Dr. Dana Waters a podiatrist in Hillsborough and Piscataway, NJ explains how to treat ankle sprains at home. There are different treatments you can do at home, but if the pain persists you need to see a podiatrist.
Showing posts with label ankle fractures. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ankle fractures. Show all posts
Monday, August 20, 2012
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Is Brett Favre’s Ankle Serious
The reason Favre is so enjoyable to watch is because you never know what is coming next. No one could have predicted the scene at Lambeau as the Green Bay Packers defeated their rival and hero, the Vikings with Bret Favre. Are you really a Hero when you play through injuries and avoid medical attention during a game?
I have read many articles trying to decipher this ankle injury, but the reports are vague only stating Favre suffers from two minor ankle fractures including a stress fracture and an avulsion fracture. I have also read a report that discusses a so called “heel” problems or injury. The reports say neither injury is severe and surgery is not necessary and the Vikings star is not practicing and resting in a controlled ankle motion boot (CAM Walker). Whether Favre will play on Sunday is still unknown.
I cannot predict or diagnose an injury without seeing them physically but here is what I know about Favre’s recovery time. Bone takes about 6 weeks to regain adequate strength after it breaks. Stress fractures heal faster since they are only hairline defects but still require a significant time of rest and decreased activity. Most stress fractures are secondary to overuse over time and not the result of a blunt trauma. Avulsion fractures result when ligaments or tendons pull off a piece of bone during a traumatic event. This injury most certainly happened after Favre was tackled. These injuries do not always need surgery, but they do require time to heal.
I find it interesting we nearly praise someone for playing through pain and injury when infarct they are only hurting themselves and their team. Ignoring an injury that is visibly impairing you can be very dangerous. I worry that many young men athletes think Favre’s actions are heroic. High school football injuries are getting a lot of attention this year. Many are suffering from damaging concussions and few have even died during a high school football game. Favre may be sending the wrong message to these young athletes. Your body does have a limit and ignoring a painful limp does not make you superhuman. It is after all just a game.
The future hall of famer, the Green Bay legend and the greatest quarterback of all time will always be remembered as a man who redefined the odds of the game and was at times above the game.
Today, we wonder if Childress and Favre are reading comic books or pretending to be Superman. You can’t play football with a broken ankle, a heel problem and tendonitis in your throwing arm. Well, Favre probably can but will he be any good? Favre has proven everything he possibly could on the field, now it is time to prove he can sit the bench. Not even Favre can go beyond his body’s limits.
I have read many articles trying to decipher this ankle injury, but the reports are vague only stating Favre suffers from two minor ankle fractures including a stress fracture and an avulsion fracture. I have also read a report that discusses a so called “heel” problems or injury. The reports say neither injury is severe and surgery is not necessary and the Vikings star is not practicing and resting in a controlled ankle motion boot (CAM Walker). Whether Favre will play on Sunday is still unknown.
I cannot predict or diagnose an injury without seeing them physically but here is what I know about Favre’s recovery time. Bone takes about 6 weeks to regain adequate strength after it breaks. Stress fractures heal faster since they are only hairline defects but still require a significant time of rest and decreased activity. Most stress fractures are secondary to overuse over time and not the result of a blunt trauma. Avulsion fractures result when ligaments or tendons pull off a piece of bone during a traumatic event. This injury most certainly happened after Favre was tackled. These injuries do not always need surgery, but they do require time to heal.
I find it interesting we nearly praise someone for playing through pain and injury when infarct they are only hurting themselves and their team. Ignoring an injury that is visibly impairing you can be very dangerous. I worry that many young men athletes think Favre’s actions are heroic. High school football injuries are getting a lot of attention this year. Many are suffering from damaging concussions and few have even died during a high school football game. Favre may be sending the wrong message to these young athletes. Your body does have a limit and ignoring a painful limp does not make you superhuman. It is after all just a game.
The future hall of famer, the Green Bay legend and the greatest quarterback of all time will always be remembered as a man who redefined the odds of the game and was at times above the game.
Today, we wonder if Childress and Favre are reading comic books or pretending to be Superman. You can’t play football with a broken ankle, a heel problem and tendonitis in your throwing arm. Well, Favre probably can but will he be any good? Favre has proven everything he possibly could on the field, now it is time to prove he can sit the bench. Not even Favre can go beyond his body’s limits.
Monday, April 19, 2010
My broken Ankle was Fixed, so Why does it Still Hurt?
