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SPRAINED
ANKLE
A
sprained ankle occurs when a person goes over on the ankle-joint
further than the tissues can allow. The force required to
sprain an ankle varies with each individual. If two people
went over on their ankles one of them may just rub it better
and carry on forgetting about it very quickly. The other person
may be hobbling around on a stick for a few days with a bad
sprain and a lot of swelling. The first person had loose connective
tissue which was elastic and forgiving of a minor pull. The
second person's connective tissue was much tighter and less
forgiving so that it tore easily even with a slight trauma.
The tighter the connective tissue becomes the less stretchy
and forgiving it is. A person with tight tissue is much more
likely to succumb to injury. When soft tissue is damaged connective
tissue fibres are torn. Fluid leaks from the torn fibres and
causes localised swelling. This works like glue when squeezed
from a tube. The glue tries to repair the damage and in its
enthusiasm sticks everything to everything else. The individual
fibres, which are normally free to glide slightly one on the
other, become stuck together and are irritated by any movement
of the ankle. It is important that the ends of the torn fibres
stick together but not that they stick along their whole length.
TREATMENT
Sprains and strains are not helped by "working through them"
or by exercising and 'keeping it moving'. Resting and keeping
the leg up as much as possible will allow the body to do its
own repair job much quicker than trying to carry on as though
nothing had happened.
Treatment with
Connective
Tissue Manipulation helps to decrease pain, reduce the
swelling, increase range of movement and speed up the healing
process.
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