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High Ankle Sprains Are Rare Yet Very Damaging and Every Athlete Should Be Aware of Them

High Ankle Sprains Are Rare Yet Very Damaging and Every Athlete Should Be Aware of Them

We should all be familiar with lateral and medial ankle sprains as we discussed them in previous blogs.  We are now going to talk about the last and least understood form of ankle sprain, also known as the dreaded ‘high ankle sprain.’  These sprains are documented as being between 11 and 17% of all ankle sprains.  They are not too common, but they are very significant.  Proper identification of this type of ankle sprain is vital.  It will need rehabilitation by a trained professional who has experience with this type of sprain.  

Luckily, the explanation and understanding of a high ankle sprain is quite easy.  A high ankle sprain is a syndesmotic sprain that occurs above the lateral ankle.  A syndesmotic sprain involves the ligaments and fascia between bones.  In this case, the tibia and fibula bones above the ankle joint are involved.  In effect, a particular trauma causes the two bones to separate from one another and the ligaments and other tissues between them tear in the process. This leads to a lot of pain and a good amount of dysfunction.

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The Medial Ankle Sprain and What You Need to Know as an Athlete

The Medial Ankle Sprain and What You Need to Know as an Athlete

We previously discussed when we turn our ankle in…now we need to look at when we turn it the other way.

Turning the ankle out does not occur as much as when we turn the ankle in.  In fact,  data show this happens between 5-10% of the time.  We do see a lot more lateral ankle sprains, but we must be aware of medial ankle sprains and what to do with them.  Why are there more lateral ankle sprains?  Simply put, it’s a lot more unstable on the lateral side than the medial side.  On the medial side, we have more ligaments, a larger weight bearing bone, ideally a proper arch, that even if reduced, helps support the medial side.

This begs the question: If it’s so much more stable, how can it turn outward?   Generally speaking, this form of ankle sprain occurs more often when there is contact with another athlete. It also occurs when we are cutting/moving and the foot gets planted in the ground and our body goes across it.  This can flatten out the arch and create a nasty valgus (ankle in, foot turns out) stress.  This creates stress on the inside of the ankle as the body rolls over it, thus causing injury.

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