Injuries On ESPN Headlines

 Professional and collegiate sports are multi-billion dollar industries with annual revenues that are greater than the GDP's of many countries. With that in mind, keeping the athletes that produce those revenues on the field, court, diamond, pitch or whatever ground surface that the sport is played on is paramount to the continued success and growth of those sports. It seems that daily on ESPN.com there are multiple news reports of an injury to an athlete across the spectrum of sporting activities. Whether it's an ankle injury to a basketball player, an elbow injury to a golfer, a knee injury to a football player or a concussion to a hockey player, there is no shortage of medical conditions to be discussed.

 Rehabilitation & Spinal Care of Rockford will be taking one injury/day and discussing it across the spectrum of social media, delving into the mechanism by which the injury occurs, the time frame in which the athlete should recover, treatments and limitations. Some of the information will be new to you, some of it will be interesting, and all of it will be relevant.

Instagram Photo Of Kobe Bryant's
Swollen Left Ankle

 Today, the most notable injury seems to be the sprain/strain to Kobe Bryant's left ankle. Without debating the intent of the play that led to the injury and whether Dahntay Jones intentionally placed his foot underneath Bryant, who was in mid-air attempting a game-tying jump shot, there is no doubt that the left left outer malleolus is swollen. The malleolus is the bone that protrudes from beneath the skin at the ankle region, as it does on the inside as well.

 The injury, termed an inversion sprain because the ankle inverts or turns inward upon landing, is the most common injury to the ankle. Based upon reports on ESPN.com regarding the timetable for Bryant to return to play, it can safely be assumed that the lower part of the fibula was not affected by the injury. In some cases, when the force of the landing is too great, or the bones are too weak, an avulsion fracture of the distal fibula can occur as well. This complicates the time it takes to return to activities, and can, depending on the extent of fracture have to be resolved surgically.

 The most common ligaments injured in these types of injuries include the calcaneofibular ligaments (part of the lateral collateral ligaments of the ankle) and the anterior talofibular ligaments (both seen in the diagram to the right). When these ligaments are injured the recovery time, depending on the extent of the injury can range from 2 weeks to 8 weeks.

 At Rehabilitation & Spinal Care of Rockford, ankle sprains are treated conservatively and effectively by first maintaining range-of-motion (ROM). Maintenance of ROM is essential in the early stages of healing. As a chiropractor, using passive ROM techniques helps to return edema to the lymphatic system. This assists in reduction of swelling. Adjustment of the ankle joints additionally helps to reduce both pain and swelling, while also assisting in increased ROM. Additional techniques utilized to combat the inflammation and pain include acupuncture, electrotherapy, heat, instrument-assisted soft-tissue mobilization, kinesiotaping and cold therapy.

 Lastly, physical therapy is essential for the continued rehabilitation and strengthening of the damaged soft-tissue structures. RASC Rockford has treated many conditions related to ankles and rehabilitated them successfully. If you are struggling with ankle pain, schedule your appointment today.