Your ankle is an incredibly tough piece of ligament, bone and muscle. You jump, run, slide, trip, leap and walk all your life, putting uncountable tons of pressure on your ankle over the course of years and decades – and it lets you get away with it.
Until one day it doesn’t! Letting ankle pain fester is one of the worst physical health decisions you can make. Ankle injuries become increasingly common with age, especially with either far too much exercise or not enough – and when they do occur, your only safe bet towards a working ankle is through professional ankle ligament repair.
Before we delve into ankle injuries and how a professional ankle ligament repair is your best way to proper, safe recovery, it’s important to understand the structure of this joint. The ankle, for the most part, is built to support the sagittal movement of the foot – that is, up and down.
Anatomically-speaking, your ankle is the point where your leg bones and foot bone meet, and is composed of ligaments. These are strands of strong collagen meant to keep your foot and leg together under pressure. These ligaments are the parts of the ankle that are most prone to injury.
Two kinds of ligaments are particularly prone to severe sports-related injuries: your lateral ligaments, attached to the front, middle and back of your ankle, and your tibio-fibular ligaments, which form just above the ankle around the leg bones.
There are several ways to tell whether or not your ankle has been injured, and how severe the injury is. Some injuries can be treated with simple home-based remedies, such as rest and ice – but many injuries require the attention of a medical professional and possibly a lengthy period of recovery.
If your ankle exhibits any of the following symptoms and signs, it’s best to call your doctor, or book an appointment with us at New York Sports & Joints:
While a normal sprain may heal itself within about two months, severe damage caused by a long drop or a heavy object on the ankle can cause permanent damage in the ligaments and prevent full recovery. Similarly, improper recovery and a lack of rest after an accident involving a damaged ankle can cause ankle instability.
Ankle instability can lead to even more damage in the future due to an irregularity in the way the ankle healed. The best way to avoid or reverse the damages of a serious ankle injury is through an ankle arthroscopy and a subsequent plan of action.
Aside from sprains, which involve damage to the ligaments caused by a sudden excessive stretch past their range of motion – such as in the event of a fall from a high place – ankles are also prone to strains and fractures.
Strains are similar to sprains, yet they’re caused to tendons and muscles around the ankle rather than the ankle’s ligaments. One of the most common procedures after an ankle-related incident is an Achilles tendon repair. The Achilles tendon is the largest and most significant tendon around the ankle, and it’s also the one most prone to injuries.
A fracture occurs when the bone and joint in the ankle is damaged. Due to the severity of such an injury, this is often accompanied by a repair of ankle cartilage and ankle fracture repair through surgery.
Through the help of our seasoned medical professionals and physical experts here at New York Sports & Joints, we can set up an appointment with you in the event of ankle trauma and find out how we can repair your ankle and get you back on the field. Among the services we offer are:
While we focus on providing non-invasive treatment for your ankle, we strive to help you find the best medical course of action – including surgery, in the event of a serious injury. If you’ve recently been in a sports accident or are experiencing pain and swelling in your ankle, don’t hesitate to contact us for a professional consult.
