All You Needed to Know About Footballer’s Ankle

Footballer’s ankle is a specific condition of the foot that is accompanied by serious pain. It occurs when soft tissues such as tendons or ligaments of the ankle gets trapped, compressed or pinched between the foot bones talus and tibia. This can result in pain that is further accompanied by swelling and inflammations. The condition is particularly seen in footballers which is why it has derived its name in this way.

Causes of Footballer’s Ankle:

Footballers are often in the habit of bending their legs upwards and kicking excessively as well as stretching their feet in different occasions. This can cause frequent ankle injuries which in turn can cause the ligaments to thicken. Another affect that these injuries can have is that they can lead the ankle bone to hit base of shin bone which can cause a bone lump to appear in this region.

Footballer’s Ankle Symptoms:

Patients of footballer’s ankle frequently experience pain and tenderness around the front portions of the ankle that is even more accelerated when stretching, kicking or bending toes upwards. Often a clicking sensation is also experienced in the ankle area while bending and/or flexing the foot. There can also be a general feeling of weakness in that area as well as an inability to bear weight while carrying out various activities. A palpable bony lump develops on the distal tibia or the superior talus region of the foot. This can occur due to the trapping of a ligament between the bones or a bone spur.

Diagnosis of Footballer’s Ankle:

The doctors will carry out a full medical examination of the affected foot area in order to diagnose footballer’s ankle. He may also recommend various imaging tests such as X-rays, CT scans and MRI scans to rule out the possibility of any further complications or injuries.

Treatment of Footballer’s Ankle

The most common method of treating Footballer’s ankle is surgery. The lump is removed from the ankle by the surgeons who either shaves it off or completely removes the bone spur. This is carried out by creating an incision on either side of bone or pinched ligament. Once the surgery has been successfully completed, rest is necessary for the injury to heal completely. During this time, no activity should be performed by the patient that puts additional pressure on the affected area that can in turn increase pain, cause further injury or even increase the healing period. Foot support tools like crutches and ankle splint is given to the patient to keep the affected area immobilized as well as to prevent bearing heavy weights in that area.
The doctor may also recommend setting plaster casts for some time just to keep the area safe from possible injuries. Once the patient is in the final stages of recovery, he or she can slowly get back to normal life by doing some strengthening exercises that are advised by a foot doctors. These exercises help in improving the strength and flexibility of the area that in turn helps the patient to recuperate faster.