Inversion Ankle Sprain SNAP, CRACKLE, POP! We aren’t talking about the cereal either, but rather the sound of a possible inversion ankle sprain. It is common in sports like football, soccer, and basketball. Injury occurs when the foot is all of sudden forced into inverted past what the ligaments are able to go or in other words excessive inversion and plantar flexion. As a result it may cause ligaments like the anterior talofibular ligament (ATF) and calcaneofibular ligament (CF) to tear. Like most joints, there are ligaments which restraint the joints from moving a certain distance. The ATF and CF are the main ligaments in the ankle which restraint inversion movement to a certain extent. Classification of inversion ankle sprains is done by being classified by grade 1, grade 2, or grade 3. Grade 1 is considered to be mild stretching within the ATF with little to no swelling, point tenderness, and minor pain. Grade 2 is considered to be slight tear of ligament, pain, swelling, point tenderness, possible disability, and possible loss of function. Lastly, there is grade 3 ankle sprain which is considered slight ligament tear, pain, swelling, point tenderness, disability, and loss of function.
Treatment:
Common treatment is to RICE, which stands for rest, ice, compress, and elevate. You should apply ice for no longer than twenty minutes on and the twenty minutes off. You should repeat this process as much as you can within the next twenty four hours to help reduce swelling in the ankle. You can also tape, splint or brace an ankle to help support the ankle in the healing process. A way to test and see if you have an ankle injury would be to try a few special tests. For example, use the anterior drawer test to test for the anterior talofibular ligament. This is done by placing one hand on shin, one hand on heel, and then pulling heel toward ceiling. That patient will feel pain if ligament is damaged. Another special test one can perform is called talar tilt and it test for the deltoid and calcaneofibular ligament. To perform this one must put one hand on shin, one hand on foot, and rock foot into eversion and inversion. Lastly, you can perform the special test named kleiger’s, which test for high ankle sprains. The way this test is done is by placing one hand on shin, grab foot and evert and dorsi flex at the same time. NSAIDs would be helpful in the treatment process. This is because nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicine will help lower the swelling. Also it decreases the pain and helps the athlete return to action quicker than those who do not take any nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug.
Rehabilitation:
After getting all treated, it is time to start rehab. You may begin by doing range-of-motion exercises. This would include tracing the alphabet with your toe in the air one to three times. This exercise helps increase motion in all directions. Another range-of-motion exercise would be to sit in a chair with your foot flat on the floor then you will slowly move your knee side to side while keeping your foot flat on the ground. Do the exercise for two to three minutes. Next, you can do stretching exercises like calf stretch. You stand facing a wall with your hands on the wall. Put the leg you want to stretch behind your other leg. Keeping your back heel on the floor, bend your front knee until you feel a stretch in the back leg. Hold the stretch for 15 to 30 seconds. Strengthening exercises would be next. While still sitting, put your feet together flat on the floor. Press your injured foot inward against your other foot. Balance and control exercises will also be done for rehabilitation. Stand on just your injured foot while holding your arms out to your sides, and balance for a long as you can, working up to sixty seconds. Then do the same exercise with your hand in front of your chest. I have personal experience with this injury which is why I chose it. I was unable to do sports for about four months. I was put on crutches for about four to six weeks, and then placed into a boot for about another month. I was then put into physical therapy. At physical therapy I did balance exercises and strengthening exercises. I was attached to restraint belts and would walk side to side while in a squat position. I would next do one legged leg press to strengthen my ankle. I was given prescription norco for pain reduction. In addition, they recommended ibuprofen to reduce any swelling from doing physical therapy. I would also do a motion exercise like the alphabet exercise explained earlier. I would then ice for twenty minutes on and off repeatedly. In addition, I would do band exercises to build ankle strength. Lastly, I was able to return to play after five months but after being out for so long, the coordination of my injured foot was decreased for being unused for five months and it did not receive its coordination back until a few weeks later.