Podiatrist - Scottsdale
South Scottsdale Office
North Scottsdale Office
Ankle sprains are one of the most common sports injury that I see in my offices located in both my North Scottsdale and South Scottsdale. There is a high chance that you or someone you know has probably experienced the agony of a bad sprain. Only those with the experience can tell you what it feels like to have an ankle sprain. In America, some sports with the highest number of ankle sprain occurrence include basketball, football, volleyball, and soccer. It is hard to believe that the friendly sport of volleyball has such high rates of ankle sprains. In fact volleyball has higher rates or ankle sprains than some more strenuous and dangerous sports like lacrosse.
In the college realm, recently, you may have heard that Paige Weber, a well-known volleyball player for the University of Arizona's Wildcats twisted her ankle just days leading up to a big match. The significance of this news, other than the fact that it occurred just days prior to the Wildcats match vs. ASU's Sundevils, was how quickly this athlete was able to get back on the volleyball court. Paige was able to compete in the match just 3 days following her injury. Luckily, or unluckily for Sundevils fans, the Wildcats overcame their handicap to defeat the Sundevils.
Volleyball is a non-contact sport and doesn't involve running around, but this doesn't mean you are completely safe from an ankle injury. In fact, volleyball is one sport where injuries occur more often in practice. What you may not realize is that volleyball involves a lot of jumping action, which is when sprains are most likely to occur. When a volleyball player, or any other athlete lands from their jump on the outside of their foot, there is a stress force exerted on that ankle's ligaments and could cause them to break. This is known as the typical "rolling the ankle" phenomenon.
One of the most concerning facts about ankle sprains is the lack of a full recovery. As the pain and swelling go down, athletes start to think that they are ready to pick up the same sport at full speed again and this may have been the case for Weber at the match. For this reason, the re-occurrence rates of ankle sprains is not surprising, but concerning for sure.
In order to bring an ankle back to full recovery to minimize the chances of re-occurrence, proper treatment as well as proper rehabilitation is a must. I usually encourage my patients to pick up the signs of possible ankle sprain, such as the characteristic swelling and bruising around the ankle and sometimes bruising down the foot. At this point, with the pain and swelling you will know to stop activity immediately and see a physician. After a sprain, I usually provide my patients with proper dressing to immobilize their ankle and minimize swelling and even put them in a walking boot. I always recommend "RICE" ( Rest Ice Compression and Elevation) for injuries. I'll be sure to advice them through procedures required for a full recovery of the ankle to be able to compete at 100% onceagain.