CONDITION: Chronic Ankle Instability

DESCRIPTION:

What characterizes chronic ankle stability? Chronic ankle instability is a condition characterized by the ankle “giving way” or failing to support the body’s weight when walking or standing. Between 20 and 30 percent of patients who have suffered ankle sprains also experience chronic ankle instability. It is a common problem among athletes.

How does chronic ankle instability develop? A physical weakening or laxity of the ligaments in and surrounding the ankle causes ankle instability. The condition is related to previous ankle injuries and subsequent incomplete rehabilitation. Patients who have experienced one ankle injury are more likely to experience additional ones. Although the ankle sprain pain eventually subsides, the muscles become weak due to pain and inactivity and need to be strengthened. It is believed that the problem may be a combination of one or more factors related to nerves, muscles or mechanical factors, or joints and ligaments.

What are the symptoms of chronic ankle instability? The symptoms of chronic ankle instability consist of recurring ankle instability, especially in high heeled shoes, difficulty walking on uneven ground without the ankle giving way and recurring instances of ankle sprain as well as the pain, stiffness and swelling associated with an ankle sprain.

Conventional medical treatments may help relieve the symptoms of chronic ankle instability, but they do not address the root of the problem. By strengthening structural weaknesses in the body, as natural medicine treatments like Prolotherapy do, chronic ankle instability may be alleviated permanently.

Discover why we believe that natural medicine treatments are the best way to treat chronic ankle instability. Learn about the treatments for Chronic Ankle Instability