Sprained ankle
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| Sprained ankle |
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A sprained ankle, also known as an ankle sprain, twisted ankle, rolled ankle, ankle injury or ankle ligament injury, is a common medical condition where one or more of the ligaments of the ankle is torn or partially torn. The anterior talofibular ligament is one of the most commonly involved ligaments. Sprains to the lateral aspect of the ankle account for 85% of ankle sprains.
Causes
A lateral ankle sprain occurs when the ankle is inverted beyond the elastic limits of its supporting structures causing acute ankle pathology.
Treatment
Acutely the PRICE protocol is usually all that is needed. This stands for protection, rest, ice, compression and elevation.
Ice can help reducing swelling. Cycles of 10-15 minutes on and 10-15 minutes off are recommended. Icing an ankle too long may cause cold injuries.[citation needed]
Remember, these steps are useful for mild ankle sprains. If the pain and swelling do not improve in the first 48 hours, make sure to see a doctor. [1]
An ankle brace can be very helpful for the treatment and prevention of a sprained ankle injury. Walking is inadvisable, as it may cause the ankle sprain to become worse - with increased pain, and possible further damage to the compromised tissues. Braces and crutches give the leg exercise, yet keep the damaged part from moving and becoming further injured.
A short period of immobilization in a below-knee cast or in an Aircast leads to a faster recovery at 3 months is made than if the patient is only given tubular compression bandage. According to a randomized control trial of severe ankle sprains presenting to the ER in the UK. [2]
Although found to be less effective than casts compression bandages provide support and compression for sprained ankles. Wrapping is started at the ball of the foot and slowly continued up to the base of the calf muscle, pushing the swelling up toward the center of the body so that it does not gather in the foot. Bandages are kept tight, but not so tight as to cut off the circulation in the foot.[citation needed]
Alternative medicine, non-surgical options include prolotherapy, which has been shown by Reeves in a small knee injury RCT to reduce ligament laxity causing translation on KT-1000 arthrometer versus placebo.[3] The future of non-surgical care for ACL laxity (partial ligament tear) is likely bioengineering. Fan has demonstrated that ligament reconstruction is possible using mesenchymal stem cells and a silk scaffold.[4] In addition, commercial applications of this injection based procedure are just becoming available in the US.[5]
Prognosis
Most people improve significantly in the first two weeks. Some however still have problems with pain and instability after one year ( 5 - 30 % ). Reinjury is also common.[6]
See also
References
- ^ "How to Treat a Sprained Ankle" Kidzworld.com. Retrieved on 2009-03-27.
- ^ PMID 19217992
- ^ Reeves KD, Hassanein K. "Randomized prospective double-blind placebo-controlled study of dextrose prolotherapy for knee osteoarthritis with or without ACL laxity". PubMed.
- ^ Fan H, Liu H, Wong EJ, Toh SL, Goh JC. "In vivo study of anterior cruciate ligament regeneration using mesenchymal stem cells and silk scaffold". PubMed.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Mesenchymal stem cell based procedure". Regenerative Sciences.
- ^ Margo KL (2008). "Review: many adults still have pain and subjective instability at 1 year after acute lateral ankle sprain". Evid Based Med. 13 (6): 187. doi:10.1136/ebm.13.6.187. PMID 19043045.
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External links
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