It’s often the problems we don’t think are too major, which turn out to be serious pains in the neck at a later date. In this case, we would be talking about a pain in the ankle, due to a previous ankle sprain which was never treated at the time.
The fact of the matter is that an ankle sprain is ridiculously easy to do, and at the time it can also be ridiculously painful. It won’t just be your pride that is bruised after taking a tumble or slipping, and if you don’t seek help then you could find you are a victim of problems in the future, possibly even causing misalignment and poor gait.
It has been estimated that around 55% of people who suffer an ankle sprain don’t seek treatment, and that’s a huge amount. Maybe we need to change our attitude towards such an injury, to ensure future problems don’t creep in. On top of this, it has been said that around 75% of those who suffer an ankle sprain do go on to have a further sprain in the future, or develop problems which are ongoing, associated with the initial sprain.
Despite this rather bleak picture, here at Balance Chiropractic we are dedicated to helping correct this problem, offering highly effective chiropractic treatment to help iron out any problems, through gentle manual manipulation to the area, with exercises to continue at home. Epping chiropractor, Dr Gus Gunther, is highly skilled and trained in helping with this kind of problem through chiropractic methods, and can certainly give valuable help and advice, all on an individual, person to person basis.
There are three main types of ankle sprain we are dealing with, minor, moderate, and severe. The most severe type of ankle sprain is obviously the most painful and most problematic, which is usually due to a complete tear of the ankle ligament. This is the type of sprain which is most likely to result in further injury in the future, if treatment isn’t sought. Of course, you can go back down the scale to a minor sprain, which is still painful, usually accompanied by swelling, and pain on walking. This usually settles in time, but again, this depends on how effective the healing process is, and how much you rest and take heed of advice.
The main causes of ankle sprains are being overweight, which can mean you’re more likely to sprain your ankle as a result of your ankle joint bearing too much weight, having had a previous sprain which has led to weakness, wearing high heeled shoes, a sporting injury which requires fast movement from side to side, or turning, and uneven surfaces.
If you do suffer from an ankle sprain, then the best immediate course of action is to use an ice pack for around twenty minutes at a time, in order to reduce pain and swelling. If the problem persists then seek help to avoid problems in the future.
If you have regularly suffered from ankle sprains or the problems resulting from it, then call the practice now on (02) 9868 2509 to arrange an appointment. Here at Balance Chiropractic we can certainly help give treatment and advice to help you a) avoid future sprains, and b) help correct the problems caused by previous ones.
