Ankle Pain

Ankle joint is part of one of the 2 pillars on which we stand. It is made of bones-Lower end Tibia Fibula and Talus, multiple Ligaments(Tie beams) on the inner and outer side of Ankle.

An Ankle injury can be due to something as subtle as a missed step on stairs, slip in bathroom or walking on uneven surface, twisting injury due to fall in a small pit or can be due to a major incident like a road traffic accident, fall from height, contact sports injuries like in Football, kabaddi. And many more like these.

Ankle sprain is the commonest injury.
Bones in the Ankle joint are tied together by Ligaments which provide stability to the joint.
In a sprain one or more of these ligaments get injured and trigger symptoms like Pain, swelling and unable to walk.
Next will be Ankle fracture involving the bones- commonly Medial and lateral Malleoli, this is a more serious injury and needs immediate attention.
Other injurues include fracture of other bones in the foot.

Ankle injuries are most neglected, patients tend to seek medical attention after a period of time lapse and have tried over the counter Medicine at times.
Any injury to the Ankle should first be treated by clinical examination, X rays wherever needed and bony injury ruled out and have to be Immediately immobilised in a Plaster cast/slab for a minimum of 1 week period and advised for Rest as in not putting weight on that leg and limb elevation.
This allows the Ligaments to rest and heal optimally.
Due to various reasons, patient personal or professional reasons or surgeon downplaying the severity will lead to a prolonged painful course and tend to remain painful albeit lesser than intial period and at time may even turn a simple sprain into a Tear of the ligament leading to Ankle instability.

R- rest to the foot, do not walk or put weight on the injured leg
I- apply Icepack to the injured or painful part
Visit your Orthopedician for clinical and if need be a radiographic evaluation
C- Compression/Immobilisation in a rigid POP slab
E- elevate thumb over 1 or 2 pillows and keep moving your toes

Duration of Immobilisation depends on the type of injury.
For a suspected sprain or ligament injury it will be 2 weeks of Immobilisation and reassess for stability after 2 weeks
For an Undisplaced fracture it will be 6 weeks
For a displaced fracture- needs surgery and Immobilisation for 6 weeks

It needs further investigation in the form of MRI to look for any ligament tear.

ATFL is the commonest ligament tear noted in Ankle. If there is a Tear of this ligament on MRI and the patient on clinical examination has instability it needs repair in the form of Arthroscopic surgery.

A well executed surgery, post op adequate rest and a supervised rehab protocol will definitely make you normal.