Ankle Sprains around the World

It’s been 4 years waiting, but after all the construction, planning, and qualifying games, the 2010 World Cup is finally here. In the last week there have been a number of injuries to some of the world’s best soccer players, most notably to Jozy Altidore of the American team. He suffered a lateral ankle sprain, but is listed as day-to-day. So why are these so common, especially on the outside of the ankle?

An ankle sprain is a stretching of the ligaments that hold the ankle joint together. There are a few reasons that lateral ankle sprains are more common. The architecture of the joint itself makes this possible as well as the ligaments. There are 5 ligaments on the medial side (towards your midline) and 3 on the lateral (outer side of your body). So the outside of the ankle doesn’t have as much protection as the inner side. Your foot structure type could also make you more prone to ankle sprains.

How can your podiatrist help? Well an ankle sprain usually occurs with trauma and presents as pain when walking, with swelling, redness, or bruising. However a number of other injuries of the foot present with these symptoms as well such as tendonitis, a bone fracture, tendon rupture, capsulitis, and a few other conditions. So it’s best to see your podiatrist to properly narrow down the condition. They will want to run a few tests and x-rays to look at your foot structure and move forward with treatment. This can range from RICE (rest,ice, compression, and elevation), anti-inflammatories, crutches, orthoses to correct the underlying foot structure problem, physical therapy to help recovery, and possibly even surgery if the sprain is severe enough. If you’re hurting for the World Cup or any other reason, come by and see Dr.Grimm and Dr.Pattison of Foot Associates of Central Texas.