The Illinois Athletic Trainers Association (IATA) and physicians at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush (MOR) have developed the “Ankles for Life” initiative, a prevention program to help prevent ankle injuries. According to the October 24, 2016 news release, MOR foot and ankle surgeons reported a nearly 300% increase in Achilles patients over a ten-year period (from 2003 through 2014).
“I am concerned about the escalating number of athletes who come to see me with ankle injuries—especially Achilles tendon injuries or ruptures, ” said Johnny Lin, M.D., MOR foot and ankle orthopedic surgeon. “I believe it is partly because of stiffer competition today causing athletes to push themselves to higher levels, which can result in added stress to the joints, tendons and ligaments.”
Matt Munjoy, MHA, ATC, IATA president, admits that weekend warriors often don’t do enough to prevent ankle injuries. “They don’t take the time to stretch or strengthen the tendons surrounding the ankle, ” he adds.
“The foot and ankle, which withstand a lot of pressure from the body, are areas most likely to be overlooked by athletes, ” explains Kamran Hamid, M.D., MOR foot and ankle surgeon. “The good news is that proper injury prevention and strengthening exercises can make a big difference in keeping athletes’ feet and ankles healthy.”
To combat ankle overuse, MOR physicians and IATA members recommend that athletes cross train with non-weight bearing sports, like cycling or swimming; always use proper techniques; get adequate rest after a workout and perform ankle balance, stretching and strengthening exercises. Examples of these exercises can be found at www.anklesforlife.org in both a downloadable brochure and video format. The website also includes background on the most common foot and ankle injuries, treatment options and information on how to order complimentary gym bag tags with ankle injury prevention tips.
Dr.Hamid commented to OTW, “Ankle exercises can be broken down into three components: stretching, strengthening and range of motion. Each of these groups has a fair amount of overlap. The best ankle workout routines incorporate all three components as well as strengthening of the core muscles.”
Dr. Lin told OTW, “Ankles for Life is a convenient resource for athletes—both competitive and weekend warrior—to stay ahead of ankle injuries. It provides not only a great source of reliable information about ankle injuries, but also contains the real world tools that can be applied on a day-to-day basis to avoid injury. The website has downloadable prevention exercises to do at home and a video explaining our recommended strategies. Hopefully this website will help many athletes out there avoid unnecessary lost time from the thing they love to do most.”
