Your ankle muscles and tendons control, move, and protect your ankle joint in a dynamic manner. To put it another way, your muscles move your foot and stabilise your ankle joint to keep your ligaments from stretching too much. Unfortunately, your ligaments are not protected when your muscles lose control or are not quick enough, resulting in overstretched ligaments (ankle sprain) or complete ligament rupture. That hurts a lot! Aside from a sprained ankle, there are several sorts of ankle injuries. They are classified according to the type of tissue injured, such as bone (fracture), ligament (sprained ankle), muscle (strain or tear), or tendon (tendinopathy or tendonitis).
Traumatic ankle ligament sprains or ankle fractures (broken bones) can cause ankle pain. Ankle discomfort can also have a more subtle cause. Ankle pain can develop over time due to tendinopathies, degenerative arthritis, and biomechanical issues. Ankle injuries include more than simply sprained ankles. To ensure that both your short and long-term treatment reach your goals as quickly as possible, it is critical to precisely evaluate what is wrong with your ankle.
Have a look at some common ankle injuries:
- Ankle Sprains – Ankle sprains are classified into three categories based on the extent of ligament damage, namely Grade 1 (Mild), Grade 2 (Moderate) and Grade 3 (Severe).
- Ankle Fractures – Ankle fractures are painful and temporarily disabling. If a fractured ankle is not treated properly, it can result in serious long-term problems and disablement. Different types of ankle fractures are – Ankle Fracture (Broken Ankle), Stress Fracture, Stress Fracture Feet, Severs Disease, Heel Spur and Shin Splints.
- Ankle Tendinopathies – Inflammation of a tendon in the foot or ankle is known as tendonitis (also known as tendinitis). Because of the constant repetitive motion in the joint area, your ankle is one of the most typical areas to get tendonitis. Types of tendonitis of the foot or ankle are – Achilles Tendinopathy, Achilles Tendon Rupture, Peroneal Tendinopathy, Tibialis Posterior Tendinopathy, FHL Tendinopathy and Plantar Fasciitis.
- Ankle Arthritis – Ankle arthritis is a disorder in which the cartilage in the tibiotalar (ankle) joint, which connects the foot to the leg, is damaged or worn out. The tibia, fibula, and talus are the three bones that make up this joint. Any or all of these bones may be affected by arthritis.
- Biomechanical Conditions – The field of biomechanics is concerned with the preservation, rehabilitation, and development of the foot and lower limb’s function. When the foot and/or lower leg do not function properly, biomechanical difficulties emerge. Orthotics can help with a variety of biomechanical issues. Anterior Ankle Impingement (Front of Ankle Pain), Posterior Ankle Impingement (Back of Ankle Pain), Pes Planus (Flat Feet) and Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome are some types of biomechanical conditions.
- Muscle Injuries – The most common muscle injuries are Cramps and Muscle Strain. A strain occurs when muscles and tendons are strained or stretched too far, causing damage.
- Nerve-Related Ankle Pain – Nerve damage from systemic illnesses like diabetes or multiple sclerosis can also cause nerve discomfort in the foot. Foot discomfort can be caused by twisting, bending, or a direct strike to the ankle and/or foot, which can hurt the ankle joint, muscles, foot bones, blood vessels, and/or tendons. Types of Nerve-Related Ankle Pain are Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome, Sciatica, Pinched Nerve and Restless Leg Syndrome.
- Children & Youth Conditions – Juvenile Osteochondritis Dissecans and Sever’s Disease are the types of children & youth conditions.
- Systemic Conditions that may cause Ankle Pain – Some of the Systemic Conditions that give rise to ankle pain are Fibromyalgia, Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic Arthritis, Soft Tissue Inflammation and Retrocalcaneal Bursitis.
Ankle Ligaments
The talocrural joint, often called the ankle joint, is made up of three bones. Your tibia (shin bone; inside ankle bone), fibula (outer lower leg bone; outside ankle bone), and talus (deep ankle bone) are the bones that make up your lower leg. The subtalar joint, which articulates the talus and the calcaneus (heel bone), is located beneath your talocrural joint. During assessment, diagnosis, and rehabilitation, this forgotten joint is frequently overlooked. Bone-to-bone attachment is what your ankle ligaments do. They limit the range of movement possible at each joint passively.
The lateral ligaments are located on the outside of the ankle. In a lower ankle sprain, these ligaments are the most commonly injured. These include the:
- anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL)
- calcaneofibular ligament (CFL)
- posterior talofibular ligament (PTFL)
The much stronger deltoid ligament is the main medial (inside of the ankle) ligament. The inferior tibiofibular ligament and syndesmosis are involved in high ankle sprains. Ankle injuries like this are more disabling. Misdiagnosis is unfortunately common.
How can physiotherapy help with Ankle injuries ?
First step is to reduce the swelling. PRICE is what is usually used with consist of Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. So you want to protect your ankle and not sprain it again. You can tight your shoes harder and this will avoid excessive swelling. Next is to rest. Which means you stay off of our ankle for while and do not resume your activity. Next is to ice the ankle, if you don’t have ice allergies this is a great tool to reduce swelling. You can apply ice bag or water bag and ice on the swollen ankle for 10-15 min at a time. Compression also is important to reduce the swelling. You can wrap your ankle in bandage or use lace-up braces that adds compression to your ankle. Elevation is also important to reduce swelling and in this case you lay on your back, put your foot on a chair or start moving in slowly up and down and side to side to improve range of motion.
At Simply Align Rehab we use advance modalities to reduce the swelling, improve healing and exercises for range of motion and strengthening. We usefully use class IV laser for pain and inflation reduction. We use TECAR or Radio frequency therapy for swelling reduction and healing improvement and we use shockwave for ligament repair. This is part of Simply Align Technique. (Results may vary however we consistently get great results with our technique)
Are you looking for physiotherapy or a Chiropractor? If Yes, then visit Simply Align Rehab Physio in Scarborough/Toronto or Woodbridge/Vaughan or you can always call or text us for your Physiotherapy or Chiropractor needs in Toronto at (416) 438-3230 or For Physiotherapy or Chiropractor need in Vaughan (Woodbridge) at (905) 638-9840.
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