Twisted Ankles

14th July 2021

A few Saturdays ago I found myself embedded in a muddy lay-by just outside of Midhurst supporting the Serpent Trail Race. The runners at this stage were doing either 50km or 100km distances. When I first arrived, there was a runner sitting rather forlornly waiting to be collected. They were actually an Ironman competitor who thought nothing of doing a 2.4 mile swim, 26.2 mile run and a 112 mile bike ride all in one go. So how come this uber-fit athlete was waiting for a taxi lift home well before the finish line? They had twisted their ankle in the early stages of the run. It turned out that a combination of wearing the wrong running shoes, plus a training schedule of road work was not the ideal preparation for a muddy, trail run….

Jumping 10 years back in time myself, I went down like a sack of potatoes when I stepped off a curb onto the road on my way to work. I twisted my ankle landing. It was agony. My breath was taken away. It was so violent that I had sore muscles everywhere for a few days after. A year later, I was stepping off a bench at the gym and I sprained my ankle again. Watching me hobble around was painful to watch.

A few months ago, I had a young client come and see me after they had sprained their ankle climbing out of their dad’s car. This injury had grumbled along and then their knee started hurting.

The reason for this post? Sprained or twisted ankles can happen to anyone. They can happen more than once. More often than not they repeat themselves without proper rehab. And they can be excruciatingly painful for some days through to weeks afterwards. Fortunately, the rehab process is really simple! Restoring pain free range of movement, stretching, strengthening and of course, improving our joint position sense (proprioception).

So the next time you, or someone you care about, sprain an ankle, why don’t you think about setting up a free consult with us to see how we can help you?