Ankle Sprain

Anatomy of an ankle sprain

Ankle sprains are graded on a severity scale from 1 to 3.  A grade 1 or 2 (partial tear of a ligament) ankle sprain may be treated with chiropractic care, but a more severe grade 3 ankle sprain (complete tear) will likely require surgery.  The most common type of ankle sprain is called an inversion sprain, wherein the bottom of the foot rolls inward in relation to the lower leg.  There are three ligaments on the lateral side of the ankle (anterior and posterior talo-fibular ligaments and calcaneo-fibular ligament).  These names translate to “ligaments that connect the lower leg (fibula) to the foot bones (talus and calcaneus).  The  ligament that is most commonly torn is the anterior talo-fibular ligament.

                  
Photo: BarneyStinson13 (Photo) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)]
Photo: An svg version:Ankle.PNG by Jak. [Public domain] Wikimedia Commons

Causes of ankle sprains

-Aysymetry in the body.
-Previous history of ankle sprain.
-Falling off a curb.
-Tripping on rocks, roots, etc.
-Landing wrong after a jump.

Oakland chiropractor treats an ankle sprain

Treatment of ankle sprain

-Chiropractic adjustment of talus and/or calcaneus if they have become fixated.
-Soft tissue work such as Active Release Techniques to injured muscles (peroneals, gastrocnemius, soleus, tibialis anterior).
-Kinesiotaping lymph drainage protocol to reduce swelling associated with ankle sprain.
-Graston technique to reduce adhesions in injured muscles.
-Manual lymph drain techniques to reduce swelling.
-Rehabilitation exercises to strengthen injured muscles and restore proprioception (the sense of where your body part is in space).