If you’re trying to stay active or regain your mobility after an injury, nothing can be more frustrating than a chronically unstable ankle. A wobbly ankle makes it tough to run, jump, and even walk confidently.
When your ankle instability isn’t going away after one or more ankle injuries, sports medicine podiatrists Thomas Rambacher, DPM, FACFAS, FAPWCA, and Amber O’Connor, DPM, can restabilize it with a treatment program at Podiatry Hotline Foot & Ankle in Mission Viejo, California. Learn the top sports medicine treatments for chronic ankle instability that can help you regain your athletic skills.
Ankle sprains and other injuries can make your ankle lose stability. Symptoms of an unstable ankle include:
You might notice that your symptoms get worse when you’re playing sports or doing any other activity on an uneven surface. Usually, these symptoms improve over time after an ankle sprain.
However, after a severe sprain or repeated ankle sprains, your ligaments and tendons can remain stretched and never completely recover. Then, your foot stays chronically unstable without treatment.
Chronic ankle instability can happen to anyone who injures their ankle, but it is especially common in active athletes. Without treatment, it can be hard to play sports, especially those that require running and jumping. Even just standing up can cause your ankle to give way.
Our team takes a sports medicine approach to healing chronically unstable ankles after injury. This means our goal is to strengthen your ankle to the point where you can confidently perform the athletic activities you enjoy again.
We treat chronic ankle instability conservatively or surgically, depending on the severity of the instability and how it responds to treatment. The most common treatments we use target:
Lowering long-term swelling and tenderness helps you experience less pain while you resume your activities. We recommend a combination of the following measures to help:
We can also prescribe prescription medications if over-the-counter medications aren’t strong enough.
Your ankle may need initial external support as it rebuilds strength and stability. We often prescribe a brace or medical-grade custom orthotics to wear in supportive shoes.
If you initially need a brace, we aim to reduce how often you need to wear it as your tendons and ligaments heal. We slowly reduce the length of time you need to use the brace and can replace it with taping the ankle or orthotics.
Our team focuses on making your ankle stronger so you can move again without wobbling. This is done with a combination of physical therapy and a biomechanical assessment.
Physical therapy uses a personalized combination of strengthening exercises to make your ankle and the surrounding areas stronger. Maintaining a routine between appointments helps to quicken your successful recovery.
As your ankle heals, we also often suggest a biomechanical assessment to support recovery and prevent further sprains. This looks at whether the way you’re moving is contributing to injuries and develops a plan to correct alignment.
Surgery is sometimes necessary when your ankle hasn’t healed properly from ankle injuries or hasn’t responded to nonsurgical treatment. Minimally invasive surgery repairs badly damaged ligaments, tendons, and bones to stabilize your ankle.
With the right treatment plan in place, chronic ankle instability doesn’t have to permanently sideline you from athletics. Contact us to learn more about your options.