Some of us are very sensible and still end up in accidents. Some of us do foolish things and obviously end up in accidents. Whether it was a car accident, sport’s accident or a stupid accident, should we have to suffer for the rest of our lives? Ankle fractures are very painful and the surgery includes multiple screws and plates. The recovery period is long and hard. But one would think five, ten, twenty years down the road your ankle would be free from pain. For some, this is true. For others, and ankle fracture leads to lifelong arthritis and pain.
There are four bones that make up your ankle. The tibia, fibula, and the talus articulate with one another to make the ankle joint. Many ligaments surround the joint to stabilize the bones into proper alignment to provide optimal function. Typical ankle fractures involve the breaking of the tibia and fibula bones and damage to a number of ligaments.
To reestablish a competent joint, surgery is almost always necessary. The surgeon will realign the fragments and fixate them back into place using screws. Plates are also used to stabilize the injured area of bone. Essentially, the surgeon will reposition the bones as close as possible back to normal.
Unfortunately, many suffer long term effects from an ankle injury. When the bones break and the ligaments lose their integrity, the bones can slam into and damage the articluar cartilage. The talus, the other bone that makes up the ankle joint, has a thick layer of cartilage that is poorly vascularized. The poor blood flow to the cartilage and the extent of the damage can make it difficult for the body to self repair the injury. These injuries to the cartilage are difficult to assess during surgery. If a surgeon chooses to address these small and difficult injuries, it involves more studied, more procedures and more cost to the patient. Thus, many surgeons chose not to address the injury.
The majority of the time, the body does a sufficient job at repairing the cartilage damage. If the lesion is small, the body’s repair process works sufficiently. Occasionally the lesions are larger and lead to osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease. It is believed that this may be the reason why some people have residual pain after an ankle fracture. Treating larger cartilage lesions is done by using grafts, preferably from the patients. They will take small pieces of cartilage from your knee or other joints. Some synthetic transplants can also be used. An ankle fracture surgery is already very complex and doctors are not certain treating the cartilage problem at the time of the ankle surgery is what is best for the patient. The longer a surgery takes, the higher the risk of complications.
Some are willing to accept that arthritis is an unfortunate side effect of ankle fractures, but many doctors are studying and researching ways to reduce the number of people living with pain after a fracture. Doctor’s want to make their patients feel better, but sometimes there are too many barriers to completely eradicate the pain. Please be assured that we are dedicated in helping you with your foot and ankle issues even if the battle seems impossible.
There are four bones that make up your ankle. The tibia, fibula, and the talus articulate with one another to make the ankle joint. Many ligaments surround the joint to stabilize the bones into proper alignment to provide optimal function. Typical ankle fractures involve the breaking of the tibia and fibula bones and damage to a number of ligaments.
To reestablish a competent joint, surgery is almost always necessary. The surgeon will realign the fragments and fixate them back into place using screws. Plates are also used to stabilize the injured area of bone. Essentially, the surgeon will reposition the bones as close as possible back to normal.
Unfortunately, many suffer long term effects from an ankle injury. When the bones break and the ligaments lose their integrity, the bones can slam into and damage the articluar cartilage. The talus, the other bone that makes up the ankle joint, has a thick layer of cartilage that is poorly vascularized. The poor blood flow to the cartilage and the extent of the damage can make it difficult for the body to self repair the injury. These injuries to the cartilage are difficult to assess during surgery. If a surgeon chooses to address these small and difficult injuries, it involves more studied, more procedures and more cost to the patient. Thus, many surgeons chose not to address the injury.
The majority of the time, the body does a sufficient job at repairing the cartilage damage. If the lesion is small, the body’s repair process works sufficiently. Occasionally the lesions are larger and lead to osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease. It is believed that this may be the reason why some people have residual pain after an ankle fracture. Treating larger cartilage lesions is done by using grafts, preferably from the patients. They will take small pieces of cartilage from your knee or other joints. Some synthetic transplants can also be used. An ankle fracture surgery is already very complex and doctors are not certain treating the cartilage problem at the time of the ankle surgery is what is best for the patient. The longer a surgery takes, the higher the risk of complications.
Some are willing to accept that arthritis is an unfortunate side effect of ankle fractures, but many doctors are studying and researching ways to reduce the number of people living with pain after a fracture. Doctor’s want to make their patients feel better, but sometimes there are too many barriers to completely eradicate the pain. Please be assured that we are dedicated in helping you with your foot and ankle issues even if the battle seems impossible.
