Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Seneca Wallace Suffers High Ankle Sprain


Browns quarterback, Seneca Wallace, suffered a high ankle sprain injury during the next-to-last play of the first half of last Sunday’s game when Atlanta defensive end, John Abraham, sacked Wallace and fell on his ankle. A high ankle sprain is used to describe a particular type of ankle injury. Normally, when someone sprains their ankle, the ligaments that surround the ankle joint are stretched or torn. This injury causes pain and swelling around the ankle, and can be quite uncomfortable. A high ankle sprain injures the large ligament above the ankle that joins together the two bones of the lower leg. These two bones, the tibia (shin bone) and fibula, run from the knee down to the ankle. They are joined together by this ligament called the "syndesmosis" or "sydesmotic ligament."


A high ankle sprain causes symptoms similar to other ankle sprains, but patients often complain of pain when the ankle is turned to the outside or when the calf is squeezed. This later finding, the so-called "squeeze test," is the classic test for syndesmotic injuries, but it is not very reliable for diagnosis.


Syndesmotic injuries tend not to heal as well as more common ankle sprains, that is why trainers and coaches of athletes are often concerned about "high ankle sprains." If the injury is stable, then the high ankle sprain can be treated in a cast, usually for a period of 6 weeks. If the injury is unstable, then a "syndesmotic screw" can be placed between the tibia and fibula to hold the bones in proper position while the syndesmotic ligament heals.

If you or someone you know is suffering from this condition, please do not hesitate to give our office a call to set-up a consultation, 440-946-5858.

1 comment:

  1. Nice information shared here. Thanks for sharing. ACL tear

    ReplyDelete