Do I have Chronic Ankle Instability?
- Are you one of those people who seem to always roll their
ankle?
- Do you expect to walk home from at least one recreation
league game every season with a huge, swollen, bruised ankle?
- Do you have an ankle brace, an ace bandage and maybe even
crutches in your closet for when this happens?
- Do you find you have difficulty landing after you go up
for a rebound?
- Have you abandoned sports like soccer or tennis because
you just don't feel steady on your feet?
- Do you have difficulty cutting or making lateral
movements?
- Do you wear an ankle brace whenever you are doing
athletic activities?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions or this all
sounds a little too familiar, you aren't alone.
What is Chronic Ankle Instability?
Every day 1 in 10,000 people will sprain their ankles and 40% of
those lateral ankle sprains will become chronic. In health care and
physical therapy the recurrence of multiple lateral ankle sprains
is known as chronic ankle instability (CAI). In addition, to
experiencing frequent episodes of ankle sprains, a definition for
chronic ankle instability also includes reports of "giving way" and
chronic ankle weakness, pain, and/or instability.
Why Doesn't Your Ankle Get Better?
You may be wondering why your ankle doesn't get better on its
own and why you seem to sprain your ankle so frequently.
Physical therapy researchers have asked these same questions and
have identified a few factors that contribute to the development of
CAI. When someone sprains his or her ankle the ligaments are not
the only structures that become damaged. The forces that occur when
you sprain your ankle not only stretch out the ligaments, but also
have the potential to strain your muscles, alter the position of
the bones in your ankle joints, and disrupt the neurological
signals that give your body information about your ankle.
Unfortunately, the problem often does not end here because your
ankle needs a little outside help to restore normal function to all
these structures. When the ankle problem isn't addressed
immediately, your body adapts in other ways which allow you to
continue to get through your daily and recreational activities.
This often results in the weakening of some muscles and the
tightening of others. In addition the neuromuscular connections are
not restored and you are left with an ankle that seems to give you
problems over and over again!
You may be feeling like all hope is lost, but its
not!
You may have accepted chronic ankle dysfunction as a way of
life, but you don't have too! Physical therapy has been found by
multiple researchers to be effective in helping individuals with
chronic ankle instability return to their every day and
recreational activities without pain, weakness, or instability.
Physical therapy is effective in restoring normal bony
alignment, lengthening tight muscles, strengthening weak muscles,
improving joint range of motion, and restoring the neuromuscular
control of your ankle. Once these anatomical dysfunctions are
improved you will also likely see an improvement in the stability
of your ankle, your ability to participate in recreational
activities, and a decrease in ankle pain, weakness, and
instability.
So what are you waiting for?!
Don't wait until your ankle blows up like a balloon again and
you're stuck hobbling around the office for a week!
Call your physical therapist today and kiss your ankle
problems good-bye!
What to expect from physical therapy
Your first appointment will be an initial evaluation where your
physical therapist will evaluate your ankle to identify the
individual factors that are contributing to your ankle instability.
Following that appointment you will likely be seen 1-3 times a week
for 4-8 weeks to address your ankle deficits. Physical therapy will
include a combination of stretching, strengthening, manual therapy,
and balance training tailored to your personal
needs.
For more information about lateral ankle sprains please refer to
the article All About Ankle Sprains by Purvi Sheth, PT,
MPT.