Ankle injury

An injury to the ankle is the most common injury in football. There are many types of ankle injuries. Below, we discuss the most common ankle injuries and tell you what you can do in case of an ankle injury.

Common ankle injuries

Common ankle injuries in footballers are:

Ankle sprain
The best-known and most common ankle injury in football is the sprained ankle. An ankle sprain is a movement in the ankle in which the foot usually rolls inwards. This causes damage to the outer ankle ligaments and sometimes also to the inside of the ankle. In football, this occurs due to frequent turning and cutting during play and physical contact with the opponent. A common cause is also landing on someone else's foot.

The degree of sprain determines the severity of the damage to the ankle ligaments. In a severe sprain, the two bony parts on the inside of the ankle can be forced together by the impact. This can lead to damage to the cartilage on the inside of the ankle.

Ankle contusion
A tackle on your ankle can easily cause a contusion. The result is a painful, swollen area that may later turn blue. In a contusion, subcutaneous tissue is damaged. If the damage is not too severe, an ankle contusion usually heals on its own within a few days to weeks.

Chronic ankle instability
After each ankle sprain, the risk of developing chronic ankle instability increases. A hallmark of this is frequent spraining of the ankle. Chronic ankle instability occurs because the ankle does not recover properly after a sprain. The main reason for this is usually returning to football too soon after a sprain.

Chronic ankle instability is common in footballers. Footballers with this condition often play with a brace or tape around the ankle to prevent new sprains. This is a good option, but preventing chronic ankle instability by recovering properly after an ankle sprain is the best treatment.

Other ankle injuries

In addition to sprains, ankle fractures can also occur in extreme cases, mainly due to a tackle by an opponent. But during a severe sprain there is also a risk of a broken ankle, foot, or lower leg. In general, it is wise to have your ankle examined for a fracture if you cannot walk more than 4 steps.

Other common ankle conditions are:

• Posterior ankle impingement
• Anterior ankle impingement
• Tarsal tunnel syndrome
• Osteochondritis dissecans
• Medial ankle ligament injury
• Sinus tarsi syndrome

Treatment of ankle injuries

The treatment of ankle injuries depends on the type of injury. Other important aspects for treatment are the mechanism of injury and the location of the pain. A physiotherapist can help you with this. In many cases, it is necessary to follow an exercise programme after the injury. This will strengthen the ankle and lower leg and reduce the risk of being injured again.

Do the self-check

Do you want to know which ankle injury you have? Then first do the self-check. By answering a number of questions about your ankle injury, we try to find the cause of your symptoms.