Chiropractic Treatment Helps Ankle Sprains and Pain In Texarkana
We see people in our Texarkana Clinic with ankle sprains, even though most people only think about seeing a chiropractor for neck pain, headaches, back pain, sciatica, or car crashes.
We have been able to help so many Texarkana residents with many problems not traditionally considered as the primary function of Chiropractic… and helping people with ankle sprains is one of these conditions.
Why are ankle sprains so common and how can chiropractic help?
There are many causes of ankle sprains.
The most frequent is inversion meaning the ankle and foot turn inward. This creates damaging, tearing forces on the ligament on the outside of the ankle.
High ankle sprains also happen which results from injury to the tibiofibular syndesmosis. This intimidating sounding word just means the connective tissue that keeps the 2 lower leg bones connected and together.
Occasionally a fracture of the small bones in the foot or ankle can be mistaken for an ankle sprain.
X-rays can be necessary in some cases to determine.
Most often a good physical exam by a chiropractor can determine if you have a sprain.
How do ankle sprains happen?
This is a common injury in sports when running, sprinting, jumping, and changing direction.
It’s also very common basically anytime our bodies are in motion.
It’s more likely to happen with prior sprains, stiffness, muscle imbalances, and motor control issues.
Once you experience an ankle sprain which is some degree of ligament tearing, it doesn’t heal back to 100% and puts you at risk of future sprains.
Of course there are treatments that help the ankle heal better which is what we do at Hagebusch Chiropractic in Texarkana.
Most ankle sprains are seen by a family doctor or pediatrician.
An article in the American Family Physician talks about how it’s recommended that an ankle sprain be treated from their point of view.
Their advice to family doctors is noted as the numbered points below. This is followed by comments on what works best for ankle sprains and why.
- Use ice for the first 3-7 days to reduce pain and improve recovery time.
COMMENTS: An important side note here is that ice will not generally improve recovery time. It actually slows down the processes your body uses to ‘clean up’ the area and start rebuilding with scar tissue. This is true even though in some cases ice is helpful.
2. Wear a lace up ankle brace or an air brace combined with an elastic compression wrap to reduce swelling and pain, speed recovery, and protect the injured ligaments as they become more mobile.
COMMENTS: This might be necessary in some cases to prevent a very loose ankle from a more severe sprain from continuing to give out on you, especially when active. Reducing movement also can come with a price causing excessive scar tissue and stiffness in the healing joint. This can place the injured ankle at a much greater risk of future injury, as well as reducing sports or athletic performance.
3. Early mobilization speeds healing and reduces pain more effectively than prolonged rest.
COMMENTS: We completely agree with this. The right movement and mobilization improves healing by speeding up recovery and helping the injured ligaments to heal stronger and with reduced stiffness.
This is what we do as a chiropractor. Interestingly the advice in the family doctor article here is in direct conflict with their advice previously about immobilization.
4. Pain relieving options for patients with ankle sprain include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), acetaminophen (tylenol), and mild opioids.
COMMENTS: People may use medication in many cases for pain relief. These drugs will not improve healing and do come with some risk of side effects so obviously this has to be considered.
It should also be noted that pain is there to limit some activities that may cause further injury. If you only suppress this warning signal, you may be more likely to injure it further.
Beyond this, with the ongoing focus on the devastating effects of opiates, it would seem like avoiding use of these medications might be a good idea for most people.
Ankle sprains and chiropractic care
You’re at risk for a sprain if you have prior ankle injuries, poor posture, balance problems, weak muscles, muscular imbalances, nerve problems, neuromuscular control problems, and reduced range of motion.
These are all issues that are in the domain of chiropractic.
These are also issues that are generally not altered in a positive way with medications which are standard medical treatment… even though medications can help various symptoms.
The obvious question is who should you or your child see if you experience a potential ankle sprain or simply wish to reduce the chances of injury…
A family doctor/pediatrician or a chiropractor that works in the realm of neuro-musculoskeletal problems?
Probably an even better question would be chiropractic or physical therapy because both can make a difference.
A research article published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics looked at chiropractic’s role in ankle sprain recovery.
Researchers used individuals between the ages of 18 and 45 who had a history of ankle inversion sprains (the most common ankle sprain) and had ankle pain but had not reinjured the ankle in the previous 6 weeks.
The research subjects were assigned to either a rehabilitation group (physical therapy) or chiropractic adjustments plus rehabilitation (chiropractic treatment).
The chiropractic group had better outcomes at 4 weeks in both pain and joint restriction (range of motion, stiffness).
No undesirable side effects were reported in the chiropractic group demonstrating safety of chiropractic treatment for ankle sprains.
If you’re in the Texarkana area and you or your child is recovering from an ankle injury, give us a call.
We are here to help you recover as quickly and fully as possible!
References
- American College of Sports Medicine. Ankle sprains and the athlete. Retrieved from https://www.acsm.org/docs/current-comments/anklesprainstemp.pdf
- https://www.aafp.org/afp/2012/0615/p1170.html
- Manipulative therapy and rehabilitation for recurrent ankle sprain with functional instability: a short-term, assessor-blind, parallel-group randomized trial. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 38(1), 22-34, doi:10.1016/j.jmpt.2014.10.001. Lubbe, D et al. (2015, January).
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