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 Ankle
Injuries and Prolotherapy
Twisted Ankle
Acute ankle sprains are
typically treated by
immobilization,
presumably to help the injured ligaments heal. Nothing could
be further from the truth. Immobilization is the quickest
way to cause a dramatic decline in ligament function and
strength. Anti-inflammatory medications are often given
after an acute injury, but should definitely be avoided
during this time. Anti-inflammatory medication may actually
prevent the body's own healing process from occurring. |
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Chronic Ankle Pain in a Female Athlete
Jenny was, however,
open to receiving
Prolotherapy on her
ankles, but not to correcting the multiple factors that were
related to her systemic
connective tissue
deficiency problem. She had multiple signs, or symptoms,
that confirmed this diagnosis such as non-healing sports
injury with no overt trauma causing the original pain;
multiple tender points in other parts of her body especially
about the knees and hips; dry skin; brittle nails and hair;
menstrual problems; improper diet for her metabolism; and
finally, her taking synthetic estradiol. |
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Ankle
Sprains
Ankle
sprains are a common and often aggravating injury.
Although
most sprains are generally minor and heal quickly, a recent
study conducted at the orthopedic department of the
University of Basel Switzerland showed that in 20% to 40% of
patients, sprains lead to chronic ankle instability, and
that 70% to 80% of this patient subset eventually develops
osteoarthritis
in the affected ankle. The basic mechanism in a sprain is a
stretch or tear of a
ligament
which helps hold bones together and which prevent excessive
movement of the joint. The most common method of injury is
when the foot comes down on an uneven surface or on its edge
rather than flat down. The most common ligaments that are
injured are those on the outside of the ankle. Failure to
obtain complete healing in torn ligaments is not uncommon
because of their poor blood supply. When this happens, ankle
instability that permits an abnormal side to side motion,
and ultimately arthritis in the joint are the result. |
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Ankle Fusion
It is common for
Prolotherapists to see people with continued pain complaints
after surgery. This is a very common occurrence in our
office in Oak Park, Illinois. Often overlooked causes of
this post-surgery pain are that the surgery itself may cause
ligament injury or the
surgery may not repair the ligament injury. When performing
surgery, the ligaments are stretched and pulled in order to
gain access to the joint. |
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Golf, Prolotherapy and Weak Ankles
The goals are simple
for the average golfer. Hit the ball far and hit it
straight. Golfing could be defined, in a mechanical sense,
as a coordinated movement between the upper body (torso,
arms, and shoulders) and the lower body (feet, legs, and
lower back). The most basic objective in this sport is
control. Control the body segments, and you can control the
physical impact and the end trajectory of the spherical
object with dimples (the ball). |
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Chronic Lateral Ankle Instability
Most Ligament injuries
do not totally heal. Even if the pain resolves, the
ligament
will not be as strong as it was prior to the injury. Since
ligaments stabilize the joints, ligament injury then
produces a loose joint. If the ligament never heals, chronic
joint looseness or instability results. |
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Ankle Instability
The foot and ankle structures are amazing. A unique
complex unit composed of 26 bones can bear the full body
weight on standing and is able to transport the human body
at amazing speeds. It is frightening to think of the forces
placed on these structures during athletic events. The peak
impact force produced by a basketball player during a
landing from a jump may exceed seven times the athlete's
body weight! |
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RICE, Taping and Bracing an Ankle
Because most sporting events involve running, it is
inevitable that an athlete will suffer from an ankle sprain
some time in his/her athletic career. Because of the poor
blood supply to the
ligaments,
ligament injuries often linger, even though a great deal of
the initial pain subsides. The athlete eventually goes
through physical therapy, exercises, and
NSAIDs
but continues to experience ankle pain and clicking in the
joint. Athletes are often told that the ankle pain will
respond well to
cortisone injections.
The athletes proceed to get a series of these shots. Because
the cortisone shots cause a decrease in the pain, the
athletes then return to their athletic events, not knowing
that the cortisone is making the ligaments weaker. Playing
on a ligament that is ever-decreasing in strength is not the
best idea. |
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No Support for Ankle Taping
Whether you are watching
wrestling, gymnastics, karate, or soccer, you see athletes
with their ankles all taped up. Some are hoping to prevent
injury from starting, others are hoping that their current
injuries do not worsen. Both are dreaming if they think the
ankle taping is going to help them. |
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Prolotherapy
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