Soft Tissue Ankle Injuries – The Importance of Exercise and Rehabilitation

Sprains, Strains and Fractures:

Scenarios

1. You’re an avid runner in the last stretch of your 3k race; you see the finish line on the horizon when all of a sudden, your foot comes down hard and a slight twist sends you falling into the hard asphalt.
2. You’ve recently suffered from a debilitating stroke and notice excruciating pains in your foot and ankle.
3. You’re at home, post op, from a bad ankle injury and are wondering about the best options for strengthening your ankle and getting back onto your feet again.

Ankle Injury Exercise

You’ve heard of the risks of re-injuring bones, joints, muscles and ligaments after a trauma to the ankle. If not properly healed, a simple trip or bump can result in pain, discomfort and even another bad strain or sprain. Because of the high risks of re-injury, it’s important to strengthen, stretch and exercise your ankle correctly to help decrease this risk. Today we’re looking at what a soft tissue injury is and why it’s so important to exercise your injury after a trauma.

What Is a Soft Tissue Injury?

Soft tissue injury, or STI, is when a trauma or overuse occurs to a muscle, tendon or ligament. Because the ankle joint is one of the major weight-bearing structures in the body, we often see STI’s in this area. STI’s are most commonly seen in athletes as a result of running, walking or a sharp, unexpected turn or roll of the ankle. Sprains, strains and fractures of your soft tissues result in immediate care and depending on the severity, surgery might be an option.

After an injury, your ankle joints and muscles may be stiff, and your range of motion may be limited. Rehab for an ankle injury should be done slowly, properly and carefully. With the right care and exercise, your ankle should be restored to a completely pain-free range of motion.

Treatment for Ankle Injuries with nCounters

There’s many different mobility, stretching and strengthening exercises you can practice but at nCounters, we’ve developed a unique device called the Portable Foot Angle Monitor. Our unit talks to the Portable Limb Load Monitor unit giving immediate audio and visual biofeedback to the user. The angle monitor attaches to a patient’s foot with a single strap and it encourages the user to flex and extend their ankle while lying or sitting down. Set up is extremely easy and our device is completely wireless and portable, making it a great option for rehab and exercising your ankle safely and comfortably.