Fracturing your ankle does not mean you have to put your life on hold. It is an extremely common injury In the United States for all ages. Over the last few years though, there has been an increased boom in the number of ankle fracture cases, caused in part by a more active older generation. If you are concerned that you might have sustained an ankle fracture, or have any of the symptoms/pain of a possible injury, contact Block Sports Chiropractic & Physical Therapy at our Selden or Smithtown location to schedule an appointment.
What is an ankle fracture?
Ankle fractures can develop through any sort of unnatural movement or incident involving the ankle. Most commonly, fractures are caused by rolling your ankle too far in either direction (inward or outward). When this occurs, the small-sized bones in your ankle may begin to break due to added stress. Ligaments can also be torn during the injury. This can be caused by landing poorly, missing a stair on a staircase, or simply stepping wrong while walking. In the summertime ankle fracture cases exist due to injuries sustained by outdoor sports or slipping on water at the pool, opposite to slipping on ice in the wintertime but with the same result.
Common symptoms of an ankle fracture include:
- Swelling
- Pain and tenderness at the source of the injury
- Difficulty in walking
- Bruising
How can physical therapy help?
When dealing with an ankle fracture, physical therapy is paramount to recovery. An ankle fracture takes weeks to heal properly, and only if it is provided the proper process to do so. If your injury is left untreated to become more injured (or is severe enough from the start) you might even be forced to partake in a surgical procedure to reposition your bone fragments back in place, which involves the high possibility of screws, metal plates, and rods placed into your ankle to assist in healing. It could take 4-8 weeks for the bones/ligaments to heal fully and several months following to regain full use of your ankle. Should you require surgery, that time period expands exponentially.
Block Sports Chiropractic & Physical Therapy will diagnose your injury by completing a thorough physical examination and work with you to build a treatment schedule that works best for your healing process. As with many bone or joint injuries, you will need to carefully build back up the strength of your injury site without further aggravation. Our physical therapy treatments will help to restore motor function and improve mobility. Additionally, physical therapy can reduce the amount of pain experienced during healing. In general, the goal of physical therapy is to prevent any physical limitations from remaining afterward, so you can get back on your feet with no complications.
