You’d love to be more active and move around on your feet, but you have a wonky ankle that’s far from reliable. It’s weak, prone to giving out without warning, and, worse still, it’s painful.
The odds are good that you’re dealing with chronic ankle instability, which typically starts with an ankle sprain that eventually leads to recurrent sprains. In fact, up to 40% of ankle sprains go on to become a chronic problem.
At our orthopedic practice, board-certified surgeon Dr. William Schell routinely helps patients who are struggling with repeated ankle sprains thanks to chronic ankle instability, and here’s what we want you to know.
Ankle sprains are one of the most common musculoskeletal injuries, and each year in the United States, about 2 million people sprain an ankle, though this number is likely low due to underreporting.
When we use the word sprain, it means that ligaments are involved, and in this case, it’s usually the lateral ligaments on the outside of your ankle. Ligaments are tough connective tissues that attach bone to bone.
Different grades of ankle sprains encompass everything from partial tearing to full rupture of the tissues.
No matter the degree of the initial sprain, any damage to these ligaments sets the stage for recurrent ankle sprains and chronic instability if the original injury doesn't heal properly.
One of the more frustrating aspects of chronic ankle instability is that it creates a destructive loop. Thanks to the original sprain, your ligaments are stretched out and unable to support your ankle well, which lays the groundwork for more sprains. In fact, first ankle sprains are behind about 61% of recurrent sprains.
So, each time you sprain your ankle, more damage piles up, and your ligaments stretch out further, only increasing your chances for another sprain down the road.
If you’ve developed chronic ankle instability and you’re constantly under threat of subsequent sprains, we can approach this issue in one of three ways:
First, we will try targeted ankle exercises to increase the muscle support in your ankles to take the pressure off your ligaments.
As you do your exercises, we will likely recommend that you wear a brace to support your weaker ankle. We also want you to modify your activities — less jumping and twisting for a little while.
If conservative efforts fail, Dr Schell can go in surgically to tighten the ligaments in your ankle to re-establish support in the joint.
The best way to figure out how to manage your chronic ankle instability is to come see our team for a full evaluation. Sooner is better as this problem can quickly grow.
To get started, we invite you to contact Dr. Schell and our team at our New York City office — located on Columbus Circle on the Upper West Side — at 646-381-2646 to set up an appointment. You can also message us by clicking here.
