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ATF Tears
November 11, 2008 |
Whether you’re doing a daily activity or playing an intense sport, an ankle sprain
can happen in an instant.
Dr. Andrew Belis is a foot and ankle surgeon with Lee Memorial Health System. He
says, “Depending on the positioning of your foot will determine which ligament you sprain and obviously the amount of force. So things to look for include the amount
of swelling. black and blue sometimes. Black and blue is more of a sign of a tearing
of the fibers.”
Dr. Belis adds that if you’re still in pain for more than three days after your
sprain it could be a sign of a fracture or torn ligament in your ankle. “A lot of
times everything hurts at first so it’s hard to tell even in the first day or two
with a doctor’s visit but after the second or third day a lot of the pain localizes
to the area of the injury.”
When it comes to ligament or cartilage tears in the ankle, it’s important to focus
on rehabilitation. Proper care and rehab will help prevent future injuries and arthritis.
“We really want to rehabilitate their joints and their tendons so that they’re mostly
strong and that prevents most future problems from happening. All ligaments will
take about four to six weeks to heal ultimately to the point where it’s mostly rehabilitated,”
says Dr. Belis.
Many people tear the anterior talofibular ligament during an ankle sprain. Ligaments
on the outside, inside and top of the ankle can be injured during a sprain. |
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