All You Need To Know About Lateral Ankle Sprains!

Ankle sprains are very common in sport. The most common type of injury to the ankle is damage to the ligamentous structures. The four most commonly injured ligaments are the anterior talofibular (ATFL), calcaneofibular (CFL), posterior talofibular (PTFL) and the anterior inferior tibiofibular (AiTFL). Out of those, the most frequently injured in sport is the ATFL.

The names of the ligaments sound complicated but they just describe the bones that the ligaments attach onto, for example the anterior talofibular is the ligament that joins the talus (*) and the fibula (∆) together and is called anterior because it sits more forward than its posterior counterpart!

The usual way of injuring the ATFL is by pointing your foot (plantarflexion) and twisting it inwards (inversion).  Once an ankle sprain is suspected, rest, ice, compression and elevation should be applied immediately. If possible, place the ankle in a bucket of icy water for 1 minute, take it out for 1 minute and repeat 10 times. This should be done every hour or as often as possible for the first 48 hours. This will help to keep the swelling down and will help with diagnosis when you go to see a sports therapist/physiotherapist.

The sprain should be graded from 1-3; 1 being only a partial tear of the ligament with next to no swelling and grade 3 being a complete rupture of the ligament with a lot of swelling.

Once you have pain free non-weightbearing movement, exercises can start to be prescribed by your therapist. These should continually be progressed which is why it is important to see your therapist at least on a weekly basis to make sure the exercises you are doing are safe and effective and to ensure you aren’t doing anything too strenuous too soon!

If you want some more advice on your ankle sprain then I am contactable via my email address.. sara.theringwoodclinic@gmail.com or you can book an appointment with us by visiting our website www.theringwoodclinic.co.uk or phoning us on 01425 480030.