High ankle sprains may take anywhere from 6 weeks to three months to heal — sometimes even longer. The soft tissue injury’s severity and bone damage determine the healing period. Your foot and ankle surgeon Alamo Heights will assess your walking and weight-bearing capacity to decide whether your ankle has recovered sufficiently for you to return to sporting activity. Also, an X-ray or other diagnostic imaging may be required to assess whether healing is complete. Additionally, high ankle sprain usually has a positive long-term outcome. Your ankle may be tight and difficult to move after a longer duration than regular, more common sprains. Arthritis might also develop if the bones continue to separate.
An overview of high ankle sprains
A high ankle sprain happens when the high ankle ligaments that link the tibia to the fibula are torn or damaged. These ligaments are referred to as syndesmosis, although the term pertains to the joint. Your ankles join the leg bones with your foot bones. Also, there are two ankles: upper and lower. The tibia and fibula make your upper ankle. The talus is located between the upper and lower ankles and fits into the arch formed by the other two bones. Moreover, ligaments are tissues composed of fibers (threads) that link bones.
Symptoms of a high ankle sprain
Along with the standard signs of an ankle sprain, such as pain and swelling, there are several differences to look out for in the case of a high ankle sprain. If you have a high ankle sprain, you may be able to put weight on your foot and ankle, but you will most likely suffer discomfort above your ankle, between your fibula and tibia. You will probably feel greater pain while ascending stairs or doing anything else that causes your ankle bones to stretch upward. A broken fibula can also arise from a high ankle sprain.
Low ankle sprain vs. high ankle sprain
The most frequent kind of ankle sprain is a low ankle sprain. They occur when the ankle is rotated or twisted toward the inside of your leg, causing the ligaments outside your ankle to rupture or strain. Conversely, you might have a high ankle sprain when you have a shattered ankle bone. These can occur when the deltoid ligaments inside your ankle are ruptured. Furthermore, you may have discomfort in the deltoid, high ankle ligaments, or even the fibula. High ankle sprains are also known as syndesmotic ankle sprains due to the involvement of the bone and ligaments.
High ankle sprains are a more difficult injury than conventional ankle sprains, which happen lower on the ankle and the outside. They can take longer to recover and may require more than three months to cure with therapies such as splinting, wearing a boot or a walking cast, and physiotherapy. Conversely, your high ankle sprain may entirely heal with the proper treatment. If you are an athlete (or even not), you may need to continue bracing or taping your ankle to prevent the injury from recurring. Additionally, follow your healthcare provider’s directions to ensure complete healing. Call Sports Medicine Associates or book your appointment online to learn more about various high ankle sprain therapies that suit you.
