Nothing to Play With

Nicole Witt, Staff Reporter

Three of the most common injuries are bruises, sprains and strains. For athletes, the risk is insurmountably increased. But these can happen to anyone and do happen to everyone. One of the most common sprains occurs in the ankle. A sprain happens when there is a stretching or tearing in one or more ligaments. It could happen by just a simple misstep. Though these injuries typically would not require serious medical treatment. But, there seems to be a longer term affect from these injuries. Most people wipe it off and forget about it once it is healed, but try to think twice.

For walking, people need the use of their ankles. They allow fluid movement. But it can be a quite vulnerable spot. Ankles are not typically as strong as people assume. The most common after effects are having really stretched out ligaments. This allows the ankle to move farther than normal. And once stretched, they do not bounce back to their normal shape and more unstable. Also, because there is a looser connection in the ligament, there is a slower connection to the brain. The brain needs connection to the entire body for coordination and movement. The slower connection to the ankle causes a loss of coordination, therefore, increasing the risk of seeing the injury again.

The injury can also cause a domino effect. After the injury, the ankle can become stiffer. Then the ankle loses more of a range of motion, and the body acts to compensate and potentially cause damage or injury to other parts of the body like legs or hips. The compensating could also cause back problems.

Dr. Tricia Hubbard-Turner of University of North Carolina at Charlotte did a study in which she monitored students who have chronic ankle instability-which results from ankle sprains- and students without injuries. In the results, she found the students with the instability walked a lot less than students without injury. Though the study was a shorter term one, it still showed the effects of the injury. If these can be seen very early after the healing, one could only begin to imagine the affects later in life or just in a longer term.

Even at a considerably young age, sophomore Tara Scott sees the effects of ankle sprains on herself and keeps it in mind for future potential activity.

Scott said, “I feel that after my first sprain, which occurred in about fourth grade, my ankles have never been as strong as they were before the sprain. This weakness has forced me to be careful in the activities that I choose to do because my ankles sprain so easily now.

There are ways to help prevent longer term damage. For those who have not had an ankle injury, the best way to prevent is to build up strength and balance. One can try this by just standing on one foot on flat ground. Some athletes train with a flat foam mat to add difficulty. Otherwise, even if there has been an injury, all hope is not lost. If there is any concern about the state of the injury, see a doctor or physical therapist. They would be able to confirm or diagnose the injury, prescribe a treatment and do rehabilitation.