Dr. Shakti Swaroop

drshaktiswaroop@hotmail.com

Ankle-injuries-are-very-common-in-active-population

Ankle injuries are very common in active population

Ankle injuries are very common in active population. 70% of ankle injuries are twisting injuries and 20% of these twisting injuries lead to chronic instability with pain. These patients are however neglected and fail to receive the right treatment. Most of us take ankle twisting injuries casually however there can be more than 20 causes of persistent ankle pain which can lead to difficulty in daily activities. We routinely deal with ankle injuries and we have had the opportunity to give pain free ankles to our patients.

Persistent chronic ankle pain needs attention if it extends more than 6 weeks from the day of injury. Common problems are pain, swelling and instability which needs attention in these patients. So if you are having pain more than a month after ankle twisting injury or haven’t seen a foot and ankle specialist in time you must get yourself evaluated. Top 3 causes of prolonged pain after twisting injury are

  1. ATFL ligament injury – Anterior Talofibular ligament in ankle which is important for stability. You can put weight but ankle will be painful and may lead to repeated twisting injury.
  2. Osteochondral lesion talus – Cartilage defect in your talus due to impact while twisting which will cause pain when you are climbing or coming down stairs.
  3. Fibula fracture – Fracture of the outer bone in ankle which leads to severe pain and inability to bear weight however diabetic patients may not feel pain due to the damage to there nerves due to high sugar levels.

Best practice is to identify the cause of ankle pain after twisting injury at the earliest so that your diagnosis does not get delayed. With clinical examination and X rays we can diagnose or rule out multiple causes of pain in your ankle. We would encourage you to consult with Foot and Ankle orthopaedic specialists for your pain in ankle or foot after any twisting or injury.