Do you have ankle pain or an ankle sprain?

Having strong ankles is important for many activities in reducing your risk of rolling your ankle. When you experience that sharp, sudden pain and are limping to your next activity, have you considered the mechanics that contribute to a sprained ankle?

The outside of your ankle, or lateral ankle, is made up of ligaments (primary static stabilizers) and muscles (dynamic stabilizers). An ankle injury from aggressive inversion or plantar flexion with inversion typically results in a lateral ankle sprain. A sprain is an injury to a ligament, and lateral ankle sprains make up 10-30% of all sporting injuries.

In the case above, the sprain could include injury to the anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL), the calcaneofibular ligament (CFL), or the posterior talofibular ligament (PTFL). There are three grades of severity for the classification of a lateral ankle sprain. Grade 1 is a stretching of the ligament and typically just includes the ATFL. Grade 2 is partial tearing of a ligament, usually involving both the ATFL and CFL. Grade 3 is a complete rupture of ligaments and may involve all three lateral ligaments, ATFL, CFL and PTFL. 

Physical therapy has been successful in treating lateral ankle sprains and returning individuals to their pre-injury activities. There are risk factors that may increase your chance of experiencing a lateral ankle sprain, including previous history of lateral ankle sprain, lack of external support (brace or tape) with activity, improper warm-up prior to activity, decreased ankle dorsiflexion range of motion, and lack of balance and proprioception drills. A physical therapy evaluation can help determine increased risk factors, and your therapist can design a plan to help you improve ankle mobility and stability, reducing the risk of injury or re-injury.

“I started seeing Rachel after exacerbating a chronic ankle injury. My goal was to increase my ankle strength so that I could participate in the Whitefish Legacy Trail Run; however, I felt worried that I wasn’t going to be able to participate because of ankle pain. Working with Rachel was an absolute delight -- she helped me increase my ankle strength and also my confidence in my abilities. After a few weeks of working with Rachel, I was able to restart my training on local trails, and I noticed an incredible difference in my ankle stability -- I was able to run on uneven ground without pain. Additionally, the home exercises that Rachel provided helped me continue to increase my ankle strength even after I was discharged from her care. I credit my first marathon -- free of ankle pain -- to her. Thank you, Rachel! ~M.T.