Amongst sporting injuries, rolling your ankle or a lateral ankle sprain is one of the most common injuries to occur. Lateral ankle sprains also have a high recurrence rate whereby approximately 20% of lateral ankle sprains will occur again. That is why sufficient treatment and rehabilitation is vital for your return to your sporting activities to ensure optimal performance and prevent future injury.
What is a Lateral Ankle Sprain?
A lateral ankle sprain occurs when the ligaments on the outer side of the ankle are overstretched or torn. These ligaments are responsible for stabilising the ankle joint, and when they are injured, it can lead to pain, swelling, and instability. Lateral ankle sprains are the most common type of ankle sprain and typically happen when the foot rolls inward, often during activities like running, jumping / landing, or sudden changes in direction.
Causes and Risk Factors:
Lateral ankle sprains can result from various activities and situations, including:
- Sports that involve running, jumping, or quick changes in direction, such as football, basketball, netball, and soccer.
- Previous ankle injuries that have weakened the ligaments.
- Walking, running, jumping / landing on uneven surfaces
- Poor balance or proprioception.
Symptoms:
Depending on the severity and extent to the lateral ankle sprain these symptoms may be more or less pronounced accordingly
- Pain and tenderness on the outer / lateral side of the ankle
- Swelling and bruising around the ankle. The ankle may also feel stiff and have reduced range of motion
- Difficulty bearing weight or walking on the affected foot.
- Instability or a feeling that the ankle might give way.
Diagnosis:
An in-depth assessment of the foot and ankle will occur in order to confirm the diagnosis of a lateral ankle sprain. Assessment will include observation of the swelling and bruising of your foot, palpation of the structures in the foot to determine locations of pain. Assessing the range of motion of your ankle and also the strength and
balance.
If the physiotherapist suspects that a fracture may have occurred, they may advise you to get imaging such as an X-ray on your ankle to either confirm or deny this.
Treatment Options:
The treatment for a lateral ankle sprain aims to reduce pain and swelling, promote healing, and restore function. Key treatment strategies include:
- Reduce Swelling: In the immediate time following a lateral ankle sprain it is important to attempt to reduce the swelling in the ankle as much as possible. This can be achieved through apply ice regularly to the region, compression sleeve for the ankle, elevating the foot as much as possible so that the foot is above the heart and keeping off the foot as much as possible which may also include using crutches for a short period immediately following the injury.
- Reducing Pain: A reduction in pain may be experienced with the strategies to reduce swelling such as the use of ice and resting the ankle in the days following the injury.
- Physiotherapy: Treatment from the physiotherapist may include exercises to increase the ankle range of motion, strengthening of the muscles in the ankle, joint mobilisations for the ankle and balance training. As your progress these exercises will become more and more specific to the demands of your sporting activities such as jumping, landing, change of direction.
- Bracing or Taping: Using ankle braces or taping techniques to provide additional support and prevent further injury during the healing process.
- Gradual Return to Activity: Slowly reintroducing activities and sports, guided by your physiotherapist, to ensure a safe return to your normal routine.
Conclusion:
Despite being one of the most common injuries in sports, lateral ankle sprains can be effectively recovered from if correct rehabilitation and treatment have occurred. Recovery time for a sprained ankle is dependent on the extent of the sprain, however, ankle sprains usually see individuals return to sport quickly. In order to prevent recurrence of this injury when this return to sport happens and ensure optimal performance in your sport physiotherapy is essential.
If you suspect you have a lateral ankle sprain and are in the Kilsyth, Croydon, Bayswater or Mooroolbark areas don’t hesitate to call us on 03 9729 7777 to schedule an appointment with one of our experienced physiotherapists at Physio Elements.