Physiotherapy for ligament stretching
The early functional follow-up treatment of a ligament stretch/tear begins in the first days after the injury and is important for the fastest possible and optimal healing success. Twist injuries cause pain and swelling of the ankle joint, which limits the mobility of the ankle. Early functional treatment is usually carried out as part of physiotherapy.
The main goal of early functional treatment is to restore full mobility in the affected ankle joint as early as possible. In physiotherapy, this can be achieved, for example, through movement therapy in the sense of PNF treatment (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation). The intensity and type of strain can be well adapted to the current performance capacity.
You can find more information about physiotherapy on the following page: PhysiotherapyA very important, if not the most important aspect of post-operative treatment of an ankle injury, however, is the training of coordinative and proprioceptive skills. If, after the first two phases of treatment, good ankle mobility as well as a reduction in pain have been achieved, training these two skills has top priority. Coordination training means improving the interaction of the muscles responsible for the stability and movement of the ankle joint.
Proprioception means the ability to safely ensure the perception and control of one’s own body in space. The word “sense of balance” is probably an acceptable translation of the term “proprioception“. Training these two abilities is difficult to differentiate and is hardly possible in isolation, since almost every coordinative action also requires a high degree of proprioceptive skills.
Conversely, the situation is similar. In practice, proprioceptor or coordination training for the ankle joints should be carried out barefoot if possible, since even wearing socks can prevent important training stimuli. The structure and sequence of the exercises depends on the patient’s ability to perform and the individual requirements of everyday life.
At first glance, simple exercises already require a considerable degree of coordination skills from ankle joint patients. For example, standing on one leg on a gymnastics mat is one of the tasks that require a high degree of body awareness and balance. At the end of this therapy phase, it is essential that dynamic stability during movement is worked out.
This can be trained very well by running exercises on a mat or on a mini trampoline. The training of coordination and proprioception is primarily based on the demands of everyday life. A professional footballer certainly needs a different form of rehabilitation than a person who is predominantly sedentary and not very active in sports.
The muscular and coordinative starting conditions are quite different here. Nevertheless, sufficient stability and mobility in the ankle joint is important for every ankle joint injury. For younger patients or those who are active in sports, the implementation of a so-called “Run ABC” or “Jumping School” is recommended.
During the “Run ABC”, different running forms, such as the hop run, consciously rolling over the ankle joints, or skipping (pulling the knees up to about hip height) are worked out. In the “Jumping School”, the most different types of jumps (two-legged jumps, one-legged jumps, jumps over hurdles etc.) are trained with the patient according to methodically coordinated aspects.
Follow-up treatment of an ankle joint injury is offered by every physiotherapy practice in private practice. Patients with sporting ambitions who wish to take part in a running school or a sports doctor-specific advanced training course are better off with a specially trained sports physiotherapist. A look at the websites of the local physiotherapy practices will help you to get an overview of which practice offers appropriate sports physiotherapy.