Sprained ankles are one of the most common sports injuries, and skateboarders are not exempt. Although they may take reasonable precautions by wearing safety equipment, they are still subjecting their ankles to repetitive force, and may develop chronic injuries as well as acute ones. At Integrity Foot & Ankle Associates in Lorain, we specialize in sports injuries, so we wanted our readers to know a bit more about what a sprained ankle is and how it is treated.
A sprain is an injury to a ligament. The ligaments are the tissues that connect bones to each other. Rolling the foot inward may injure the ligaments on the outside of the ankle, which is the most common form of ankle sprain, but rolling the foot outward may harm the inward-facing side’s ligaments. A ligament may have been weakening for a long time before a particularly bad fall caused it to stretch too far or tear, and ligaments that have been injured in the past are more vulnerable. Without the stability provided by the ligament, the foot bones may rub against cartilage or each other, causing further damage.
Sprained ankles will be swollen and tender, but will only be substantially unstable in the most severe cases. Usually, sprains don’t require surgical repair. Instead, the patient should rest, ice, compress, and elevate their ankle until a doctor can examine it, after which it will be immobilized by a brace. The patient will then gradually build up their strength, agility, balance, and flexibility through physical therapy. But to prevent the sprain from returning, a skater will have to remember to warm-up before exercising, do stretches regularly, and to stop skating if they’re in pain and switch to a different activity that doesn’t put as much lateral force on their ankle.
Doctors David J. Hintz and Michael A. Wenowitz run Integrity Foot & Ankle Associates at 1740 Cooper Foster Park Road #B, Lorain, Ohio, 44053. To schedule an appointment, visit Integrity Foot and Ankle or call 440-282-1221.
