What is the biggest foot and ankle problem that specialists treat?
A. One of the biggest problems we see is ankle instability coming from ankle sprains. About half of all joint injuries occur to the ankle, and approximately 85 percent of these are sprains, which are ruptures of the ankle joint’s surrounding ligaments. Approximately 46 percent of all athletes have had a significant ankle sprain; some have even suffered multiple sprains. Sprained ankles are the single biggest cause for time lost due to injury in the National Football League. Ankle sprains are a real problem not just for the elite athlete, but for the weekend warrior, too. In the United States, there are 10,000 admissions to the emergency department every day for ankle sprains. Q. Is it possible to ignore an ankle sprain and get on with your life? A. The traditional treatment for the sprained ankle, our mothers used to tell us, was that if you didn’t break your ankle, then stop the whining, put some ice on it, and you will be fine. We are now learning that that may not have been the best
