Are you actually treating a sprained ankle?

Sprained ankles are a common injury, especially among athletes. Treating a sprained ankle with physical therapy is noninvasive and usually effective, but that’s only true if you actually have a sprained ankle. Avulsion fractures can be mistaken for an ankle sprain, and this misdiagnosis can make your treatment much less effective. 

What is an avulsion fracture?

Avulsion fractures occur when trauma causes a ligament to bend back part of the bone it’s attached to. If you’re trying to visualize this, think of what a peel-top can looks like when it’s part of the way open, and you’ve got it. One area of the body where this injury often happens is the ankle. As with an ankle sprain, it can happen when you roll an ankle while playing sports — this is one reason an avulsion fracture can be misdiagnosed as a sprained ankle. Such an act can lead to the treating of a sprained ankle that you don’t actually have, and it can also slow down your recovery.  

What are the symptoms of avulsion fractures? 

The symptoms associated with  a sprained ankle and signs related to an avulsion fracture are similar, making it easy to confuse the two conditions. For example, both injuries tend to cause a sharp pain in the ankle immediately after the incident occurs. Additionally, your ankle may start to swell with both injuries, and you may have trouble moving your  ankle after either type of injury. Both conditions also tend to make the ankle less stable and painful to walk on. 

With all these similar symptoms, diagnosing an avulsion fracture can be tough to do based on the symptoms alone. For this reason, doctors will typically send you to get an ankle X-ray even if they think your ankle is sprained. This way they can make sure you don’t actually have an avulsion fracture. 

Treating ankle sprains and avulsion fractures can be done at Advent Physical Therapy

In some cases, avulsion fractures may require a surgical repair. However, physical therapy from Advent Physical Therapy can help with treating both sprained ankles and ankle avulsion fractures.  Our treatment plans are personalized to fit the needs of each patient, and we have many therapy techniques at our disposal that can be helpful for these injuries, including: 

• Manual therapy
• Therapeutic exercise
• Kinesiology taping
• Balance training

Contact us today to set up your initial appointment if you need help with a sprained ankle or avulsion fracture.