Mobile Ligament Injuries

A sprained ankle ligament occurs when the foot is twisted

severely, usually turning inwards under the leg, either when turning suddenly or landing on uneven ground.

There is often severe pain, immediate swelling and variable amounts of bruising.

If pain on walking or putting weight on the foot persists an X-Ray may be needed to exclude a fracture.

Repeated sprains of the ankles may lead to joint instability and poor balance and co-ordination. Exercises to prevent this should be included in the rehab programme.

Treatment can be provided by contacting us and includes

RICE Regime
Proprioceptive support taping / strapping
Relative rest / reduced activity
Functional Rehab: jumping, turning, ball drills
Balance Board exercises
Calf strengthening
Progressive jogging / running / jumping / kicking

Ankle Sprain

The Anterior Cruciate Ligament is a key stabiliser of the knee joint.

It prevents the knee from bending backwards (hyper-extension) and from bending sideways to the inside too far.

Injury to this ligament is very common in sports that require a lot of pivoting on one leg while changing direction, or where direct contact forces the knee backwards or inwards.

Female athletes are much more at risk of injury when playing or competing at the same level / intensity as their male peers. This is due to the differences in anatomy - the increased inward slope of the thigh bones making females more ‘knock kneed’.

If the ACL is ruptured it leaves the knee unstable and exposes other tissues to increased risk of injury too. It is common to surgically reconstruct the ACL

A long period of Rehabilitation is required afterwards. The rehab period aims to:

Restore normal Range of Movement to the knee
Restore normal strength to the muscles around the knee and throughout the lower limb
Restore good balance and co-ordination during movement
Maximise muscle balance and motor control during sport specific activities

A post operative protocol will have goals the athlete can progress through before progressing to the next phase. Rehab may progress at different rates. Professional players could expect to return to full sports activity within a six month whereas amateurs are likely to be slower - maybe up to 12 months.

The phases of recovery are broadly summarised as:

Recovery of range of movement (ROM), normal muscle activity and control of swelling
Recovery of balance, control and joint position sense
Recovery of functional movement in weightbearing, walking, jogging and running in straight line
Exercise against resistance
Sport specific activities - no contact
Sport Specific activities - full contact

During the early phases of rehab the opportunity may be taken to work on other parts of the body needing attention i.e. upper body strengthening, core stability

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury

Shoulder dislocation is a common traumatic injury which can occur during sporting activity or simply as a result of a fall.

A dislocated shoulder occurs when the head of the arm bone separates from the shoulder blade at the shoulder joint. The shoulder joint has great mobility but consequently little stability and is susceptible to dislocation. A subluxation is a partial dislocation of the shoulder.

There are different types of dislocation

95% are forward - usually caused by a direct blow or a fall backwards or sideways onto an outstretched arm.
Backward dislocations occur due to seizure or by strength imbalance of the rotator cuff muscles.
Downward dislocation is very unlikely (<1%).