Sept. 13, 2024 | The human ankle is a complex joint that plays a crucial role in mobility and stability. Made up of bones, ligaments, tendons and muscles, the ankle is strong enough to bear your body’s weight and allows for a wide range of motion while maintaining stability, making it essential for movement and balance. Because it is such a key component of the body, an injury to the ankle can be very painful. The difference between a sprained or a broken ankle in terms of pain is minimal. While you might feel immense pain after rolling your ankle or landing on it wrong, it does not mean that you have a broken ankle. Instead, you might have a sprained ankle. They might result from similar activities, but they require different treatment. It’s important to note that sometimes a severe sprain can be as painful and debilitating as a fracture, and in some cases, both can occur simultaneously. Professional medical evaluation is crucial for proper diagnosis and treatment.

Sept. 13, 2024 | A sprained ankle is a soft tissue injury. Most often, a sprain occurs when an injury pulls, stretches, or tears the ligaments that connect bone to bone. Ankle sprains are everyday occurrences and account for more than a third of all sports-related injuries. A related injury is called a high ankle sprain, which occurs when the ligaments between the tibia and fibula are strained due to twisting, trauma or force. A person with an ankle injury should seek medical attention when the pain is so severe that they have difficulty bearing weight on that foot, have an extreme amount of swelling, or the ankle is not getting better within a couple of weeks. Ankle sprains are graded on a scale from one to three. A grade one sprain is when the ligaments are stretched but not torn. Grade two is a partially torn ligament while a grade three is a completely torn ligament. Grade two and three sprains are usually so painful that weight bearing causes significant pain and swelling.

Sept. 13, 2024 | Treatment for a sprained ankle depends on the severity of the injury. The goals are to reduce pain and swelling, promote healing of the ligament and restore function of the ankle. Try the R.I.C.E. approach for the first two or three days. R is for rest, avoid activities that cause pain, swelling or discomfort. I is for ice, use an ice pack or ice bath immediately for 15 to 20 minutes and repeat every two to three hours while you’re awake. C is for compression, to help stop swelling, compress the ankle with an elastic bandage until the swelling stops. And E is for elevation, to reduce swelling, elevate your ankle above the level of your heart, especially at night. Gravity helps reduce swelling by draining excess fluid. In most cases, over-the-counter pain relievers, such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen, are enough to manage the pain of a sprained ankle. Because walking with a sprained ankle might be painful, crutches may be necessary until the pain subsides.

Sept. 13, 2024 | A broken or fractured ankle is an injury to the bone. You may experience a broken ankle from a twisting injury from a simple misstep or fall, or from direct trauma during a car crash, for example. Dr. Robert Martin, an orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeon at UAMS, says you may have a broken or fractured ankle if you have an immediate, throbbing pain, swelling, tenderness or difficulty walking or putting weight on the ankle. Some individuals may hear a snap or cracking sound at the time of the injury, indicating the bone break. However, not everyone experiences this auditory cue. The seriousness of a broken ankle varies. Fractures can range from tiny cracks in your bones to breaks that pierce your skin. Dr. Martin says treatment for a broken ankle depends on the exact site and severity of the bone fracture. A severely broken ankle may require surgery to implant plates, rods or screws into the broken bone to maintain proper position during healing.

Sept. 13, 2024 | To avoid the pain and rehabilitation that goes along with a broken ankle, UAMS orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeon Dr. Robert Martin says it’s important to wear the appropriate shoes for any sport and to discard any athletic shoes as soon as the tread or heel wears out or if the shoes are wearing unevenly. Runners should replace their shoes every 300 or 400 miles. Alternating activities can prevent stress fractures, so rotate running with biking or swimming. If you are prone to twisting your ankle, ask your doctor for exercises to help strengthen the supporting muscles of your ankle. Dr. Martin says strong ankles require a diet that includes plenty of vitamin D and calcium, which you can get from foods like milk, yogurt and cheese. It’s a good idea to keep clutter off the floor to help avoid trips and falls. And if you are prone to twisting your ankle, ask your doctor for exercises to help strengthen the supporting muscles of your ankle.