If You Have This Joint Injury, Leave It Alone To Heal

If You Have This Joint Injury, Leave It Alone To Heal - A so-called “high ankle sprain” – a torn ligament in the joint – is an extremely common and painful injury that occurs in both sport and everyday life.

Other joints affected by ligament injuries are the knee, thumb and elbow, according to Dr Patrik Reize, an orthopaedic specialist.

The tears can follow a collision, as in contact sports like football, but also occur as the result of spontaneous trauma, by twisting the ankle while playing volleyball, for example, or slipping and falling on the hands and elbows.

Dr Reize recommends the following after a ligament tears: stop to give the joint a break, apply ice to cool the sprain, then compress the joint with a bandage to counter swelling, and finally, support the affected leg or arm.

Whether or not an operation is necessary depends on the type of ligament and whether there is damage to the bone.

“Most ligament tears in the ankle heal of their own accord, provided that the inner ligaments are not affected,” says Dr Ingo Tusk, who was chief medical officer for the German team at the Rio Olympics.

The typical outer ligament injury is normally treated by taping.

“But this doesn’t work with cruciate ligaments, which heal on their own only in rare cases,” he says.

That means a knee operation, and the subsequent physiotherapy takes longer than without surgical intervention.

“The joint then has to be immobilised for a time,” according to Michael Preibsch, a physiotherapist.

This results in a loss of muscle strength and the total time for healing is at least six months.

By contrast, ankle injuries heal relatively quickly, as the ligaments normally grow together of their own accord, usually within six to 12 weeks.

The patient should seek the help of a physiotherapist, who will provide exercises that can be done at home.

There are ways of reducing the risk of ligament tears.

Dr Tusk and Dr Reize advise warming up properly before playing sports or doing exercise.

Coordination training boosts awareness of the body, and a good understanding of how your body works leads to fewer injuries.

Strength and endurance training also help to stabilise the body.