Can You Walk Off an Ankle Sprain?
posted: Feb. 09, 2015.
Who knew Tom Brady of the New England Patriots played his way to Super Bowl XLIX with a sprained ankle? He rolled it on October 10th and has been managing the pain since, and was even listed as “questionable” for the AFC Championship game. Brady’s injury was minor, but many athletes are not as lucky. Two million people sprain an ankle every year in the United States, resulting in 30% of all sports injuries.
Like most injuries, ankle sprains can be classified on a spectrum from minor to very traumatic. You may have heard the phrase “you would have been better off breaking it” in reference to severe ankle sprains. A vast majority of ankle sprains occur on the lateral side (outside of the ankle as opposed to inside).
Three ligaments make up the “lateral ligamentous complex” that is so often injured, and the severity of injury directly relates to how many of these ligaments you tear. The three ligaments are usually torn in order, starting with the anterior talofibular ligament, which is closest to the toes. This ligament is 2 to 3.5 times weaker than the calcaneofibular ligament, which is the next one to tear. The last one to tear is the posterior talofibular ligament, which indicates a very severe sprain.
Here at Cast A Foot Podiatry in Hempstead, NY, we specialize in treating the foot and ankle. It is important to be evaluated by a podiatrist after serious ankle sprains or sprains that do not heal. What may look like an ankle sprain to you may actually be a tendon rupture (which is treated much differently than a ligament tear), or small fractures of surrounding bones such as the tibia, fibula, calcaneus, fifth metatarsal, cuboid, or talus. Subtle neurological injuries can even be detected.
At Cast A Foot Podiatry, we will not only help diagnose the severity and additional underlying injuries associated with a sprain, but will offer a variety of treatment options as well. It may be as simple as icing, elevating, and staying off your foot. However, recent studies show that dysfunction can persist in up to 40% of patients for as long as 6 months following the injury. Therefore, foot and ankle specialists are treating sprains more aggressively with range of motion exercises or even physical therapy referrals in certain cases.
Lastly, we will discuss with you prevention strategies for avoiding future sprains. This is important because the lateral ligamentous complex weakens with each sprain, making you more susceptible to ankle injuries.
If you or anyone you know suffers an ankle sprain injury, be sure to call our Hempstead office today and make an appointment.