Do you roll your ankle frequently? Do your friends call you “glass ankles?” If so, you’re not alone. Millions of Americans have one or two weak ankles which leaves them susceptible to rolls or sprains. Thankfully, there are plenty of things you can do strengthen your ankles and prevent them from rolling.
Why Do My Ankles Roll So Much?
If you regularly roll your ankles, odds are you are dealing with a condition known as ankle instability, and it occurs when the supportive ligaments on the outside of our ankles become damaged and loose.
For example, picture yourself holding a straw. If you’re holding it upright and you gently press it against a hard surface, the straw will remain intact. However, if you crease the straw, straighten it back out and then again press it against the hard surface, the straw will bend at the creased location. The ligaments in your ankle are similar in nature in that if they become damaged, they become unstable and will cause your foot to roll easily.
We do plenty of damage to our ankle ligaments over the course of our lives that leave us prone to ankle instability. Aside from acute trauma like sprains or fractures, we’re also exerting microtrauma on our feet and ankles with every step we take. Over time, if you have high arches, heel pain or improper weight distribution, we can put abnormal stress on our lateral ankle ligaments and cause mictrotears, which can lead to instability.
Combating Ankle Instability
The good news is that unlike a bent straw, your ankle ligaments can be healed if they’ve been damaged. There are a number of ways to combat ankle instability. For starters, if your ankle ligament damage is relatively minor, you can probably restrengthen the ligaments with concentrated conservative treatment options like:
- Exercise
- Physical Therapy
- Stretching/Range of Motion Techniques
However, if the damage to your ankle is more severe, than the best option for you may be surgery. Surgery may sound intense, but it’s actually very simple and straightforward. Using a minimally invasive technique, Dr. Silverman will access your ankle ligaments and retighten them so that they adequately support your ankles. Once the surgery is complete, the small opening is closed and your doctor will walk you through some simple rehabilitation exercises. The vast majority of individuals who have undergone this procedure have experienced wonderful results.
Want to learn more about the procedure? Check out this video Dr. Silverman put together below!