How long does the healing process take?

Torn ligaments take time to reconnect and heal. Especially at the beginning of the healing phase, little resilient new tissue is formed, which must be protected from trivialization. To ensure that the ligaments heal properly, the foot is therefore usually immobilized for a certain period of time (usually 6 weeks).

In order to prevent muscle loss and a strongly altered gait pattern, which would have a negative effect on other joints and muscles in the body, torn ligaments are often treated with splints, in which the patient is fixed inwards and outwards, but still has slight mobility in the upper ankle joint so as not to restrict rolling too much. The duration of the subsequent therapy depends on the patient’s training condition, goals and healing process. After about 3 months, many patients are able to do light, non-strenuous sports again. Joint stability is important in order to prevent further buckling. The healing process can be supported by additional taping.These articles on this topic might be of interest to you:

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How long should a sports break be?

A sports break is absolutely necessary after a torn ligament to give the ligament time to heal. A break of 6 weeks is usual. Depending on the extent of the injury, the doctor may vary this period.

If sport is resumed, pain should not occur under any circumstances. A feeling of insecurity is normal at first, but pain indicates an overload of the structures and should definitely be avoided. The instability should be treated by a sensomotoric and coordinative, physiotherapeutic build-up training. It is important that the patient is able to stand securely on his leg again after the torn ligament in order to prevent a new twisting.

Diagnosis

The diagnosis “torn ligament” can be diagnosed in part directly on the spot by a trained therapist or doctor. So-called ligament tests are provocation tests in which the foot is placed in certain positions that require the individual parts of the ligament. If pain occurs, or if the limitation of movement is missing, this can be an indication of a torn ligament.

However, practice and experience are required to evaluate the ligament tests safely. Since each foot has a different degree of mobility, the ligament tests must always be carried out comparing the sides. In most cases, the injury usually causes painful swelling in the joint and the provocation tests may not be able to provide any further information.

Once the acute inflammatory reaction has subsided, the ligament tests can overstrain the healing tendon and damage it again, so they should only be tested in the first 1-2 days. Often an additional radiographic examination is performed to rule out bone fractures or bony tears. The MRI image can provide a precise statement as to whether a torn ligament is present and where and which structures are injured.