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The United States boasts(?) a rate of ankle sprains at 1 per minute. If you listen real hard, you may be able to hear it now...ok, never mind that.
The most common injury in the foot/ankle complex is a ligament sprain of the ankle. Experiences of 'twisted ankles' range from "Eh, I'll just walk it off" to the masochist who just.can't.stop.playing. despite the soft-ball sized swelling and immediate purplish-greenish tint their ankle has taken on. (note: The severity of injury is dependent on what specific structures were involved and to what extent; rehabilitation should be received accordingly. If you experience massive swelling and bruising, you should be seen by a medical doctor to rule out a bone fracture.)
How do ankle sprains occur?
The most common ankle sprains generally occur from twisting or rotating your body while keeping your foot planted and is frequently incurred whilst playing contact sports such as football or soccer.
'Spraining your ankle' means that you have placed undue stress onto the ligaments which support the ankle joint. In severe cases, the ligaments may have been partially or completely torn (requiring medical attention). Mild strains can take up to 6 weeks to heal whereas severe tears may require a rehabilitative period of 10 weeks for proper repair to take place.
Why do I keep spraining my ankle?
It is important to understand that ankle sprains are no different from any other injury in that it is imperative to allow your body ample time to re-cooperate following trauma to prevent recurrence.
Recurring ankle sprains are frequently seen due to:
- lack of proper care following injury (i.e. rest, ice)
- lack of proper protective gear during sport play (shin guards during soccer, high top shoes during basketball)
- lack of strength in and around the ankle joint
- over-pronated (fallen arches) or over-supinated (high arches) feet
Examine the the arch in your foot. Next time you head to the shower to get scrubbed up, bring a brown paper bag and place it on the ground next to the tub. At the end of your shower, lightly dip your the sole of your tootsies into the water and step onto the bag.
With a high arch, you will see a thin line connecting the toes to the heel and with a flattened arch, you will likely see the entirety of the foot on the bag. For normal arches, the line will appear as half the width of the entire foot.
The arches in the foot are designed to absorb and withstand compressive forces placed on the extremity during walking and running.
With a high or rigid arch (over-supinated feet), your foot lacks the necessary 'give' in order to distribute these forces throughout the surface of the foot and ankle joint, thus placing your ankle ligaments at higher strain, making them more vulnerable to injury.
If you are standing on over-pronated or fallen arches, then the ligaments in the ankle are being placed in a chronically shortened position, making them weak and unable to protect your ankle from unnatural movements.
Strengthening the muscles in your foot can help redistribute the forces evenly throughout the foot and ankle complex, thus reducing your risk for injury.
Step up your game with strong feet:
- Sit in a chair and place a hand towel lengthwise on the floor in front of you.
- Place your bare foot with your toes on one edge of the towel.
- Keeping your heel on the ground, use your toes to scrunch up the towel under your foot. Try a wave-like movement through the toes starting from the little toe.
- Once you have completed the length of the towel, switch feet.
- Complete 3 repetitions on each foot.
(This is the first in a series of foot strengthening exercises!)
More stuff on feet health.
Have you had an ankle sprain? Funny story to share on how you got it? Please do share in the comments below!! How do you're feet shape up? High arched, fallen arch or normal? Have you had any issues because of this (that you know of)?
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10 comments:
I had my feet tested when I went to go get some new shoes and apparently my arches are pretty normal.
I used to have a lot of problems with my left ankle. One time I was at a youth group thing, showing off, doing a spinning jump kick, landed and sprained my ankle :D
One time I was crossing the road at the lights, and there was a bit of a pot-hole, and my ankle rolled and I came down :D
Thankfully I haven't had too much trouble in the last few years.
I've sprained my ankle too many times while playing basketball! When they finally started making shoes as in wider is better, it stopped happening!
PS The advantage with karate for an ab/core exercise, is you don't even notice or think about that you are doing it!
Haven't injured anything but sometimes I step wrong and feel a weakness in an ankle or some pain and I know I was this()close.
Another informative post Rupal. I don't know how many of these I've had in my life, but one or two were very painful.
Interesting info.
I sprained my knee once, because I was tired and too stupid to stop skiing. I sure paid for that stupidity.
I turn a foot now and then on rocks, etc ... Since working out, it's not so big of a deal. But, stupid things happen all of the time ... holes you don't see, etc ...
Out in the wilderness, I wear hiking boots which protect the ankle as the terrain is steep and rocky. Since I'm romping around in the dark, it's best to wear the proper footwear. :)
I *would* brag about my strong ankles, but that's just an invitation for disaster. :)
Thanks for the ankle exercise tip! I shall use it tonight!
Hi Rupal,
Good stuff. And the timing is really interesting. I know three people who have injured their ankles in the last couple of weeks. Two of them broke their ankles (requiring surgery) and one had a light sprain. All at basketball. One ref, one coach and one player. Not as the same time, yet I find it very interesting that you're talking about it today - with all of these within the last two weeks.
Way too many ankle sprains in my life. I'm working on strengthening things. One important thing to remember: ankle sprains can result in the glutes not activating, making balance harder and possibly increasing back problems. (I know, who knew?)
After having a spate of sprained ankles during college, I've done little strengthening hacks at home - balancing on one foot on a pillow, and making myself recover from being off-balance, for instance. I've done the same sort of thing on a mini-trampoline. Are these good practices?
As coincidence would have it, I twisted my ankle in a hole on the golf course yesterday. I'm frantic at being sidelined!
When I got home (after 8 more holes of the guest event) I elevated it and iced it for several hours.
This morning I am encouraged. It's not as horrifying as it was yesterday, but it is swollen, black and blue and stiff. I am walking better that's for sure.
My doctor husband poked around and said he doesn't think I broke it despite the sound I heard. Ugh. But he's no orthopod.
Doctor's families are terrible at medical neglect! :)
So, what's my plan now?
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