement, balance and if necessary sensation and reflexes in your ankle.
Joints and muscles above and below the point of your injury will be assessed as your foot and calf muscles are closely linked to the ankle. You will also be assessed carrying out functional activities such as walking, jumping and balancing on one leg.
Above: One of our physiotherpaists assessing akle stability following a sprainWhat would physiotherapy treatment for an ankle sprain involve?
Physiotherapy intervention for ankle pain involves a combination of treatment techniques designed to suit you. Physiotherapy aims are to reduce pain, increase range of movement, increase balance and promote a swift return to your chosen sports and hobbies.
The treatment you receive will help to decrease the pain and swelling in your ankle through the use of:
- Compression strapping
- Ice
- Elevation
We will then use different interventions to increase the range of motion and strength in your ankle, such as:
- Ankle joint mobilisation to maintain range of movement.
- Stretch and strengthening exercises, to maintain muscle length and strength.
- Balance exercises to improve proprioception and stability.
- Activity modification of normal daily tasks to prevent re-injury.
- Targeted sport specific re-training, to improve technique and reduce risk of injury.
- Massage of soft tissues, to promote healing and reduce stiffness and swelling.
Above: Imporving balance technique following an ankle sprainHow can I arrange a physiotherapy assessment for an Ankle Sprain?
If you are experiencing pain, swelling or discomfort in your ankle, you will benefit from an assessment from one of our experienced physiotherapists.
You can contact us directly to arrange an assessment and we can advise you if further treatment is recommended, or give you details on self-management for minor cases. To arrange an appointment please email office@liverpoolphysio.co.uk or call today on 0151 558 0077.
Summary
Ankle pain is an extremely common injury that can be caused by many factors. Our specialist physiotherapists have extensive experience in treating and rehabilitating ankle injuries back to pre-injury level. Various treatment techniques will be utilised by our physiotherapists ensuring you gain the most out of your physiotherapy session.
To arrange an appointment at Liverpool Physio you can contact us at office@liverpoolphysio.co.uk or phone us on 0151 558 0077.
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