Ankle
Acute ankle injuries occur very frequently. They occur when the muscles, tendons or subjected to an impact load which is greater than the tissue can withstand. Acute injuries frequently occur as a result of accidents, but may also be due to overtraining which weakens incident site in advance so that it becomes more vulnerable to an acute injury. Ankle joint is a hinge joint and consists of four legs: the tibia (tibia), fibula (fibula), heel bone (calcaneus) and instep bone (talus). Joint makes it possible to bend, stretch, twist and rotate your ankle. Thus, the ankle joint has greater freedom of movement than a pure hinge joints (e.g. knee). Ankle joint has strong ligaments on both sides and these ligaments play an important role for the stability of the ankle. The ligament on the outer side of the ankle is made up of three parts. These link the fibula with the instep bone and heel bone. The band on the inside ensures connection between the tibia and instep bone. The joint capsule enhances the stability of the joint laterally. Ankle joints are very susceptible to damage because they are quite movable and are borne with full body weight. InjuriesIt is estimated that almost 200 000 Australians sustain ankle injuries each year. Sprains and damage to the outer ligaments is the most common injury among athletes and represents approximately 40% of all injuries in football, baseball and basketball. The most common mechanism of injury is through what is known as inversion. Inversion means that you step awkwardly so that the foot turned inwards and downwards. Stretching the ligaments on the outside of the ankle with a considerable force and causing injury. This occurs most often when landing after jumping, turning and running. The extent of damage depends on how much of the ligament that is damaged. It is rare that bands bust completely, usually it is part of the ligament, which breaks. Our chiropractor will investigate the extent of the damage and treat you quickly.