Ankle injuries are often thought of as sports injuries. But you don’t have to be an athlete to turn your ankle and hurt it. Something as simple as walking on an uneven surface can cause a significant injury to your ankle.

Ankle injuries are defined by the kind of tissue – bone, ligament, or tendon that’s damaged

A broken ankle is also known as an ankle “fracture.” This means that one or more of the bones that make up the ankle joint are broken .A fractured ankle can range from a simple break in one bone, which may not stop you from walking, to several fractures, which forces your ankle out of place and may require that you not put weight on it for a few months. Simply put, the more bones that are broken, the more unstable the ankle becomes. There may be ligaments damaged as well. The ligaments of the ankle hold the ankle bones and joint in position – if you suspect you may have broken your ankle it is vital you seek out expert medical advice.

One of the most common injuries is the sprained ankle, often occurring when you roll over on your ankle.  This is an injury to the lateral ligaments of the ankle.  There are 3 primary ligaments that can be injured and the severity of injury depends on whether you have simply sprained or stretched one of the ligaments, or torn one or more of them. A ligament sprain can range from many microscopic tears in the fibers that comprise the ligament to a complete tear or rupture which can be very serious and require intervention, and if you are in any doubt you should contact 360-Physiotherapy for an appointment

Physiotherapy is essential in accelerating a return to full fitness and will often involve use of the following treatments:

• Massage
• Joint mobilisation
• Proprioceptive re-training
• Electrotherapy
• Strength and conditioning training
• Taping