The Ankle

Foot injuries and Ankle injuries are one of the most common presentations to Sydney Physiotherapists. The foot and ankle function as a joint to provide stability and support in weight bearing while allowing for propulsion.

Injuries to the foot and ankle are extremely common in normal activities with the most amount of foot injuries occurring while playing high intensity sports such as football, soccer, netball and tennis. The most common mechanism of injury is the inversion ankle sprain, in which the ankle rolls over on the outside. An ankle sprain is the stretching and tearing of ligaments - in the sprained ankle the most common damage is done to the talo-fibula ligament (if the ankle sprain is worse, the calcaneo-fibula ligament can also be damaged) - sometimes the tendons also get damaged.

Ankle sprains are the most common day to day injury that Sydney Physiotherapits see in the clinic and obviously require some foot and ankle physiotherapy to strengthen and rehabilitate the area. The physiotherapist will grade the ankle injury:

Grade 1 ankle sprain:

• Stretching or mild tearing of the ligament
• Little or no functional loss - the joint can still function and bear some weight
• Mild pain, swelling and joint stiffness

   

Grade 2 ankle sprain:

• Severe tearing of the ligaments
• Moderate instability of the joint
• Moderate to severe pain - weightbearing is very painful
• Swelling and stiffness

Grade 3 ankle sprain:

• Total rupture of a ligament
• Instability of the joint
• Severe pain initially followed by no pain
• Severe swelling

If an injury is sustained Sydney Phytsiotherapists will accurately assess and diagnose the area and determine the best method of ankle treatment. Usually the advice given by the phsyiotherapist initially is RICE principles (rest, ice, compression and elevation), followed by having some manual ankle physio treatment such as soft tissue massage, strengthening and balance and proprioception exercises. Other specific foot and ankle physiotherapy treatment may be required depending on the severity of the ankle injury.

There are hundreds of foot injuries and ankle injuries such as stress fractures, plantar fascitiis, avulsion fractures and various types of heel and foot pain, to name only a few ankle and foot injuries.