Introduction
One of the most common injuries and about 20 percent of all sports injuries are ligament injuries of the upper ankle joint. The foot is connected to the lower leg by several ligaments, which also stabilize the joints. The ligament at the outer ankle consists of three parts.
These run from the calf bone to the ankle bone and the heel bone. There is also a ligament at the inner ankle and another important ligament is the so-called syndesmosis, it connects the shin bone with the fibula. In most cases a torn ligament on the foot affects the ligament of the outer ankle, injuries to the other ligaments are relatively rare.
Typically, a torn ligament in the foot is caused by a bending of the foot inwards. Such a “sprain” of the foot leads to an overload of the outer ligament, which in extreme cases can even tear. It is usually not so easy to distinguish between a torn ligament and a pulled ligament.
Torn ligament on the outside of the foot
Due to its anatomy, the foot tends to bend inwards. Due to the course of the Achilles tendon, the direction of the bending is predetermined and can be followed on tiptoe with tense calf muscles. The reason for this is an imbalance of muscles, the calf muscles predominate and pull the foot inwards, the weaker shin muscles pull the foot outwards and upwards.
This imbalance is favoured, for example, when wearing shoes with high heels, which is why people tend to fall over more quickly. Also from the jump, for example during a sporting activity such as playing football, the foot usually bends inwards, whereby the outer ligament at the ankle is overstretched or even tears. Most often the front part of the outer ankle ligament is affected, the rear part is almost never affected.
Torn ligament at the foot of the child
Children often suffer a torn ligament in their feet, especially when they are very active or play sports such as football. Also in children, the most common injury is a pulled or torn outer ligament. In contrast to children, elderly people in extreme cases suffer a rupture of the outer ankle, while children suffer an injury to the growth plate in severe cases.
There is therefore a (albeit very low) risk of growth disorder. The injury of the growth plate can lead to an increased or decreased growth of the bone, a deviation of the leg length to the other leg up to one centimeter can be caused. However, the child’s skeleton has a high repair tendency, which means that consequential damage caused by an injury to the growth plate can be largely avoided with the appropriate treatment. In most cases, children “only” have a torn ligament in their foot, which heals without consequences with conservative treatment using a splint.
