Ankle Ligament Injuries:
Background:
One of the most common injuries in sports and outside of sports is a sprained ankle. Most of us who have played an athletic sport that involved vigorous running, jumping or changing direction have experienced the pain and dysfunction that a sprained ankle can create. There are basically two common sets of ligaments that can become injured in the ankle; the lateral ligament complex consisting of the anterior and posterior talofibular ligaments along with the calcaneofibular ligament, and the medial ligament complex known as the deltoid ligament. By far the lateral ligaments are more common to injure and the exact ligament that is injured (out of the three mentioned) or the combination of their injury is what dictates the severity of the sprain. The important thing to consider with a sprained ankle is that there are five areas of the bones of the foot that can fractured during a severe ankle sprain and a thorough examination and X-rays may be necessary to rule out these injuries.
Signs and Symptoms:
Someone with a twisted ankle will report severe ankle pain that began after a specific incident that caused their foot to turn beyond what is normal. There is almost always some associated swelling and walking on the injured limb is extremely painful. Iin more significant cases there will be a reported “popping” sound when the injury happens, but that is not always present. The injured ligaments are very tender to palpation and any use muscles of the lower leg can create a sharp pain.
Treatment:
Initial treatment is focused on reducing the pain and inflammation with rest and ice and then making sure there is no significant injury which demands a visit to a physician. The pain and swelling associated with a sprained ankle have been shown to respond well to conservative Chiropractic care and the Chiropractic Physician can provide the detailed examination and X-rays if necessary to make sure there is not a more significant injury. The most important point of ankle sprains is the rehabilitation that occurs after the ligament is healed. Proprioception is a big fancy word that describes the communication between the joints, ligaments, tendons and muscles of the body with the brain. After a twisted ankle, this communication becomes deficient and if it is not re-established with appropriate rehabilitation exercise the ankle will be twice as likely to be re-injured. If you or someone you know is needlessly suffering from the pain of an acutely sprained ankle, or with the problem of chronically spraining ankles, come into Absolute Healthcare Chiropractic and have Dr. Gerwig determine a customized treatment protocol, without the use of drugs or surgery, that will have you on the road to living and playing pain free today!
Stress Fractures:
Background:
A stress fracture occurs when a repetitive stress on a bone exceeds the capacity of the bone and miniature breaks of the bone begin to occur. The minor breaks can heal when the stress is taken off of the bone that is damaged, but when we continue to put the pressure through the bone the initial minor fracture cannot heal. Combine that with the fact that the continued pressure will create more minor fractures and the condition worsens. A stress fracture in the lower extremity will usually occur at one of three place; the top of the Tibia (the lower leg), the Talus bone (top bone of the ankle as the lower leg connects to the ankle), and the first metatarsal (the base of the big toe). Injuries to these are classically seen in runners and the most common area for a runner to experience a stress fracture is at the Talus bone.
Signs and Symptoms:
Someone suffering from a stress fracture of the lower leg will usually report pain in the foot, ankle or lower leg during and after the strenuous activity that causes the pain (running in most cases). The pain is usually not associated with excessive swelling, but will produce a noticeable limp during and after running.
Treatment:
The most effective treatment for a stress fracture does not involve surgery or casting, but merely cessation of the offending activity, usually running, for 6-8 weeks and then gradual resumption of the activity. There are various physiological therapeutics and treatment modalities that have been found to be effective in reducing the amount of time it takes to heal. Conservative Chiropractic care has been shown to be effective in treating the pain associated with a stress fracture of the lower extremity. The more important aspect of the treatment is in finding out why the injury occurred in the first place and removing that problem so the injury does not resurface again in the future. If you or someone you know is needlessly suffering from ankle pain due to a stress fracture come into Absolute Healthcare Chiropractic and have Dr. Gerwig design a customized treatment protocol, without the use of drugs or surgery, that will have you on the road to living and playing pain free today!
Ankle Arthritis:
Background:
Arthritis, specifically degenerative Arthritis, is defined as a chronic progressive disorder most commonly seen in the elderly that usually affects the weight bearing joints of the body. Arthritis is a disorder that affects the cartilage surfaces of the joints of the body. These surfaces are normally very smooth and soft and can withstand the pressure put through it and maintain smooth movement of the joint. When the joint surface is damaged normal healthy cartilage that is getting its proper nutrition should be able to heal itself. The Cartilage of most joints have no direct blood supply and relies on the movement of the joints to bring the nutrition to it and induce into its surface. This creates the situation that after an injury that causes damage to the cartilage of a joint, we usually respond by not moving that joint because it is damaged and hurting. When we do this we are actually preventing the normal healing of the cartilage because it will not be able to get its proper nutrition to heal itself. Cartilage can become damaged any number of ways, from an intense acute traumatic incident to repetitive motion to degeneration associated with aging. Once the cartilage has become arthritic there is no reversing these changes and the treatment will focus on limiting its progression and eventual disability that is associated with degenerative Arthritis.
