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The sporting season is about to resume, with many Australians playing weekend sports such as football, soccer, netball and basketball.
One of the most common sporting injuries is an ankle sprain, making up 10-15 per cent of all injuries. In relation just to ankle sprains, it is estimated that one in every 10,000 people will have a sprain each day.
The severity of an ankle sprain can vary from a simple twist of the ankle on the edge of a sidewalk to a complete disruption if twisted in a pothole, tackled during football or from landing on another player’s foot.
The most common ligaments injured are the lateral or outer ankle ligaments consisting of the ATFL (anterior talofibular ligament) and the CFL (calcaneofibular ligament).
One of the issues that people face when they sprain their ankle is that all ankle sprains are treated the same. It is common for someone suffering a severe sprain to be told it will get better in a couple of days after having a normal x-ray at the emergency department. The patient is often left to fend for themselves and seek appropriate treatment.
A good guide for knowing how severe the injury is, is to know if you were able to walk at the time, how much swelling occurred, whether there was a pop or crack or if it felt like the worst sprain you’ve ever had. The more of these you experience will indicate that you have a higher grade of injury to the ankle.
For any injury the best treatment is to follow the basics of Rest, Ice, Elevation and Compression.
Initial treatment for more simple injuries would involve the care of a physiotherapist, especially if there is no significant improvement to the ankle after a few days.
The question is what should be done to help a more severe sprain? A growing trend is for early investigation in the way of ultrasound and even MRI when things aren’t better after a few days. It is not uncommon for the imaging results to show there is complete disruption and for the patient to be told that ankle surgery is urgently required.
It may be advantageous to have a review with a qualified professional such as Dr Anthony Cadden from Seaview Clinic in Wollongong.
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Dr Cadden said, “The presence of complete ligament rupture, avulsion fracture or tendon injury does not necessarily mean early surgery is required. After careful history of the injury, examination of the stability of the ankle and review of imaging, I can advise on the best initial course of non-surgical management. There is only a few situations where early intervention may be required.
“In more severe injuries up to 20 per cent may have further ongoing problems. The biggest is persisting instability of the ankle that causes repeated falls or makes it difficult to return to normal function.”
Dr Cadden is able to provide treatment such as arthroscopy, ligament reconstruction or tendon reconstruction.
“Techniques to stabilise the ankle have evolved to provide stability to the joint and allow potential return to sport and work activities and minimise the risk to develop problems in the future.”
Another common injury is to the achilles tendon. This can be due to acute injury causing a rupture of the tendon or repetitive stress to the tendon causing degeneration or tendinopathies.
Acute rupture of the tendon can occur in five to 10 per 100,000 people, with sporting injuries being the most common cause.
Dr Cadden is able to provide minimally invasive repair of the tendon when surgery is considered and also guide patients on a functional recovery when non-surgical repair has been considered.
The Seaview Clinic located at Wollongong Private Hospital has attracted medical practitioners with specialist medical and surgical training to help with your health problems. Besides foot and ankle, neurology and neurosurgical care, the Clinic has orthopaedic surgeons covering hip, knee, shoulder and hand surgery conditions as well as rehabilitation and pain management care.