Ankle Ligament Surgery
Why Should You Have Ankle Ligament Surgery
Ankle ligament surgery is a last resort to repair ankle sprains. The most common ankle injury is a sprained ankle, and the most common cause of chronic ankle pain is repeated ankle sprain injuries. Ankle sprains are basically a stretching of the ligaments of the ankle. Most commonly, the ankle rolls over onto the outside, called an inversion sprain. Sometimes the sprain is so severe that the ligaments are actually torn and permanently damaged.
Ankle sprains are caused by many activities. In sports or play, it often happens when the person jumps and then lands on someone else’s foot. Walking on uneven surfaces, stepping into a hole while running on grass, and twisting of the foot and ankle can also cause ankle sprains.
Overweight people will suffer ankle sprains at the slightest misstep due to the added pressure on the joints. Other factors that will make someone more likely to get sprained ankles include poor rehabilitation and healing from previous sprained ankles and weak muscles.
Ankle sprains are classified based on their severity. A first degree ankle sprain involves mild stretching of the ligament. A person with this grade of sprain will still be able to walk, although it will hurt. There will be some swelling and joint stiffness. It will heal fairly quickly.
A second degree ankle sprain will result in more instability of the joint. Weight bearing will be very painful, but possible. There will be distinctive swelling and stiffness of the ankle. In this degree of ankle sprain, there is more severe stretching of the ligaments and possibly ligament tears.
The worst ankle sprain is a third degree sprain. This type of sprain includes a total rupture of the ligaments and there is complete loss of motion. The joint is completely unstable and there is a loss of function of the joint. There is severe pain and swelling. Sometimes severe pain will be followed by little pain.
In all cases, initial treatment is the same. For most ligament and muscular injuries, the rule of R.I.C.E. should be followed. R.I.C.E. stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. Rest means that you should stay off of your ankle and not bear weight on it. Ice and compression will help to prevent and reduce swelling. Wrapping the ankle tightly will also help to immobilize it. Elevate the ankle above the heart for at least 48 hours after the injury.
Second and third degree sprains will most likely require more treatment. Splints to immobilize and stabilize the joint are often recommended in addition to anti inflammatory medications. It is for these more severe injuries that ankle ligament surgery is potentially required. Ankle ligament surgery is done to repair the ruptured ligaments, hopefully permanently.
The surgery is usually done on an outpatient basis, but if there are risks of complications, it may be done as an inpatient procedure. The most important thing to remember is to follow your doctor’s orders following the surgery. It is important to properly rehabilitate the ankle, but a period of rest may be required for the repaired ligaments to heal. Following the healing, it will be important to regain the full range of motion in the joint, as well as to strengthen the muscles for long term joint stability.
You will most likely eventually be directed to work with a physical therapist. It will be important to keep all of your appointments with the therapist. The biggest mistake people recovering from an injury or surgery make is to not do all of the exercises that they are asked to do. Each exercise is meant to strengthen a different part of the instable joint and they all need to be done in order to achieve complete recovery.