The long-term effects of a sprained ankle

Ankle sprains are one of the most common sports injuries, making up about 14% of all sports-related injuries.  People will often notice pain and weakness in the ankle for months afterwards, and if it isn’t rehabilitated properly, the ankle can be more likely to suffer repeated sprains throughout life… and the reasons why are really quite interesting!

An ankle sprain means that there has been some damage done to the ligaments that support the ankle.  Ligaments contain many nerves (called proprioceptors) that are specially designed to send signals back up to the brain, telling the balance controls in your central nervous system about where your ankle is in space.  Your brain then sends signals to the muscles around the ankle to moderate muscle tension, control ankle position, and keep the ankle stable (all of this usually happens without you even being aware of it!).

After damage occurs to the ankle ligaments, these proprioceptive nerve signals from the ligaments are disrupted, meaning your brain has less effective control over the muscle tension around the ankle, because it has less signals telling it where the ankle is in space.  This leads to muscular instability around the ankle, alongside the ligamentous instability that occurs as a result of the ligaments being stretched or torn.

Osteopaths can help in a number of ways following an ankle sprain.  We can show you exercises designed to re-build the nerve pathways from ankle to brain.  We will make sure the ankle and foot are moving as well as possible, and will assess and address any problems that come up elsewhere in the body as the result of the ankle injury or any limping or altered weight-bearing that you may have been doing as a result of ankle pain.

Ankle sprains may seem fairly minor injuries, but they can have profound effects throughout the whole body.  With some guidance and a good rehabilitation and treatment plan, we can get you back to doing what you love! 

Lara Sanders 
Reg. Osteopath
www.cityosteopaths.co.nz
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This is a delicious and nutritious recipe, with origins from 'My Darling Lemon Thyme' .
It is quick and easy to make, the only trouble being how to stop eating it!

I always have some in the freezer for that pick me up without going for refined sugar or processed foods.

It is high in Calcium, Magnesium, antioxidants and other minerals. Your body needs calcium for strong bones at any age and magnesium for muscle relaxation and melatonin production which aids sleep. Though I wouldn't eat too much of this at night as it IS also high in energy!
Scientific studies of the effects of dark chocolate indicate that it stimulates the release of endorphins in the human body. As a result, dark chocolate may have an anti-depressant effect. A study in the 2012 issue of the "International Journal of Hypertension" reports that the antioxidants in dark chocolate help to reduce high blood pressure and improve circulation. Advocates of raw cacao beans claim the beans provide these health benefits to a greater degree because the raw beans have a higher level of antioxidants than processed chocolate.

Recipe:
1/2 cup of real Maple syrup
3 Tablespoons raw deodorised coconut oil
340 grams hulled tahini (this is a whole medium sized jar)
4-5 Tablespoons raw organic cacoa powder
2 Teaspoons vanilla extract
A good pinch of sea salt flakes
Grated rind of one organic orange

Melt the coconut oil gently in a small pot, take it off the heat, stir in the maple syrup, and add the rest of the ingredients, pour into a lined small container and put in the freezer till frozen. It is very satisfying as a pick me up later in the day, much better for you than commercial processed sugars.

In New Zealand there is a high rate of back pain, 60-80% of the general population will suffer back pain at some time in their lives. The incidence is highest in the 45-54 years old age group. 

Things that contribute to the likelihood of back pain are: 
Poor health and nutrition
Increasing Age
Marked scoliosis
Reduced fitness
Loss of hamstring flexibility
Smoking
Psychological problems such as stress anxiety and depression
Drug abuse
Headaches
Neck pain
Stomach pains
Obesity
Poor quality of sleep
Excessive sitting
Pregnancy and caring for small children

For LBP in children (incidence 20-50%)
Too much TV and computer time
Competitive sports
Loss of hamstring flexibility
Birth strains and congenital anomalies 

There are often many causes for the pain in your back and Osteopaths are highly trained to figure out what has gone wrong, give you advice and treat appropriately so that most of the time your pain goes away quickly and you can avoid long term back pain, injections or surgery.

Osteopaths study for five years full-time at university to become very much a doctor of the musculoskeletal system. We study anatomy in great detail, along with physiology which is about how the body functions. We are trained to take a medical history, perform appropriate tests and refer for X-rays and ultrasounds to help us come up with a list of possible causes for your problem. Its always preferable when the cause of your pain is something we can treat and that is the case most of the time. When the cause is something else, we refer appropriately.

All our practitioners are trained to look for the CAUSE of the problem and fix that rather than condone long term use of pain killers or anti-inflammatories to mask the pain which left untreated, often has a tendency to get worse.

Why is it called Osteopathy? Dr AT Still who discovered osteopathy in the late 1800's in America said "You start with the bones". But its only a start and osteopaths look not only at your bones but muscles, ligaments, tendons, fascia, nerves, arteries, lymphatics and viscera. We look at your posture, your body type and your illness and accident history. We basically check you out from top to toe!

How do we fix things? Osteopaths have a wide range of technique approaches from the very gentle such as cranial which can be used on a new born baby, through functional, fascial, balanced ligamentous tension, muscle energy technique, GOT, and short lever manipulation. Osteopaths are known for their gentle approach, using only as much force as necessary to achieve a result. A hip, knee or foot problem may in fact be coming from the back and once the nerve and blood supply are improved, the hip, knee or foot are healthy and pain free again. So often we hear from patients: "Oh it's just me getting old" (then the treatment works wonders by getting the body functioning as its designed to). Mostly we see our patients through personal referral from another patient who has been helped.

Cranial osteopathy is very useful in trauma, for example where a fall has injured the ligaments of the back and normal movement and exercise have been limited for many years due to pain, a skilled osteopath is able to gently remove the strain and help restore normal function. Its not uncommon to treat an injury that has been there many years and all discomforts ease away. 

If you have had an accident within the last year, there is no need to see your doctor first, our Reg. Osteopaths can put you on ACC to help cover treatment for osteopathy and also for acupuncture. 
ACC statistics from 2001-2009 covering around a half a million claims, shows that Osteopathy gets people better in half the number of treatments compared to Physiotherapists or Chiropractors. The average number of treatments required is 2-3 for Osteopaths vs 5-6 for Physios and Chiropractors.

Everyone's back problem is unique and will require a unique solution. That is why we have many skilled practitioners, with over 125 years combined clinical experience, all working together at City Osteopaths. We want to help you back to health so you can get back to enjoying life quickly and with long lasting results. Give us a call today 04 499 1439
www.cityosteopaths.co.nz
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