Chronic Ankle Instability

21 Jun Chronic Ankle Instability

Chronic Ankle Instability – Orthopedist in Nassau County

If you are an athlete or someone who enjoys recreational sports than you may suffer from chronic ankle instability. Chronic ankle instability is the ongoing giving way to the outer side of the ankle. This giving way usually occurs when you are walking, running, or even standing. It can be debilitating and severely limit activities in many age groups, depending on the severity. With proper care from our orthopedist in Wantagh, we can make sure you understand the best way to treat chronic ankle instability.

Causes

Chronic ankle instability is most commonly as a result of an ankle sprain that did not heal properly. When you sprain your ankle the connective ligaments are stretched or torn. Without taking the correct steps with rehabilitation to strengthen and retrain the tissues, it causes the muscle to become weakened, affecting balance. This can also lead to future repeated ankle sprains.

Symptoms

If you are suffering from chronic ankle instability then you may experience a serious of symptoms:

• Persistent pain
• Recurring moments of your ankle giving way
• Frequent sprains
• Swelling or discomfort
• Unstable or wobbly feeling of the ankle

If you have any of these symptoms, contact our orthopedist in Wantagh so we can come up with a treatment plan to help you.

Treatments

Treatment will vary depending on the examination and the severity of your instability, as well as your level of activity. Common treatment practice includes

• Physical therapy – This is used to improve balance and range of motion while retraining your muscles to strengthen the ligaments. If you are an athlete our orthopedist in Wantagh will also make sure you are receiving training that relates to your specific sport as well.
• Brace – An ankle brace is provided to provide support for your ankle and prevent it from turning. This is also used as a preventative method to prevent future sprains.
• Medication – Over the counter drugs such as ibuprofen may be prescribed to manage pain.

In more severe cases surgery may be necessary if you are not responding to nonsurgical approaches. Our orthopedist in Wantagh offers External Fixation to help maintain alignment. We offer the best orthopedic treatment and can make sure that if you do need surgery we can help you. The External Fixation process includes putting a device on the outside region of your ankle. Pins are then placed through the skin and muscle to secure the bone. This method requires proper care of the pin sites to prevent infection.

Contact us today so we can help feel more secure by getting the proper treatment.