You are playing a fun game of basketball with your friends A

You are playing a fun game of basketball with your friends. As you jump up for the ball you land on another player’s foot and roll your ankle over. There are 4 motions of the ankle. Name the 4 motions. Which one of the motions is more likely to have happened in your basketball injury? Explain why.

What should you do to treat your injury? Explain your treatment plan.

Do you need to get an x-ray? What would determine whether you should get an x-ray? Where can you go to get an x-ray? If the x-ray comes back positive, what does that mean?

What is the recommended criteria to “return to play”?

Solution

4 motions of ankle are as follows:

dorsiflexion-movement of the top of the ankle toward the anterior tibia bone.

plantar flexion-movement of ankle away from the tibia.

eversion-turning the ankle outward

inversion-turning the ankle inward

During a basket ball injury,lateral ligaments are stretched too much,causing inversion ankle sprain.When the ankle is inverted,anterior talfibular and calcineofibular ligaments are damaged.

Initial treatment consists of rest,icing,compression and elevation.It helps limit the amount of swelling to the area and facilitates venous and lymphatic drainage.An orthopedic walking boot is often used o treat ankle injuries.Braces and crutches are also used to alleviate the pain.

x-ray should be done to differentiale between sprain and fracture. There are 4 reasons to get an x-ray:

1.you can\'t walk on the ankle.2. you have tenderness on the outside ankle bone(fibule)

3.you have tenderness on the inside ankle bone(tibia). 4.you have tenderness on the bone over the arch(navicular bone)

x-ray can be done at any certified radiologist.An x-ray technician will do the x-ray.Positive x-ray means that the there is ligament damage or a fracture.x-ray also helps determine the severity of the injury.Severe injuries usually require surgery.

A simple way to test the readiness to return to play after an ankle injury is to have the athlete do a sideline functional test-jog,spint,cut,pivot ,jump.Successful completon of the test means they are confortable with normal speed and normal form.