On Thursday, May 27th at 6:30 I will be giving a presentation at the Jackson Hole Recreation Center about common running injuries. One of the most common running injuries that we all know is an ankle sprain. Whatever the activity predating the injury somewhere in the foot, a ligament was stretched, torn or ruptured. A ligament connects bones at points that are in motion, better known as joints, without them our skeleton would simply be a bag of bones inside of our skin. Because ligaments are anchoring chords, they are thick and strong, and have almost no blood supply. If things don’t bleed, they really don’t heal well. They are literally tough cords, elastic enough to provide some give and flexibility but strong enough to resist instability. If they are overstretched, they themselves are protected by muscle reflexes, called muscular splinting. When someone twists too far, there is a tug on the ligament that can result in a small sprain, or a large rupture. We have all heard that it is better to break it than to sprain it. Building bone is better than building ligaments, and the result is sturdier. Once stretched, ligaments cannot regain their previous shortened length and result at being unstable, even in the smallest sense of our understanding. This increased mobility at the joint allows for excessive wear and tear, known as repetitive micro trauma. Eventually this results in early degenerative changes at the joint or the surrounding joints. The body will develop patterns of movement to protect the injured joint that can affect other joints like the knee, hip, low back or even shoulder. Over time, these “simple sprains” can lead to years of chronic pain and become very frustrating to both the patient and treating practitioners.
Only proper evaluation can find these foot asymmetries and the resultant compensated movements throughout the body. At ProMotion Chiropractic and Rehabilitation we evaluate the mechanics of movement through slow motion video analysis and physical examination and then conservative orthopedic treatment options are determined and applied returning patient to their most optimum ability. If you or someone you know has foot and ankle questions or any other orthopedic question, please contact us. We do offer free phone consultation for injuries or general question at 307-699-3170.
In Good Health, Jeremiah Handschin, D.C.
