Ankle Sprains, Causes, and What To Do about Them.
I’ve recently taken to going on regular hikes for my own physical fitness. My favorite trail is the Sonoma Overlook trail where you can hike a couple of miles to the top of a hill that overlooks the whole valley in which the town of Sonoma lays. I like it because it is a hike that is convenient to where I live, it is about an hour duration to go up and come back down, and because it is nice and steep.
Along with steep grades comes rolled ankles. I’ve discovered that when I walk down the grade through the graveyard part of the trail that I tend to roll my left ankle. I never sprain it; I always catch myself in time, but it is not okay that I have this happen several times per hike.
I’m not alone. In my clinic, I examine a lot of sloppy ankles. Most of the people who come to see me have some sort of slop in the ankle joint, misalignment of the ankle joint, or even scar tissue from old sprained ankles. Look closely at this picture.
Underneath the tibia and fibula, the leg bones, is a bone called the talus, the ankle bone. The talus is the only structural bone in the body that doesn’t have a muscle attachment to it that directly helps its misalignment. Instead, the talus relys on its interlocking relationship with the other bones around it.
The talus ankle bone also relies on good proprioception. Proprioception is your body’s feedback system. Proproiception describes your body’s and your brain’s understanding of where the body is in space. A recent New York Times article describes the importance of keeping good proprioception. Check out the video they posted there for good exercise tips.
There’s another thing you can do for sloppy ankles with poor proprioception. There are a number of chiropractic adjustments to the foot and ankle, even the knee that can help re-align the foot, ankle, knee, and pelvis for good alignment and muscle control.
If you need further help with your chronically sprained ankle, we would love to be on your team. Give our office a call at 575-8988 to schedule an appointment to get your ankles checked out.
Todd Lloyd, DC
Edit: If you watch the video linked to the NYTimes page, you’ll see some of the tools that they use to rehab the ankle. Here are some useful links:
Really great info!