Jungledoc wrote:
So you already have a pattern of repeated ankle injuries? That's pretty good evidence that what you have done to rehab the ankle isn't working real well. The purpose of the "bandage" is to maintain the ligaments in their shortest, tightest position while they heal. If by bandages you just mean an ACE wrap, that's only good to control swelling in the first few days. The ankle needs to be supported with something that prevents either valgus or varus movement, that holds the ankle joint straight. Modern ones allow near-normal flexion and extension, so you can still walk, eventually run, and exercise with them on. The supporter should be worn full-time (except when sleeping) until you are completely pain-free, and then during times of risk, such as sports or when on uneven ground. That's when you should be strengthening the muscles of ankle stability. Using the supporter for months is not unreasonable.
People who have had a pattern of repeated ankle injuries (like you) probably should wear a support for sports for ever.
A sprain is a traumatic stretching or tearing of a ligament. Even a "mild" sprain tears some of the fibers of the ligament. It heals basically by scarring back together. If you are active without protecting the ligament, you repeatedly stretch it through the healing process, which means that it heals longer than it was in the first place. That allows more freedom of movement of the joint from it's normal relationships, and makes it easier to injure it again next time. You need to hold it in it's shortest possible position throughout the healing time. That's what the supporter does during that time. Later the supporter protects the ligament from re-injury.
There are several types of supporters that work well for sports. The best-known is probably the Air Stirrup Training supporter. I've prescribed them for dozens of people (in my past life, not here in PNG), and have known many of them to use them successfully for both training and competition. This one, and other brands control for valgus/varus movements, allow full or near-full flexion/extension, are comfortable and fit into sports shoes.
i had only one injury hat occured from overexpanding at the left foot when i was making a cross at soccer. the right ankle was injured two times, but always cause an oponent hit me there with his foot. the ankles were almost perfectly working til the 2nd injury occured. but this time i could run 60 mins without problems after 2 weeks, at the first injury i could only run 15 mins or so. at the first time i was wearing this all the time:
http://www.sanitaetshaus-24.de/componen ... 4e30e4.jpg. this time i wore nothing cause i didn't have pain with normal activities. i had a big bruise this time, maybe the pain only came from the bruise, but it lasted 3-4 weeks. is it possible that a bruise feels similar to a distension of the ligaments, cause the swelling is pressing on the ligaments or so?
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