Signs and Symptoms:
Someone suffering from degenerative Arthritis in the ankle will usually report pain of an achy nature that comes on during their first few steps during their day, but the pain will diminish as they “warm up” the ankle. After resting the ankle again, the pain will return with the first few steps. The ankle is a common site for degeneration without previous injury, but early onset degeneration is almost always associated a history of a significant injury. When the arthritic ankle is acutely painful there will often be an associated swelling and a decrease in the normal ability to move the joint, the range of motion. If allowed to progress unchecked degenerative Arthritis will eventually lead to deformity and disability of the joint.
Treatment:
Conservative Chiropractic care has been found to be extremely effective in treating the aches and pains associated with Arthritis of the ankle and even more effective if preventing the natural progression of the disorder once it has started. If you or someone you know is needlessly suffering from ankle pain due to Arthritis come into Absolute Healthcare Chiropractic and have Dr. Gerwig develop a customized treatment protocol, without the use of drugs or surgery that will have you on the road to living and playing pain free today!
Plantar Fasciitis:
Background:
The Plantar Fascia is a broad thick layer of connective tissue located on the bottom of the foot and extends from the toes to the calcaneus (the back, bottom bone of the foot). This tissue is very strong and its primary action is to support the bottom of the foot and maintain the arch on the bottom of the foot. The arch is a very important structure that acts as the first shock absorber during our gait cycle and any alteration of this normal gait cycle can create a decrease in the normal arch of the foot. This does two tings; first, it can injure the plantar fascia and other structures on the bottom of the foot that are being stretched and second it transfers this shock up the leg into the knee and hips and demands that they absorb the shock during our gait cycle. The plantar fascia can be injured by either a significant direct trauma or by a repetitive trauma to the fascia over an extended period of time due to faulty biomechanics of the gait or jumping.
Signs and Symptoms:
Someone who has suffered an injury to the plantar fascia will report sharp pains at the bottom of the foot that occur usually during the first few steps in the morning or after a long rest. The pain will usually diminish after they “warm up” and the use of a support of night brace can reduce the frequency and intensity of the pain. The injury is most often seen in athletes that do a lot of running and jumping activities, but is not exclusive to them and can occur in anyone.
Treatment:
Conservative Chiropractic care has been shown to be very effective in relieving the pain associated with Plantar Fasciitis. The most important part of the treatment is avoiding activities that stress the plantar fascia and will usually require removal from the sport of activity for at least 2 months. If you or someone you know is needlessly suffering from foot and ankle pain come into Absolute Healthcare Chiropractic and have Dr. Gerwig develop a customized treatment protocol, without the use of drugs or surgery that will have you on the road to living and playing pain free today!
Ankle Tendonitis:
Background:
Tendons are the thick, strong extensions of the muscles that attach the muscle to the bones that it moves. The condition will usually occur when the muscles of a particular area are consistently overworked and the strains cause damage to the tendon of the affected muscle, when the damage leads to pain and inflammation on the tendon around the ankle we then have a tendonitis. The primary cause of Tendonitis around the ankle is a repetitive stress to a particular muscle, usually due to abnormal gait mechanics, that damages the tendon and it is not allowed to heal properly. The tendon then becomes weakened and thickened and the normal activities such as walking or running re-injure the muscle and re-create the pain and swelling. The most common tendonitis around the ankle occurs in the Achilles tendon (the tendon on the back of the ankle) and it is most often seen in someone who has a decreased arch on the bottom of the foot. The ‘dropped arch’ creates an inward turn of the calcaneus (the bottom, back bone of the foot) and this creates an imbalanced pull of the Achilles tendon leading to the tendonitis. Other common tendonitis around the foot includes Anterior Tibialis muscle (shin splints), Posterior Tibialis muscle (Posterior shin splints) and the Peroneal muscles (muscles on the outside of the leg and foot).
Signs and Symptoms:
Someone suffering from tendonitis of the ankle will report experiencing pain and swelling located along the affected tendon that is made worse by any activity that involves walking or running and in sever cases just standing can aggravate the problem. The tendon will be extremely painful to palpation and often a nodule can be felt in the tendon where it hurts. An important note of Achilles tendonitis is that if the offending activity is not resolved and the tendonitis is allowed to continue unchecked a possible outcome will be complete rupture of the tendon and will then require surgery.
Treatment:
Treatment of ankle tendonitis involves not only removing the pain and eliminating the swelling, both of which have been shown to happen with conservative Chiropractic care, but also with removing and adjusting the offending activity to not allow it to progress to a complete rupture. This can be accomplished with a detailed gait and foot examination followed by treatment that will allow you to get back to your activity without progressing the condition. If you or someone you know is needlessly suffering from ankle pain due to tendonitis come into Absolute Healthcare Chiropractic and have Dr. Gerwig design a customized treatment protocol, without the use of drugs or surgery, that will have you on the road to living and playing pain free today!
DISCLAIMER: No individuals, including those under our active care, should use the information, resources or tools contained within to self-diagnose or self-treat any health-related condition. Diagnosis and treatment of all health conditions should only be performed by your doctor of chiropractic or other licensed health care professional. |
