Ankle Sprain
What is Ankle Sprain?
Ankle sprain occurs when one or more ligaments in the ankle are overly stretched or torn. Ligament refers to a band of tough and elastic connective tissues that connects bone to bone. When the foot is twisted or rolled in an awkward way, ligaments supporting our ankle can be injured.
There are 3 main types of ankle sprains:
- Lateral (inversion) ankle sprain
– The most common type of ankle sprains
– Usually occur when turning or twisting your foot inward
– Common ligaments involved: anterior talofibular ligament, calcaneofibular ligament, posterior talofibular ligament - Medial (eversion) ankle sprain
– Usually occur when turning or twisting your foot outward
– Common ligaments involved: posterior tibiotalar ligament, tibiocalcaneal ligament, tibionavicular ligament, anterior tibiotalar ligament - High ankle sprain (Syndesmosis injury)
– Usually occur when foot landed in an upward position
– Common ligaments involved: anterior-inferior tibiofibular ligament, posterior-inferior tibiofibular ligament, transverse tibiofibular ligament, interosseous ligament
What are the common symptoms?
Ankle sprains are mainly classified into 3 grades based on severity.
Grade I (mild, slightly stretched ligament)
- Mild tenderness and swelling
- Little or no functional loss (able to perform daily activities eg. walking)
No instability
Grade II (moderate, partial tear of ligament)
- Moderate tenderness, swelling and bruising
- Some functional loss (eg. pain with standing and walking)
- Decreased range of movement
- Possible instability
Grade III (severe, complete rupture of ligament)
- Severe tenderness, swelling and bruising
- Significant loss of function (eg. unable to walk)
- Instability
What are the common causes?
- Walking or running on uneven surfaces
- Participating in sports that require twisting or rolling of ankle, eg. soccer, basketball, tennis
- Landing awkwardly from a jump
- Falling with twisted ankle
- Another person stepping on your foot during sports activities
What would most physiotherapists do?
Your physiotherapist may suggest compression and elevation to reduce swelling. They may also do ultrasound and massage around the torn ligaments. However, it may take a long time for recovery. Additionally, massage around the torn ligaments during acute phase may cause more pain and is not very effective in restoring function.
How can we help?
From our decades of experience, in many ankle sprain cases, there is actually a positional fault associated with the calf bone (fibula). The amount of swelling is usually proportional to the degree of positional fault. By gentle hands-on adjustments to restore the position of the fibula and stabilise with ankle support, symptoms and function can be improved significantly within a few sessions.
Occasionally, other body parts outside the ankle joint may also contribute to the condition, and they will need to be addressed too.
Therefore, do not feel frustrated if your condition is not getting better with mainstream treatments because our simple hands-on treatments and exercise program can be the solution to your condition
Our unique approach includes:
- Comprehensive head-to-toe assessment to find out the causes of your problem and all related contributing factors
- Written report with explanation of your condition and recommended treatment plan will be provided
100% Hands-on treatment targeting the real causes of your problem and address any mobility issues related to nerves, muscles and joints - Education on modification of activities to improve your symptoms and prevent further injury
- An individualized home exercise program is prescribed to enable self-management
What would happen if you leave it untreated?
Generally, the longer you have had the injury, the longer it will take to recover. Most of the time, you may assume things will get better by themselves with enough rest. But this is rarely the case, especially if your pain or other symptoms are stopping you from doing what you normally able to do. So, take action and get back doing what you love as soon as possible.
