Many people accidentally had ankle sprain while walking and exercising, and their first reaction is to rotate their ankles. If it is only a slight pain, they will not care about it. If the pain is unbearable, or even their ankles swell, they would just take a towel for hot compress or apply a simple bandage.
But did anyone ever notice that after ankle sprain for the first time, it’s quite easy sprain the same ankle again?
What is an Ankle Sprain?
Ankle sprains are very common sports injuries, accounting for about 75% of all ankle injuries. In most cases, the cause of injury is often excessive inverted rotation of the tips of the feet inward, while the feet land laterally. The relatively weak lateral collateral ligament of the ankle joint is vulnerable to injury. The thicker ankle medial collateral ligament injuries are relatively rare, accounting for only 5%-10% of all ankle sprains.
The ligaments may be torn due to excessive force, leading to chronic instability of the ankle joint. Symptoms vary from mild to severe. Most ankle sprains have a history of sudden trauma, including twist injuries or rollover injuries.
Severe ankle joint injuries can cause tears of the lateral joint capsule of the ankle, fractures of the ankle, and separation of the lower tibiofibular syndesmosis. Ankle sprains usually damage the lateral collateral ligaments, including the anterior talofibular ligament, calcaneofibular ligament, and posterior talofibular ligament. Among them, the anterior talofibular ligament supports most functions and is the most vulnerable. If there’s any damage to the heel and posterior talofibular ligament or even a torn joint capsule, the situation is more serious. It will easily cause joint laxity and even lead to chronic instability. If there’s also tendon, bone or other soft tissue damage at the same time, further diagnosis is necessary.
Severe ankle sprains still need medical help in time, and it is helpful to consult a sports injury specialist. X-ray, nuclear magnetic resonance, B-ultrasound can help to detect the degree of injury and whether arthroscopic surgery is needed.
If not treated properly, acute ankle sprain will result in sequelae including ankle instability and chronic pain.
Why Ankle Sprain Occurs Repeatedly?
Studies show that people who have sprained their ankles have twice times higher risk of having sprain again. The main reason is:
(1) Sprains can cause damage to the stable structure of the joint. Although most of this damage can be self-healing, it cannot be fully recovered, so that the unstable ankle joint is easy to sprain again;
(2) There are “proprioceptors” in the ankle ligaments that sense movement speed and position, which play an important role in coordination of movement. Sprains can cause damage to them, thereby increasing the risk of injury.
What to Do at First after Acute Ankle Sprain?
The correct treatment of ankle sprain in time is directly related to the effect of rehabilitation. Therefore, the correct treatment is very important! In short, following the principle of “PRICE”.
Protection: Use plaster or braces to protect the injury from further damage.
Rest: Stop movement and avoid weight load on the injured leg.
Ice: Cold compress the swelling and painful areas with ice cubes, ice packs, cold products, etc. for 10-15 minutes, several times a day (once every 2 hours). Do not let ice cubes directly touch the skin and use towels to for isolation to avoid frostbite.
Compression: Use elastic bandage to compress for preventing continuous bleeding and severe ankle swelling. Normally, adhesive support tape for fixation of the ankle joint is not recommended before the swelling subsides.
Elevation: Try to raise the calf and ankle joints above the level of the heart (for example, lie down and place a few pillows under the legs). The correct posture is to raise the ankle joint higher than the knee joint, the knee joint higher than the hip joint, and the hip joint higher than the body after lying down.
Timely and effective first aid measures are very important to rehabilitation. Patients with severe sprains need to go to hospitals immediately to check whether there are fractures, whether they need crutches or plaster braces, and whether they need medical treatment.
Post time: Sep-16-2020