Do you play basketball?

Ankle Injury

Ankle injuries are common in basketball players. A sprained ankle may seem like nothing at first, but it can cause significant problems. In Basketball, players over half the time missed due to injury is because of ankle injuries.

What is it?

Your ankle joint is made up of bones; tibia, fibula and talus, and ligaments; lateral and medial, Inversion injuries or ‘rolling your ankle’,

(where you fall onto the outside (lateral) of our foot) are far more common than eversion injuries, where you fall on inside (medial) of your foot. Inversion injuries may result in the lateral ligaments of your ankle becoming damaged or torn.

What can we do?

Ankle injuries often swell and bruise. Therefore the immediate treatment of RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation). It is also important to apply the principles of no HARM (which is no Heat, Alcohol, Running or Massage) in the first 24-48 hours.

Depending on severity of the injury there may be a period of time on crutches. But hopefully not! The aim is then encourage the joints to move properly and to strengthen the muscles around the joint as soon as the pain allows.

Prevention

It is important to prevent ankle injuries because recreation basketball players with a history of ankle injury are 5 times more likely to hurt their ankle again. To help prevent ankle injury you can wear correct shoes, ensure stretch and warm up appropriately before training or playing, tape or a brace.

Stiff ankles are poor landing technique also increase your risk for ankle injury. This can be picked up by your physiotherapist in a screening review.

Ankle braces and taping

Not everyone need to wear ankle braces or tape there ankles. There is an indication that ankle taping or bracing can decrease the risk of re-injuring in those of you that have a history of ankle injuries. We can help teach you the best techniques to safely tape your ankle or provide you the ankle braces required.

Conclusion

Ankle injuries are painful and frustrating because they cause you to miss games, not only for McKinnon but at school too. Prevention is just as important as treatment and the team at Physiosports Brighton are available for screenings and treatment to help manage your ankle injuries.