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CHIROPRACTIC CARE

If you have ever twisted your ankle, you might still have some weakness, which could still be causing problems. The most common injury to the ankle is turning it in, such as when wearing high heels and turning it over by stepping on a stone or the edge of a curb. This is a common ankle sprain.

Occasionally the end of the bone on the outside of the ankle breaks but more often the ligaments of the ankle on the front and side get torn and produce massive swelling and bruising.

It can take 4 to 6 weeks to recover from the immediate injury but, the ligaments very rarely repair satisfactorily and often become full of scar tissue, which is not elastic. This increases the likelihood of several future sprains. Such repeated traumas will influence the mechanics of the ankle and cause problems in the joint and the structures above, such as the knee and spine. These usually tend to become obvious after jogging or long walks, especially on uneven ground, but as the symptoms may be in a distant joint, you do not necessarily think of that old ankle injury being the origin of it. Chiropractic treatment can help to prevent chronic and recurrent problems.

We can, by way of careful case history and examination, discover the cause and remedy it accordingly.

Chiropractors recognize that this can be caused by a weakness in the calf and foot muscles which produce distortion such as flat feet, bunions, hammer toes and widening of the fore foot. Although pronation is often a consequence of ankle instability, it can occur on its own through various other factors such as prolonged standing, bad shoes or inherited tendencies. Much is now known about foot pronation and many podiatrists treat it with insoles or othotics. It is important, however, to deal with any mechanical and muscle imbalance problems that may exist and your chiropractor is ideally suited to diagnose and treat the problem. We offer correction of the problem and will refer you to a podiatrist if needed. We will also advise you on the correct shoe wear and on the right type of exercise to help the condition.

The feet have two arches, one on the inside and one of the outside of the foot, allowing for correct propulsion. Wearing shoes on even surfaces means the arches of the feet do not get used for shock absorbance. The muscles weaken and eventually the arches drop, causing the person to become mildly 'knock kneed’. This puts more pressure on the inside joint of the knee and can result in arthritis and cartilage problems.

An assessment will determine if the arches have dropped. If they have, this can be addressed by exercises to strengthen the muscles and use of arch support.

Nerve irritation in the lower back can often cause weakness in the legs; therefore, we will also assess the spine as a possible source of the problem.