The game of badminton cannot be ignored! How should an ankle sprain be treated?

Overview of ankle sprains

In process of playing with ball, in process of fast movement, due to panic or a barely caught ball, steps go in wrong direction, which can easily lead to hallux valgus or ankle curvature inward and ligament injury.

The feet are "second heart" of human body and an important gateway for blood circulation throughout body. Soft and elastic ankles allow venous blood returning to heart to pass unhindered. Injured, aging, and stiff ankles can cause blood stasis and, in severe cases, can cause conditions such as high blood pressure. Ankle protection is very important.

Causes of an ankle sprain

1. Active injury

Step on a hole or rock

Run on uneven ground

Slip or fall on wet ground

Contact injuries during sports

Movement, especially turning and rolling of foot, is a major cause of ankle sprains. In activities that involve explosive side-to-side movement, such as badminton, tennis, or basketball, there is a high risk of sprains.

Ankle sprains are usually caused by excessive stress on ankle ligaments. This can be caused by excessive external rotation, tipping or eversion caused by an external force. When foot is out of its range of motion, excessive stress can damage ligaments.

2. Muscle imbalance

The lack of elasticity and flexibility of muscles prevents movement of joints. Example: If calf muscles are very tight, this can affect stability and mobility of ankle joint. Physical activity, such as running in this condition, can lead to an ankle sprain. Sometimes even lack of a warm-up and stretching can be cause of muscle imbalance.

3. Lack of postural control

Postural control is defined as act of maintaining, achieving, or restoring a state of balance during any posture or activity. This helps maintain a supportive plane of balance, allowing neutrality to work on center of body. The center of gravity of whole body is located at one point of body (at lower end of spine)

As shown in figure, during exercise, sudden movements of body or external forces, such as pushing, can affect your balance. If you lack posture control, you can lose your balance and injure your ankle.

The following factors may increase risk of an ankle sprain:

1. Weakness in muscles/tendons of ankle joint, especially calf muscles that cross outside or sides of ankle joint (i.e. peroneus muscle or peroneal muscle);

2. Insufficient joint proprioception (i.e. sense of joint position)

3. Slow response of neurons to nerve imbalance

4. Wear shoes with insufficient heel support. Due to weak position of ankle joint, heel is raised and there is less support. (e.g. women in unstable high heels)

Symptoms and signs of an ankle sprain

01 tumor

Increased interstitial fluid due to inflammation and soft tissue damage

02 Pain

Depending on severity of injury and structural changes, intensity of pain varies.

03 Redness, swelling and soreness

Areas causing increased blood flow

04 Ankle instability

Weakness and difficulty supporting affected ankle

05 deformation

In severe injuries, bones can shift, deforming ankle joint.

Rehabilitation and recovery

There are many different rehabilitation exercises that can be performed with an ankle sprain, regardless of severity of injury. The goal of rehabilitation is to restore strength and flexibility of ankle joint.

Rest

Stop exercising immediately after an injury and find a place to rest to prevent aggravation or re-injury of injured tissue to clot blood and reduce amount of bleeding.

Ice pack

Ice application may reduce swelling of injured tissue and reduce pain to some extent, but by no means, longer application of ice, better. As a rule, one ice compress is suitable for 15-20 minutes with an interval of at least 2 hours between two applications. Prolonged cold stimulation paralyzes local nerves and impairs pain perception. Elderly people who are insensitive to skin can cause frostbite. What if I don’t have standing ice cubes at home, don’t worry, ice pack problem will be solved in 3 steps!

Compression

It can be combined with an ice compress, directly tie an ice pack to affected area, and apply little force when bandaging. After applying ice, it is still recommended to use elastic bandages, protective gear or bandages for pressure and protection.

Height

Elevate affected limb at least above level of heart to speed up return of blood and lymph, and this can be done simultaneously with ice packs and pressure. Extremity edema can delay tissue healing and reduce swelling of affected extremities by reducing interstitial fluid exudation and blood supply to lower extremities.

Tips

1; Ice cubes should not be applied directly to damaged area, and ice cubes can be wrapped in a towel before treatment; if no ice cubes are available, a cold towel can be used instead.

2; Before lifting affected limb, pay attention to injury check and note presence of a fracture.

Rehabilitation

  1. Standing on one leg: stability training 30-60 seconds / 3 sets.
  2. Seated Hook Feet: Hook Foot Workout 15-20 reps/3 groups.
  1. 3. Seated workout and foot stretch 15-20 reps/3 groups

4. Seated ankle inversion: inversion training 15-20 times/3 groups

5. Seated ankle valgus: valgus training 15-20 times/3 groups

Note. If you experience pain or discomfort while exercising, stop exercising.

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September 05, 2023