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Footballer’s Ankle

Football is a sport fraught with injury. It is simply the nature of the game. With lots of pushing, tackling, ramming and running football can easily contribute to an athlete’s injury.. Athletes train long and hard to prepare their bodies for the abuse it is going to take on the field. But injuries still happen.

An injury that results from an impingement of the ligaments or tendons of the ankle from a football player over stretching or over bending the ankle or from over kicking a ball is called footballer’s ankle. This  is a painful and sometimes debilitating injury. 

The repeated kicking action can cause the ankle bone to hit the shin bone, leading to a bone spur. When this bony growth develops at the front of the ankle it then aggravates the soft tissue on the front of the ankle causing inflammation and swelling. Many soccer players are afflicted with this condition as well since they are always kicking a soccer ball.

If an athlete experiences pain, swelling and tenderness upon touching the front part of the ankle or when they bend their foot up and down, kick a ball or if they feel a boney lump in front of the ankle, these are symptoms of footballer’s ankle. If the injury is relatively new or less severe it may respond to physical therapy. Advanced physical therapy in Downers Grove will create a program, which includes stretching and strengthening the ankle to help alleviate the pain and swelling. A brace may need to be worn to prevent re-injury. If the bony lump is too large it may require surgery.

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