Why do I keep rolling my ankle?
At Back In Motion Mentone, we generally see two types of clients with rolled ankles. There is the “I just rolled it on the weekend playing netball” ankles. Then there’s “I simply took a step wrong and rolled it for the 4th time” ankles. If the second statement sounds familiar, then you are one of 20% of the population who has rolled their ankle multiple times.
Why is it that after you sprained your ankle once, your ankle never quite feels as stable as it did before? Why is it so common to keep rolling your ankle time and time again after the first injury?
The answer is in the anatomy…
Ankle anatomy
The ankle joint itself is quite a flexible joint. It bends all the way forward to allow you to walk downstairs and it can point to allow you to push off the floor and jump in the air… But it also moves side to side so that we can walk over very unstable and rocky surfaces without falling down.
Surrounding the bones of the ankle are structures that keep the joint stable whilst allowing all that movement to occur. These include ligaments, muscles, and tendons. Ligaments and tendons are very similar, they are both short bands of connective tissue. A ligament goes from bone to bone and helps to stabilize a joint. A tendon goes from the end of a muscle to bone and helps the muscle produce movement by transferring the force.
When a sprain occurs, one or some of the ligaments are torn. They may tear completely which is a rupture of the ligament, but more commonly just some of the fibers will tear. Over time these tears heal. However, when the ligament repairs it is does not return to exactly how it was. It will have less strength and may be more flexible. This means it is not as good at doing its job as before and hence you are more likely to sprain your ankle again.
After an ankle sprain, something else is affected too… It is called proprioception. Proprioception is your body’s ability to know where it is in space. It plays a large part in balance and hence protecting you from spraining your ankle a second time. This is something that can be improved with specific exercises and training.
There are also changes that occur in your brain when you roll an ankle too. That is why after an ankle sprain you are slightly more likely to sprain your other ankle as well as re-spraining the original one. Therefore it is important to see your physiotherapist soon after an ankle sprain as we can start working on these issues whilst the injured ligaments heal.
You’ve sprained your ankle, what now?
It is vital that you seek medical attention immediately to determine how bad the roll is. If it is bad enough you may have broken bones and this needs to be treated urgently. In some cases, surgery or a moon boot may be required, and it is also important to attend to these ankles urgently.
In most cases, your physiotherapist can tell you how bad your ankle sprain is by doing some simple tests, but we may also recommend that you obtain a scan of the ankle to confirm the damage if it is severe. These extreme scenarios do happen but are rare.
Until you can have your ankle checked and receive further instructions it is best to stay off the leg. Some ankle sprains are not as bad as they appear, and others may be worse than what you think.
Assessments are free at Back In Motion in Mentone so you can come in to have your ankle checked by one of our physios straight away.
Ankle rehabilitation
Unfortunately, after an ankle sprain, you are unable to perform exercises or any treatment to ‘strengthen’ the ligament. It is not like a muscle that can perform exercises and get stronger. However, there are things that you can do to improve its ability to do its job and reduce your chances of rolling the ankle again.
This is done through a series of specific exercises based on how severe the injury was, your current abilities and your long-term goals.
The exercises will also include specific strengthening exercises for the muscles and tendons surrounding the ankle. Now that the ligaments are not quite as good at supporting the ankle as they were, we need to rely on the muscles to do a better job and make up the difference.
A 6-week program designed by your Back In Motion physiotherapist and specific to your individual needs can reduce the likelihood of another ankle sprain by 42%.
The great news is that it’s never too late to rehabilitate your ankle. Earlier intervention is always better, but you can still benefit from a rehab if your ankle sprain was 6 months ago, or if this is the 6th time you’ve done it.
If you have just rolled your ankle or you are sick of continuously rolling them every time you play sport or walk on sand, call us now to book your free assessment or click here to book online.
Author: Amanda (Mandy) Lowe
Director & Principal Physiotherapist