Foot bent outwards - what should be done?

introduction

People who are active in sport and who wear high heels run the risk of injuring their ankle. It happens quickly - an unevenness on the football pitch or the running track, overlooking a curb and you kink your foot. Due to the anatomy of the musculoskeletal system, in the majority of cases it is a so-called supination trauma. This means that the foot bends over on the outside.

Pain, Swelling and even the Blue discoloration of the foot can be the result.Often the affected extremity cannot be stressed for a long time or only with pain. Appropriate treatment should be sought so as not to prolong the duration of the restricted mobility. In the event of severe pain, misalignment, severe swelling and persistence of the symptoms, a doctor should be consulted in order to rule out any injuries that require treatment.

Symptoms

In the case of a supination trauma, i.e. an outward twisting of the foot, injuries to the ligamentous apparatus and the bones can occur. Most incidents have no consequences, albeit painful, but damage should be detected and treated early on.

Immediately after the injury, the pain predominates, which mainly occurs when moving or exercising. If misalignments or instability can already be identified at this point, a doctor should be consulted immediately or the emergency services should be alerted in order to guarantee gentle transport to the nearest hospital.

Learn more at: Outer ankle pain

Minutes to hours after twisting an ankle, the foot can swell, which is usually very worrying for those affected. Just like the blue discoloration of the foot as a result of bleeding into the surrounding tissue, this does not necessarily indicate serious consequences of injury, but should be clarified by a doctor in the event of severe symptoms.

Swelling, which is the result of an influx of fluid into the tissue, can in principle take on a large extent, so that in some cases the injured person is no longer able to wear his usual shoes.

The severity of the injury can be divided into three grades, the first grade being characterized by slight swelling and slight pain or by slight restrictions on movement. In grade two, in addition to significant pain, there is also a slight instability, whereas grade three is characterized by severe pain, severe movement restrictions and great instability. Self-treatment can be attempted for grade one, for grades two and three you should seek medical advice.

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My name is dr. Nicolas Gumpert. I am a specialist in orthopedics and the founder of .
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Athletes (joggers, soccer players, etc.) are particularly often affected by diseases of the foot. In some cases, the cause of the foot discomfort cannot be identified at first.
Therefore, the treatment of the foot (e.g. Achilles tendonitis, heel spurs, etc.) requires a lot of experience.
I focus on a wide variety of foot diseases.
The aim of every treatment is treatment without surgery with a complete recovery of performance.

Which therapy achieves the best results in the long term can only be determined after looking at all of the information (Examination, X-ray, ultrasound, MRI, etc.) be assessed.

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Further information about myself can be found at Dr. Nicolas Gumpert

Diagnosis

If the foot is twisted outwards, one or all of the three outer ligaments can tear. In addition to the ligaments, the surrounding tissue and blood vessels are also stretched. The influx of fluid into the tissue and bleeding can cause the injured foot to swell. An injury to the lower leg with the bruise sagging towards the foot can simulate ankle involvement.

When consulting a doctor, this is through so-called Stress tests test the integrity of the tape apparatus. In doing so, he moves the injured joint in certain degrees of freedom and pays attention to his patient's pain information. Also can Tenderness provide information about the type of injury at certain points. To diagnose an external ligament tear, the doctor will also Talar tilt and Talar advancement to verify. When tilting the talus, the foot in the ankle fork is tilted inwards to the side, while the talus is advanced, the ankle is moved forward in a right-angled position. A talar tilt of more than eight degrees and a talar advancement of more than eight millimeters suggest a torn outer ligament.

In order to confirm the previously made suspicious diagnosis, be imaging procedures applied. As a rule, conventional X-rays are sufficient for this. The respective injury can be made more visible in so-called held recordings. To do this, the affected extremity is clamped into a device that fixes the joint in a certain position with a previously defined application of force. If there are injuries to the ligament structures, gaps between bony structures can be unnaturally expanded, which would be prevented by intact ligaments.

In exceptional cases, CT or MRI images of the foot prepared. Because of the higher radiation exposure involved in computed tomography and the high costs involved in an MRI examination, conventional X-rays are still the method of choice.

therapy

Anyone who bends their foot outward and develops complaints should stop exercising immediately and the Protect the joint. Recognizing the problem and taking the right measures is of the utmost importance for the subsequent success of the therapy. The so-called PECH rule is a memorable approach to ankle injuries. The letters stand for (Training) break, ice, compression and elevation. The affected joint should be spared, cooled, provided with compression bandages and elevated. By applying the measures outlined, one primarily counteracts the swelling. Pain can be reduced by taking so-called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) with analgesic (pain reliever) Component can be alleviated. Suitable preparations are, for example, ibuprofen or diclofenac. Heparin ointments help to dissolve the bruise in the joint and the Accelerate the recovery process. In the field of competitive sports, physical therapies such as ultrasound or Electricity therapies applied.

If, on the other hand, a ligament rupture is diagnosed, conservative therapy and surgery must be weighed up. The conservative approach is often preferred. A supply of the injured extremity with a Ankle brace is the rule. The orthosis fixes the affected joint, protects it from being twisted again and thus protects the ligaments until it has regenerated.

Surgical methods usually consist of suturing the torn ligaments or, for example, after multiple tears, ligament replacements made of periosteum.

forecast

Therapy after injuries caused by twisting the foot can result in a very lengthy therapy. Adherence to the treatment recommendations and strict adherence to restraint are of great importance. If the injured joint is loaded again too quickly, the recovery time is prolonged and the healing process is insufficient, which makes further injuries and thus the need for an operation more likely.

An orthosis should be worn until ankle stability has been fully restored. The The injured extremity may only be loaded after pain relief. Exercise-intensive (running-intensive) sports must initially be avoided. It is especially important that after long periods of rest stabilizing muscle groups strengthened again and protective reflexes are restored in order to avoid consequential injuries.

A ligament injury can often be treated well, and the success of the therapy depends to a large extent on the effectiveness of the methods used. The duration of the treatment also depends on the physical condition of the person concerned. People who are in good physical shape typically need less time to fully recover.

Up to the restoration of the sports ability can depending on the extent of the injury four weeks to, in individual cases, three months, pass away.