Ankle and Foot Injuries

The demand we put on our ankle daily requires an astonishing amount of mobility to twist, turn, and flex. This demand multiplies for anyone who is athletic, wears high heels or their work or home life includes spending a lot of time on their feet. It is hardly a surprise, considering the role ankles play in body mechanics that a study in 2003 revealed that 5% of all emergency room visits were due to ankle injuries. At Dynamic Family Chiropractic, we focus on preventing ankle injury before it occurs and helping your body heal injuries.

Ankle Injuries

A sprain is an injury to your ligaments (the soft tissue that connect bone to bone). A strain is an injury to your muscle tissue. 75% of all ankle injuries involve sprains.

Risk factors for ankle injuries include: walking on uneven surfaces, wearing shoes that don’t fit right, tripping, and taking any medication that causes dizziness and fatigue.

With either a mild injury, like a stretched ligament, or severe injury like a tear of a ligament or tendon, it is important to be examined as soon as possible. Delaying treatment could result in additional or prolonged pain and disability. Depending on what the initial examine discovers, your chiropractor may take X-Rays or order MRI testing.

A sprain of the ankle may be accompanied by bone fracture. In children, the bone growth plate is weaker than the ligaments surrounding the bone, making them more susceptible to a break. An adult may get a sprain from the same force that causes a fracture of the growth plate in children (J Musculoskel Med 2000;17:311-25).

Sports-Related Ankle Injuries

Ligament injuries (sprains) are the "most common injuries in sports and recreational activities" (Am J Sports Med 1995;23:564.) Sports movements like jumping, lunging, sprinting, and other pounding moves wreak havoc on your ankles. How is your sport for ankles?

Running

Failure to pay attention to road surfaces and obstacles can result in sprains and fractures for runners. It is also vital to wear the right shoes. Go to a specialty store for your running shoes and get advice from the staff.

Football

Ankles and knees are the most common way to be injuried and sidelined from your football game (Am J Sports Med 2000;28:3-9). The ankle can be sprained by being forced into unnatural positions, being too rigidly fixed to the playing surface or playing on an unstable foundation (Am J Sports Med 1977;5:243-5).

Baseball

Slidding into home may get you cheers, but it could also result in a sprained ankle. Breakaway bases reduce the risk on ankle injury, whereas stationary bases create resistance and could crush the structures in your ankle. (JAMA 1988;259:1848).

Hiking

According to a California study, hikers are most likely to injure and overuse the lower extremities like the foot, ankle and knee. The uneven terrain is largely to blame for outdoor hiking injuries.

Ice Skating

In ice skaters, ankle sprains are the most frequently reported acute injury. 50% of injured young skaters involve overuse of the ankle. (Am J Sports Med 2003;31:511). A survey of young skaters during two world championships revealed that 59% of females and 65% of males had reported sustaining acute injuries while overuse injuries affected 42.8% of females and 45.5% of male skaters. Many reported traumas to the ankle.

Snowboarding

Compared to downhill skiing, snowboarding has much larger numbers of ankle and foot injuries due to the soft boots (Am J Sports Med 1998;26:271.) A study of over 3,000 snowboarding injuries at Colorado resorts, there were 419 ankle injuries including 291 fractures and 255 sprains.

The Chiropractic Approach

To end pain and prevent relapse, doctors of chiropractic use a multi-faceted approach. They natural strategy addresses the underlying problem instead of masking the symptoms with drugs. Your chiropractor may use one or more of the following techniques:

Spinal Adjustments

Your spine has a lot to do with preventing ankle injuries. The spine is the focus of balance for the entire skeleton. You may have one ankle at risk for injury because your spine is off balance and putting more force on one side. With a spinal adjustment, chiropractors correct subluxations and restore balance.

Ankle Adjustments

In addition to the spine, your chiropractor may adjust your ankle directly. A group of 30 patients with sprained ankles was studied. Researchers found that ankle adjustments were not only superior to ultrasound therapy, but reduced pain, increased range of motion and improved functions of the ankle (J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2001;24:17-24).

Exercise

Ankles that are strong are less likely to injure than weak ones. Side to side (lateral) strength is especially important for injury prevention (Med Sci Sports Exerc 1999;31:459). Chiropractors often instruct patients to perform a variety of exercises aimed at speeding healing and preventing re-injury.

RICE Therapy

Chiropractors often recommend RICE therapy: Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation.

Get to the doctor!

When it comes to ankle and foot injuries, avoid self-diagnosis and self treatment. Even a minor injury can cause problems down the road if not properly treated. Remember your ankle holds your entire weight. Often many years later a strain or sprain will still affect function and range of motion if not properly treated.

Baby Walkers May Slow Physical and Mental Development

A report published in the October 1999 issue of the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics states that baby walkers can not only slow physical development but can also slow mental development as well.  These results came out of a study of 109 children by two researchers, Siegel and Burton.

The researchers reported that the devices blocked the children from seeing their legs thus blocking the feedback needed for development of these important motor skills.  Without seeing their legs the children developed more slowly.  In addition the researchers reported that children who crawl are stimulated by objects in their environment while children in walkers were limited in their exploring.

The 109 babies were studied as three groups.  One group did not use walkers at all.  One group used newer walkers with trays that the child could not see through, and one group used older walkers with smaller trays making it easier for the child to see their feet.

The results were that on average children who did not use walkers could sit up at 5.39 months, crawl at 5.84 months and walk at 10.82 months.  Babies with the see feet walkers, could sit up at 5.99 months, crawl at 6.23 months and walk at 10.70 months.  Those babies that were in walkers and could not see their feet could sit up at 6.73 months, crawl at 6.68 months and walk at 11.66 months.