Ankle

media type="custom" key="384265" =The Ankle= toc The ankle is a complex joint. The ankle joint is formed where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle is made up of two joints, not one like most people believe. These [|two joints] are the subtalar joint and the true ankle joint. The articular capsule, the deltoid, the anterior talofibular, and the posterior talofibular are the ligaments that connects the bones.

The True Ankle
The true ankle has three bones. They are the tibia, fibula, and the talus. The lower part of the tibia (shinbone) forms the inside of the ankle. The fibula (the smaller bone of the leg) forms the outside of the ankle and the talus forms the bottom of the ankle. These bones create the lower part of the leg. The true ankle joint allows the ankle to move upwards and downwards.

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The Subtalar Joint
The subtalar joint has two bones. The talus bone (which moves in one direction) which is on top and the calcaneus (the heel bone) which is on the bottom. The subtalor joint allows the foot to move from side to side. The ends of these bones have articular cartilage on them. The major ligaments (the connection from bone to bone) of the ankle are the anterior tibiofibular ligament (which connects the tibia to the fibula), the lateral collateral (which connects the fibula to the calcaneus bone and give the ankle lateral support). On the medial side (towards the middle) of the ankle there are the deltoid ligaments (which connect the tibia to the talus and calcaneus and provide medial support). These parts of the ankle along with the muscles and tendons (connects muscles to bones) of your lower leg work together to support your body weight as you walk, run and jump.

Types of Arthritis
Degenerative arthritis is a disease that involves the breakdown of the cartilage that normally allows the joint to move smoothly. The bones grind against eachother when the cartilage is gone. This creates popping sounds and pain and loss of normal ankle movement. However, being young you don't have to worry about this as much because it generally occurs in individuals over fifty.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease that affects any or all joints of the body. This kind of arthritis generally affects women more than men and unlike degenerative arthritis it can affect both young and old. It causes the body's immune system to produce a chemical which atacks and destroys the protective cartilage covering joint surfaces.

Trauma- related arthritis results when the joint is injurred by a fracture, dislocation, or damage to the ligament surrounding the joint. The resulting damage makes the joint the ankle more liklely to develope traumatic arthritis.

Ankle Sprains
The stability of the ankle joint, or that which allows it to be strong enough to support our weight, come from two sources: the surrounding ligaments and also how the bones are arranged. A fracture or [|sprain] can cause instability of the joint when damage is done to either the ligaments or the bones in the ankle. Sprains normally occur when the ligament, which stretches some to allow for movement of the foot (see video under the true ankle section) become too stretched and tear. The ligament can also be torn from abnormal movement of the foot. [|Sprains] are not all the same. You can sprain your ankle somewhat, badly, and very badly. For example, the most common type of sprain is just when the ligaments are overstretched. This can be painful, but not actually tear the ligaments. This kind of sprain (known as "grade I") is the easiest to treat and the least painful kind of sprain. A grade II sprain is when there may be some tearing of the ligament connecting the bones together. However, there is still stability of the ankle joint in both a grade I and grade II sprain. A grade III sprain, on the other hand, is when the damage to the ligaments is so great that not only has it torn the ligaments connecting the bones, but it has also caused instability of the ankle. The instability caused from a grade III sprain may never go away, in other words, that ankle may be less stable forever because of the sprain. Ankle sprains normally occur when the ankle is turned unexpectedly in any direction that is further than the ligaments are able to tolerate. The sprain is most likely to occur while running, jumping, making a sharp turn, or stepping on uneven ground. Even though these are the most common times for a sprain to occur doesn't mean that it always will when doing one or more of those activities. Sprains are also influenced by risk factors, or something that you have that may make it easier for a sprain to happen. Some risk factors that you can watch for are: uneven ground, previous untreated ankle injuries, being overweight, or using poorly fitting or worn out shoes.

Ankle sprains are treated with RICE. No, not the food rice, but R.I.C.E. The "R" stands for rest, the "I" stands for ice, the "C" stands for compression and the "E" stands for elevation. There can be more to the treatment, but when in doubt for what to do for an ankle sprain, remember RICE because eventually it will have to be part of the healing process. Physical therapy, or something that helps your ankle become as strong as it once was after a sprain is also an important part of caring for an ankle sprain. Physical therapy for an ankle sprain can include: motion exercises, strengthening exercises, and exercises meant to restore balance and agility to the sprained ankle.

=Random Facts= The largest and the strongest tendon in the foot is the Achilles tendon. It connects the calf muscle to the heel bone and allows the foot the power or walking, running and jumping. Articular cartilage covers the inside of the joint. It is the material that allows the bones to move against one another in the joints of the body. It allows for shock absorption and lasts a lifetime as long as it is not injurred. A common slang word fr fat ankles is a kankle. They call it a kankle when you can't tell where the calf ends and the ankle begins.

To Sum Up
To sum up what we've discussed you can watch this youtube.com video in which Leslie (the host) goes over the basics of the foot and ankle. media type="youtube" key="BLkCqkaT4wE&rel=1" height="355" width="425"