A torn ligament in the foot is a relatively common injury. Due to the development of the human being into a biped, our entire body weight is placed on the ankle joints (connection between lower leg and foot) when standing and walking. In comparison, these joints are relatively unprotected.
This allows for flexible mobility, but is often accompanied by a loss of stability. Especially an injury of the outer ligaments is easily caused by buckling, wear and tear or general instability. Once it has occurred, the stability threatens to fail again and again.
This is where it is important to become active. Special exercises can be used to train the muscles, i.e. the active stability system, around the joint. This article might also be of interest to you:
- Torn ligament foot
- Pain in the ankle joint
Therapy measures – Physiotherapy
After a torn ligament on the foot, quick action is required. Unsure what to do? For first aid injuries of this kind, there is a rule of memory, appropriately named “PECH” rule, where each letter stands for the next action to be taken: Practically speaking, this is also the correct order.
Let us take a closer look at this rule. The pause:Folded over, pain shot in, the ankle swells up. Now it is time not to continue and try to bear weight.
Instead, sit down/lay down, pause, spare the foot. The ice: Get something to cool you down, ideally a cooling pad, wrapped in a thin cloth (never directly on the skin) or a cold wrap, this will take away the shooting pain. Compression: Wrap the cooling system tightly around the foot, ankle and lower leg, this will prevent extreme swelling right from the start.
Elevation: Now the whole thing is elevated, so that the removal of tissue fluids is supported in the right direction and does not sink down into the foot even more. If the procedure is performed quickly enough, the consequences of the injury are reduced right from the start. But beware!
Do not cool for too long. Initially, the vessels contract and thus, together with the compression and elevation, prevent further swelling, but the inflammation is also the first phase of the body’s own wound healing, which is essential for healing. So cool down for about the first 24 hours, alternating between about 15 minutes cooling and 10 minutes rest.
After that, the joint should not swell much and we allow the inflammation process, which can last for about a week, so that the body can take measures to repair the broken tissue.
- Break
- Ice
- Compression (Compression)
- High camp
After one week, the signs of inflammation should decrease significantly. Now the healing of wounds changes into the formation of new fibers.
Although the foot should still be spared, stimuli must be set to the correct extent to tell the new tissue how it should align itself. This consists, for example, in passive and later active movement of the ankle joint in its physiological directions of movement, but only as far as the pain allows. Depending on the instructions of the treating physician, the foot may be partially and finally fully loaded again after a few weeks.
In this phase, strength, stability and depth perception training are applied. This brings back stability and prevents a new injury. Examples of exercises are the one-legged stand on a shaky surface such as a rolled up blanket, the slow lifting and lowering of the heels in an upright position at the end of a stair step, and various exercises with the help of a Thera band. You will find written out exercises for the foot in the following articles:
- Physiotherapy exercises ankle joint
- Exercises against forefoot pain
- Exercises ankle fracture
- Coordination exercises
