Violation
Due to the high weight load to which our feet are physiologically exposed on a daily basis, they are predestined for injuries and traumas that are the result of an accident. In addition to the fractures of the tarsal bones described above, “twisting traumas” are a common injury. The classic twisting of the foot inwards or outwards can occur at any time in everyday life or frequently in many sports.
Sports that emphasize the legs and involve jumping are particularly high risk factors, for example soccer, basketball or handball. If it happens, you should relieve the foot immediately. At the same time, you can start cooling the affected area, put it up and press lightly to counteract the beginning swelling.
In any case a doctor should be consulted to estimate the extent of the injury. He or she will use ultrasound, X-rays, CTs or MRTs. The MRI in particular can provide precise information about the damage to the tissue or involvement of the bone.
Often there is a strain or tear of one of the tight ligaments of the upper ankle joint, the “collateral ligaments”. The outer ligament of the foot is particularly often affected, since a so-called “supination trauma”, a turning over outwards, is much more common than a “pronation trauma”. In most cases, however, the treatment is conservative and involves sparing the area, often supplemented by bandages or splints.
Under certain circumstances, however, surgical supplementation may be necessary, for example, if the connection between the two bones of the lower leg, the “syndesmosis”, is also injured. In many cases such an injury subsides without consequences. However, there is also the risk of permanent instability remaining, which can lead to an increasingly frequent bending of the leg.