Ankle Sprain

An ankle sprain is a stretch or tear in one or more of the ankle ligaments. Ankle ligaments are slightly elastic bands of tissue that keep the ankle bones in place. Ankles are particularly prone to sprain because of the small size of the joint and the forces exerted when walking, running and jumping, especially if the surface is uneven. Depending on the severity of the injury, an ankle sprain is classified as:

Grade I. The ankle is painful, but there is little ligament damage and little loss of function. Grade II. There is moderate ligament damage, and the ankle joint is somewhat loose. Grade III. One or more ligaments are torn, and the ankle joint is very loose or unstable.

Most sprains happen when the ankle twists suddenly. The most common injuries happen when the foot rolls onto the outside of the ankle, straining the outside ligaments of the ankle joint. These are called inversion injuries. Less common are eversion injuries, which happen when the ankle rolls onto the inside of the joint, stretching the ligaments on the inner side of the ankle.

Symptoms Symptoms of a sprained ankle include:

Ankle pain, tenderness and swelling Ankle bruising or discoloration Trouble moving the ankle Inability to put full weight on the ankle

Diagnosis A health care professional may suspect that you have a sprained ankle based on the history of your injury and your current symptoms. To confirm the diagnosis, he or she will examine your ankle for:

Swelling or deformity Inability to feel someone touching the skin Circulation Discoloration Instability Areas of tenderness Limitation in range of motion Inability to bear weight

Expected Duration How long it takes to heal depends on the severity of the sprain. Grade I sprains usually take one to two weeks to heal completely. Grade II sprains can take up to six weeks. Grade III sprains can take six months or longer to heal completely. On average, count on a two- to four-week healing period for any significant sprain. Treatment The first treatment for an ankle sprain is usually RICE (rest, ice, compression and elevation):

Rest the ankle and stop putting weight on it. Apply ice packs to the sprained ankle for 20- to 30-minute periods every 3 or 4 hours. Apply compression to the injury with an elastic wrap (but do not wrap so tightly that you block circulation and lose feeling in your toes). Elevate the injured ankle by propping up the leg.

For severe sprains, you may need a brace for protection and stability. You may need crutches until you can walk without pain. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can help to control pain and swelling. An orthopedist should evaluate people with Grade II or Grade III sprains. Grade III sprains with complete tears of the ligaments may require surgery to repair the injured ligaments.

Prognosis The degree of recovery depends on the severity of the sprain and the age and health of the patient. Most people recover completely from sprains, especially Grade I and Grade II sprains. However, once a significant sprain occurs, the joint may never be as strong as it was before the injury. With appropriate rehabilitative exercises, some of this lost strength and stability may return.

Read the definition below and taking into account what we have seen in class, write the differences between an ankle fracture, an ankle sprain and an ankle strain: A strain is an injury to muscle or tendon tissue. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Read the text and answer the following questions 1) What are ankle ligaments? 2) Why are ankles particularly prone to sprain? 3) Whats the difference between inversion injuries and eversion injuries? 4) Whats the healing period for any significant sprain? 5) Whats the meaning of RICE? 6) As a professional, what would you recommend to the patient to recover strength and stability? ENGLISH IN USE These are some of the stories of people who participated in a rehabilitating programme. Read them and underline the instances of Simple Past and circle the instances of Present Perfect that appear in the texts. Then, write the infinitive form of the verbs.

I sprained my ankle on Monday and was completely bummed because I was supposed to be flying to Vail for a snowboarding trip later that week and was scheduled to play basketball that Saturday. I thought I had no chance, but gave you program a shot. I wasnt better in one day, but I saw noticeable improvement every day and much to my surprise I was able to snowboard on Friday and play basketball on Saturday, just 5 days after my sprain. I was completely amazed. Thanks for the program.. Louis Chang , San Francisco, CA

Your program is working extremely well. Ive had sprained ankles regularly all my life & have taken months to get over each one. 10 days after this sprain my ankle is almost back to normal size and Im not limping at all. Ive never had such a speedy recovery. Jennifer Reid, Rose Bay, Australia Your ankle program is great. Im very happy I purchased the program. Ive seen very quick results. -Dave Berke Hi Bret, I started physical therapy yesterday..it was ok. I like your program much better, I feel like Im getting results Sangita Kuba The reduction in swelling was amazing. Within 2 cycles (less than 60 minutes) the swelling was virtually gone. My feeling is that this sped up his healing process immensely. Probably cut it in half. The physiology of the program just really makes sense. Jeff Armstead Lic. Ac. , Sharon Academy Soccer Coach, Sharon Vt.

WRITING Write a summary of the whole text in your native language