Ankle Sports Injury Therapy: Techniques and Benefits

Ankle injuries are common among athletes playing sports like cricket, tennis, football, hockey etc. The common ankle injuries can be as mild as a sprain, strain as severe, like Achilles tendon tear, fractures or plantar fasciitis, which can sometimes be mistaken for stress fracture.

Improper or delayed treatment leads to joint instability and affects proprioception, causing injuries to other joints. Fortunately, sports injury therapy helps diagnose, treat, and rehabilitate these injuries to prevent re-injury and enhance athlete performance. At Apollo Foot and Ankle Clinic in Chennai, we'll help you find the best treatment to help you heal quickly from sports injuries.

List of Possible Ankle Injuries

There are many types of ankle injuries, some heal in a few weeks, and others may require months to heal and return to sports. Some of the common injuries are:

• Ankle sprains

These are injuries to the ligaments on either side of the ankle joint. It can occur by a sudden twisting of the ankle or a repeated ligament injury. Mild ankle sprains heal easily in a few weeks; the chronic injury would take longer depending on factors like swelling, pain and severity.

• Tendonitis

It’s an inflammation of tendons (structures that connect muscles to bones). Achilles tendons and Peroneal tendons are commonly injured tendons around the ankle joint. There would be swelling, pain and instability around the ankle joint.

• Fractures

Fractures in one or more bones with pain, swelling, bruising, deformity, blistering or other symptoms are serious injuries requiring care from an orthopaedic foot and ankle specialist.

• Stress fracture

Due to repeated injury or sudden increase in impactful activity, bones and their supporting muscles do not get enough time to heal between exercise sessions, and the microfractures accumulate over time, causing a stress fracture.

• Syndesmotic injuries

A high ankle sprain or syndesmotic injury is an injury to ligaments binding the two bones around the ankle joint. The pain is slightly above the joint and typically takes longer to heal.

• Pain in heel

It can be either due to heel spurs-a bony outgrowth at the heel or plantar fasciitis-inflammation of tissue at the bottom of the foot causing pain early in the morning. The common reasons are improper footwear, overuse or gait issues.

Different Techniques Included in Sports Injury Therapy

Here is how sports injury therapy focuses on treating sports injuries:

• Follow PRICE (Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) protocol in the first 72 hours of injury.
• Anti-inflammatory medicines or injections to reduce pain, swelling or infection.
• Immobilizations with cast, splint, braces or other medical devices.
• Surgery to correct fracture, tendon and ligament tears.
• Physical therapy includes exercises, mobilizations, manual therapy, neuromuscular coordination, balance and gait training in stages to prevent re-injury, Hydrotherapy and training for a return to sports.
• Diet and nutrition protocols to enhance healing and support muscle growth and repair.

Benefits of Sports Injury Therapy

Here is the list of benefits you get from sports injury therapy:

• Faster recovery time

Sports injury therapy enhances tissue repairs, reduces inflammation, cardiopulmonary conditioning and exercises ensure quick recovery by regaining strength and mobility of ankle joint

• Reduced risk of re-injury

Proper assessment of the sport technique, strengthening of the injured muscles, balance, proprioception and gait training reduces the risk of re-injury.

• Technique correction

Working out or playing in the right form with the correct technique helps reduce sports injuries due to negligence. The therapist will improve your technique; a small change can substantially improve your performance.

Precautions and Considerations to Avoid Sports Injury

Here are some preventive tips that all athletes and sports enthusiasts can refer to avoid sports injuries:

• Warm up and stretch a little before and after the sports activity.
• Wearing proper footwear with good support and enough space for your toes.
• In case of pain, listen to your body and stop the activity.
• A little swelling is bearable; however, contact the foot specialist if the swelling doesn't go away.
• Rub ice or soak your legs in warm water to provide rest to the muscles after the sports activity.
• Follow PRICE protocol- Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation in case of pain or swelling.
• Use ankle guards, taping and padding to prevent injury during sports.

How can medical professionals help?

Medical professionals help evaluate, treat and rehabilitate the athlete to make his return to sports a smooth journey. They provide an individualized program, foot assessment, footwear analysis, performance training and nutrition advice.

Wrapping up,

Ankle injuries are common among athletes, but they don't have to be career-ending injuries. Sports injury therapy helps faster recovery, technique correction, cardiopulmonary conditioning and prevention of re-injury, ensuring precautions are taken to avoid stress and educate the athlete about the condition.

At Apollo Foot and Ankle Clinic in Chennai, we have the high-tech infrastructure, qualified healthcare, and therapists who are experts in diagnosing your sports injury. Visit our website to schedule an appointment today with our foot experts.