Ankle Ligaments

skybhoy121

long story short damaged my ankle ligaments in GAA training recently,been to seen by all the necessary professionals(ie.doctors,physio).
Just looking to see if anyone who may have had ankle ligament injuries in the past can give advice on recover/prevention/strenghtening,etc?

UL_heart_throb

very vague there 'ankle injury'

i presume you sprained, grade 2, your AFTL?

skybhoy121

edited for u ul heart throb

jive

Depends on the extent of the injury. Give it more than enough time to recover because the last thing you want to do is do your ligaments in again. I did a lot of plyometric and agility exercises before playing competitively again just to strengthen it, I did these on a track though rather than a pitch in case there were any hidden dips/holes that could cause me to roll on my ankle. Basically make some of the movements as you would in a match so that you strengthen the area again but without the risk of injury through a tackle/impact from someone else. Ligament injuries are a real pain in the tits, mine took ages to get back to near where it was and it's still not completely right but it'll do!

deadlybuzzman

After getting the cast taken off after breaking my ankle and damaging ligaments I got no rehab advice so just used to stand on 1 leg alot.
When it was really weak I just did it while watching telly, standing fairly still. Then as it got stronger I swung my arms and other leg around and when up onto my toes.
Looked a bit mad but to get back playing football all I did was that and then a very small bit of jogging

real stig

Going to the pool is good because you get resistance without weight-bearing. You can also try standing on one leg. When you can do this use a distraction, e.g., use your phone or throw a ball off a wall.
Stand on your toes for 2/3 sets of 10 reps. Another thing you can do is use tera-bands to provide resistance to the movements of you foot (toes pointing towards you head, away from your head, inwards and outwards).
All of these things should only be done when you don't have pain doing them. Hope this helps.

skybhoy121

thanks for all the replies guys,almost better now just have to mind it for a bit

Hardball

Acute Stage:
 RICE principles
Rest: Keep weight of the ankle as much as possible use crutches.
Ice: Ice pack on the ankle for 15 minutes at 30-minute intervals for 3 days depending on the swelling.
Compression: To reduce swelling and keep the joint stable use an elastic bandage
Elevation: To reduce swelling, keep the ankle raised above your heart.
 Work lower leg to  swelling and may also massage sole of foot.

Subacute Stage: (24 hrs onwards)
 MICE principles
Begin weight bearing with ankle support e.g. tubigrip
 Effleurage around ankle to  swelling
 Transverse friction of the lateral ligaments as tolerated
 Alphabetic ROM exercises (trace the capital letters of the alphabet using your big toe as a pointer)
 Stretching  Achilles towel stretch
 Standing calf stretch
 Maintain fitness: stationary bike cycling, swimming

 Strengthening exercises once full ROM returned. With weights the following exercises are undertaken
Ankle lift
Ankle turn
Foot lift (outward)
Foot lift (inward)
Toe raise/ heel drop
Peroneal muscle strengthening
Therabands can be used in strengthening

 Proprioceptive Training
Proprioception training is one of the most important aspects of rehabilitation
One-foot balance as tolerated: Holding onto a stable object stand with the injured foot and the other off the ground  1 minute. Repeat the same with eyes closed and on a wobble board
 Prepare to return to activity
 Progress to sport specific tasks such as running in zigzag patterns, backwards, and figures of eight Intensity levels should increase, as the athlete is able to complete each skill efficiently and without pain. Returning too quickly may result in reinjury more serious than the original sprain, which will take even longer for recovery.
Tape or elastic wrap should be used to support your ankle for 4-6 weeks after starting to exercise again. If you have any history of repeated ankle sprains, exercises and the elastic wrap should be continued indefinitely.