Ankle Injuries

People who play sport get hurt! It goes with the territory. Sports that require sudden changes in direction or perhaps physical contact have a high incidence of ankle and knee ligament injuries.

What concerns us at MTM Physiotherapy Glengarry is the recurrent nature of these injuries, especially the ankle.

We often hear the story:

“I’ve done my “dodgy ankle” again. It’s the 2nd … 3rd … or 4th!! time I’ve done it!”

At MTM Physiotherapy Glengarry we have a good understanding of how ankle injuries recover. We can’t fix it quicker than nature intended, but we can help it heal at its optimal rate and we can prevent weakness and poor function in recovery.

Last but not least, we can reduce the likelihood of injury recurrence!

The most important part of the preventive rehab is the PROPRIOCEPTION training.

WHAT IS PROPRIOCEPTION?

Put simply, proprioception is the body’s ability to inherently know what is happening to our joints in terms of movement and position without us having to think about it.

In complicated sporting movement where precise coordination is essential, the function of the proprioception system is vital.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Proprioception receptors are located in the muscles and ligaments around joints. These receptors can sense tension and stretch, and they pass this information to the brain where it is processed. The brain responds by telling the muscles to contract or relax in order to move appropriately to function and protect the joint.

The system is subconscious - it is the body’s natural reflex. However, following injury to the ankle ligaments, the receptors are also damaged, so the brain doesn’t get its normal message and the “reflex” is not what it was. The ankle often feels “weak” or “odd”.

So if there is a deficit, proprioceptive skill is reduced. From a physiotherapist point of view, it leaves you prone to re-injury.

PROPRICEPTION TRAINING

Don’t despair! Proprioception can be trained through specific rehabilitation exercises. It takes effort, but under the guidance of a physiotherapist at MTM Physiotherapy Glengarry, we will help guide you through a rehab regime so that skill improvements compensate for any loss caused by the injury.