Simply put, ligaments are dense, fibrous tissue that connects bones together within your body. For instance, when we’re specifically talking about the ankle, ligaments connect the lower part of your fibula and tibia (your major leg bones), to the talus bone in your foot.
The ligaments within the ankle are grouped into two different categories, the lateral collateral ligaments and the medial collateral ligaments. The lateral collateral ligaments include the anterior talofibular ligament, posterior talocalcaneal ligament, talocalcaneal ligament, calcaneofibular ligament and the posterior talofibular ligament.
The medial collateral ligaments, also known as the deltoid ligament, include the tibionavicular ligament, anterior talotibial ligament, calcaneotibial ligament, and the posterior talotibial ligament.
While the names and locations of each individual ligament get fairly complex, their main job is to limit the amount of excessive movement within the joint. While they do their best, the ligaments in the ankle joint are fairly susceptible to injury, due to the subtalar joint, which allows inversion and eversion movement of the ankle.
Sprained Ankle Ligaments
When this type of movement is forced by a sudden movement, or pushed too far, the corresponding ligaments on either side of the ankle become stretched or damaged, resulting in what we commonly refer to as a sprained ankle.
Once these ligaments have been injured, proper care and treatment is needed to care for your initial symptoms, retrain your balance, and also re-strengthen the affected ligaments and supporting muscle.
Without it, you’re in for a long, slow recovery, that can take weeks, or even months – plus you’ll also be much more susceptible to re-injury in the future if you don’t take a proactive approach to your overall rehabilitation.
Sprained Ankle Ligament Assessment, Treatment and Recovery
Before you can get started with your rehabilitation, an initial assessment is a vital part of the process. Once you better understand your injury – and the symptoms you’ll be dealing with – you can put the right techniques and strategies to use to alleviate initial swelling, introduce range-of-motion and stretching exercises, and also re-train your balance and strength to dramatically prevent future injury.
Now, if you have any doubt about your injury, it’s always best to visit a doctor before starting any kind of rehab. Any type of fracture can complicate the process greatly. The rehabilitation process should only begin once you’ve been cleared for recovery.
We’ve spent hundreds of hours developing an at-home sprained ankle rehab program known as ACT – which stands for active, corrective, therapy. By utilizing the most effective techniques, strategies, and exercises, most of our clients have been up and walking normally again within the same week.
The program begins by taking you through initial treatment, which is an important part of your overall recovery. From there, dynamic stretching, balancing, range-of-motion movements, and a few other unique techniques are incorporated to speed up your recovery, and get you back to yourself again as quickly as possible.
To learn more about ACT, get started with your free online consultation by clicking here. If you’re tired of missing out on your favorite events and activities, make sure to get started with your free consultation right away. It’ll help you assess your injury, and also give you a full overview of everything that’s included within the ACT rehabilitation program.
