Stretching of the ankle joint: causes, symptoms and treatments

Stretching the ankle joint is a fairly common injury, especially among people involved in sports. This condition is accompanied by a damage, and sometimes a rupture of tendons. How dangerous can injury be and what treatments are used by modern medicine?

The main causes of damage

As already mentioned, stretching the ankle ligament is a common problem among athletes. Often, damage to the tendon is the result of sharp podtitytyvaniya foot inside or out. This happens, for example, when walking on uneven or slippery surfaces (most often in the winter season), as well as when wearing uncomfortable shoes with high heels. Sometimes the cause is a sharp blow, which causes the foot to bend unnaturally.

On the other hand, there are some risk groups. It is proved that people with a high arch of the foot are more prone to this type of injury. In addition, the negative factors include congenital or acquired weakness of ligaments and some diseases that affect the muscle fibers.

What are the main symptoms of stretching?

The main signs of injury depend primarily on the degree of damage. A slight stretching of the ankle ligament, which is accompanied only by microdamages of the tissues, responds with pain and discomfort during walking. If there is a partial rupture of the ligaments, the symptoms are already more noticeable - the patient complains of stiffness and severe pains, which occur even with the slightest movement. Often, tissues in the joint area greatly swell.

The rupture of the tendons has the most striking clinical picture, it can be seen on radiographic shots. The pain becomes so intense that a person can not walk. In the area of trauma, a strong persistent edema develops, and the skin turns red and becomes hot to the touch.

How dangerous is the injury?

Breaking or stretching the ankle ligament in the absence of skilled care can lead to a mass of complications. An ankle joint with damaged tendons becomes extremely unstable, which is accompanied by an increased predisposition to such traumas, even with the slightest physical activity. Complications include stiffness of movements. In addition, the unstable joint often leads to a gradual destruction of muscle and bone tissue.

Sprain of the ankle: What to treat?

With such an injury, it is best to consult a doctor, since only a specialist can determine the severity of the damage. Easy stretching can be treated at home - you need to put a tight bandage on your leg, which will limit movement and prevent the formation of swelling. The first 2-4 days are recommended bed rest with minimal amount of physical activity.

Partial ligament ruptures are accompanied by more severe symptoms. Therefore here, in addition to a tight tourniquet and complete rest, anesthesia is required. Effective is an ointment from the sprain of the ankle, which contains not only analgesics, but also anti-inflammatory components. Examples include Indomethacin, Diclofenac, Ibuprofen.

A complete rupture of the tissues requires a longer treatment. For anesthesia, intramuscular injections of novocaine are given. In such cases, the usual bandage is not enough, so the doctor applies a cast to completely immobilize the joint. After two weeks, you can begin special training, which must necessarily take place under the supervision of a specialist. Therapeutic gymnastics is an important component of therapy, as it allows you to slowly restore the mobility of muscles and tendons.