Ankle injury rehab: should you jump for joy?

Ankle sprains are one of the most common musculoskeletal injuries to sideline sportsmen and women. Indeed, some studies suggesting that up to 45% of all sports related injuries may be related to ankle injuries brought about by poor ankle strength and stability (ankle instability)⁽¹⁾. In particular, when the structural integrity of the crucially important lateral ligaments of the ankle (for example, the anterior talo-fibular ligament whose function is to stabilize the ankle joint - see figure 1) is compromised, an ankle injury is much more likely to occur. Once injured, the ankle is more prone to re-injury, and in the longer term, chronic ankle instability becomes a real risk for athletes.

Figure 1: Locations of stabilizing ligaments in the lateral ankle