The Footballer’s Ankle Treatment Methods

Footballer’s Ankle refers to a condition involving swelling and pain in the ankle, caused by impingement of the tendons or ligaments between the bones.

Formation of bone spurs:

Anterior impingement happens due to a bone spur on the shinbone or ankle-bone. A bone spur is a bone lump that grows due to repeated impact, such as when a footballer kicks a football. One of the treatment methods is surgery but a physician will try to mobilize the joint first without surgery. The bone spur that forms begins to impact on the soft tissue. This tissue is at the front part of the ankle and the impact causes the inflammation and leads to pain.

Normal signs of the ailment:

Following this kind of injury symptoms will develop in a slow way, so may not become obvious at first. The common signs for this condition include the following:

• Pain on plantar flexion
• Anterior ankle joint has pain or tenderness
• Distal tibia has palpable bony lump
• Kicking the ball causes pain

As soon as you notice the symptoms, you must take action. Consult your physician and check for remedies. You might have to stop playing football for a while to enhance the healing process.

There are other methods to relieve the pain. One such option involves stretching the muscles. The most popular among these is the massage technique known as the Swedish massage.

Types of surgery:

Surgery for Footballer’s Ankle is of two types. One is the open ankle surgery while the other is the keyhole surgery. The surgeon will find out which one will suit your ailment. You can talk to him before the surgery to decide when you want the surgery done. They perform surgery of the ankle to correct a number of problems. For instance, the impingement may occur at the back of the ankle and surgery may be used to correct this.

The physician may use guided injections to overcome the pain and swelling that is due to the defective alignment of the tissues in the ankle. The steroid injections help to reduce swelling and thereby ease the pain. One may also use sustained pressure to relax the tight areas within the ankle tissues.

Therapeutic methods involve the use of tape to hold the muscle and bone in position. This relieves the pressure on the swollen tissues. The use of tape helps change the muscle firing pattern and also prevents re-injury during the treatment process.