Played mostly during March, March Madness is one of the biggest annual sporting events in the U.S. It is a basketball tournament, and one of the most common injuries sustained during basketball is an ankle sprain.
Overview
Many of us have sprained our ankles before. It is one of the most common musculoskeletal injuries. An ankle sprain occurs when the ligaments on the sides of our ankles get stretched. Most ankle sprains occur on the lateral (outside) of the ankle, and this occurs when the ankle/foot rolls inwards. Sprains are graded depending on severity:
- Grade I - slight stretching of the ligament fibers; mild tenderness and swelling around the ankle
- Grade II - partial tearing of the ligaments; moderate tenderness and swelling; some looseness around the ankle
- Grade III - complete tear of the ligament; significant tenderness, swelling, and bruising; substantial instability occurs
Causes
Ankle sprains can occur during a variety of different activities, and they usually involve a mechanism of injury. It can happen simply from walking on uneven surfaces or from jumping and landing awkwardly. Participating in sports can increase the risk of ankle sprains due to the repetitive running, cutting, jumping, pivoting, and twisting actions of the foot and ankle. It can also happen during daily activities such as stepping off a curb or slipping on ice.
Signs and symptoms
- At the time of injury, you may hear a popping or cracking sound
- Pain and tenderness around the ankle bone
- Various degrees of swelling and bleeding (bruising)
- Inability or difficulty putting weight on foot
- Wobbliness or instability around the ankle
Physiotherapy Treatment
- RICE: After an acute injury, you should follow the RICE protocol - Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate. This will help to relieve the swelling, bruising, and inflammation in the ankle.
- Activity modification: Depending on the severity of the sprain, you may need to use crutches to walk in order to avoid bearing weight on the affected ankle. It is also recommended that you take a break from the sport or activity that may have caused the ankle sprain.
- Modalities: The modalities used are focused on controlling pain, swelling, bruising, and inflammation. This may include ultrasound, laser, TENS/IFC, and ice.
- Manual therapy: Friction massages can be used to prevent scar tissue from building up on the healing ligaments. Joint mobilizations are aimed at restoring the correct alignment of the ankle mortise. Soft tissue release may be performed to release tight calf and leg muscles that may have caused (or been caused) by the ankle sprain.
- Exercise: Rehabilitation exercises are very important after ankle sprains. Not only do range of motion and strength need to be regained, but balance, proprioception (sense of body awareness in space), power, endurance, agility, and normal foot biomechanics are affected after ankle sprains as well. Once you have sprained your ankle, you're more prone to future sprains (and chronic sprains); therefore, a rehab program should be targeted to minimize the risk of further injury.
- Bracing and taping: Because walking on a sprained ankle can be quite painful, and in order to prevent the rest of the body from compensating, it might be recommended that you wear an ankle brace, splint, or walking boot. Taping can be done as well to give the ankle some protection and support during the healing process.
Other treatments
- Medications
- Surgical intervention
