At Focal Allied Health, our Physiotherapists are trained to help people to recover from ankle injuries that range from mild sprains to ligament tears and bone fractures. Prompt treatment after an injury helps the pain, speeds up the recovery and works on a program of rehabilitation.
The ‘knock-on’ effect of stiffness or loss of mobility in the ankle can affect walking and running. It can also lead to pain and biomechanical problems in the knee, hip, or back as the body compensates for the deficit – getting early treatment for ankle injuries can prevent this.
If you are suffering from ankle pain or an injury, call 03 9034 7735 or Book Online now for an appointment at one of our clinics. Early intervention, diagnosis and treatment from one of our physiotherapy team will not only get you out of pain and back to full mobility more quickly, it will also, reduce the risk of future injury and problems affecting other joints.
Sprained Ankle
Ankle ligament sprains are common in everyday activities as well as in sport. These strong, fibrous tissues connect one bone to another and help to maintain the stability and correct positioning of the ankle joint.
The most usual ankle sprain involves the outer, lateral ligament. Damage occurs when the lower leg or foot rolls outwards. Less commonly, the medial ligament is injured due to the foot rolling inwards.
Symptoms of ankle strain include tenderness to the touch, pain, swelling and bruising. In more severe cases, the joint may feel unstable or the patient may not be able to weight-bear on the affected ankle at all.
Sprains are graded in severity from one to three depending on the degree of damage to the ligament with one being microscopic tears, two being a partial tear and three, the most severe, being a complete tear.
Physiotherapy Treatment for Ankle Sprain
Immediate, first aid treatment is to reduce the pain and swelling using R.I.C.E (Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation).
After this, the aim is to restore the full range of motion to the affected ankle using mobilisations. Your Physiotherapist will prescribe specific exercises to help rebuild muscle strength and balance.
If your ankle sprain occurred during sport, it is good to know that many of our Physiotherapists have considerable experience of working or travelling with top-level sports teams and have the expertise to get you back on top of your game.
It is very important to follow the advice of your Physiotherapist as often, patients feel their ankle is better because the surrounding tendons are helping with mobility and stability of the ankle joint. However if the ligaments are not allowed to heal completely, re-injury is likely.
Physiotherapy After a Fractured Ankle
Depending on the severity of an ankle fracture, hospital treatment will range from a plaster cast to an operation to repair the affected bones with metalwork.
Physiotherapy can optimise rehabilitation, as the ankle joint will be very stiff once the cast is removed. If there is pain or stiffness in other joints as a result of the ankle being in a cast, we can help here too.
At Focal Allied Health, our Physiotherapists are skilled at helping to get the joint moving correctly again which helps with pain, circulation and regaining a normal walking pattern. We show patients how to continue their rehabilitation at home with strengthening and balance exercises.
With all ankle injuries, it is so important to start Physiotherapy early as the correct treatment and advice at the beginning is vital for a full and speedy recovery. Call us on 03 9034 7735 or Book Online now.