How An Old Ankle Sprain Could Be Causing All the Problems You Have in Your Body

Do you remember your first big injury? That injury that started it all. Often, in clinic, we hear that there is usually one specific instance that set off a cascade of other injuries, and things haven’t felt quite right since. Sound familiar? You aren’t alone!

This exact thing happened to Naomi and she didn’t even realise it. She had an ankle sprain as a child and went on to develop hip pain 15 years later, as a direct result of her ankle injury.

SO, if you’ve ever had an ankle sprain, no matter how long ago it was, you need to read this, as it is likely still affecting you and causing other problems in your body.

In today’s blog, Naomi tells her story of how an old ankle sprain came back to bite her...

How it all starts…

As a Physio, I’ve learnt how interconnected the body. It works like an orchestra with every little bit doing its part, helping us move, walk, bend, and live our lives. I didn’t realise how important this interconnectedness was until this January. I had just completed my Pilates certification and was practicing my plié and my right hip just gave. It started affecting me daily. It was painful to walk, sit, and even sore to drive! This came as a massive shock to me as I’m a fit, health individual, who works out five times a week. I couldn’t understand why such a simple movement could cause me so much pain. Enter Vic and Abbie! There are definitely perks to working with such a fabulous team!

After watching me Plié (a ballet movement) and asking about previous injuries (a nasty ankle sprain and a knee meniscal tear– both in my right leg), it became clear that my hip was a victim and NOT the problem area.

Vic mentioned she dropped a plank of wood on her big toe aged four (doh), which led to injuries with her knee and hip later in life. This got us thinking. My first serious injury was my right ankle sprain when I was eleven! It was terrible, I was on crutches for a fortnight. Upon reflection – all my major injuries were all on my right side, from then onwards, and started with that one bad ankle sprain. Coincidence? Definitely not!

When we evaluated my ankle strength, even seventeen years on, I had barely any strength in the ankle. I couldn’t use my ankle without feeling like my hip and my inner thigh were doing all the work. It was such a simple ask and I simply couldn’t do it! We see this all the time in clinic, where an old foot injury influences what is happening higher up in the knee, hip, or lower back. It can come as such a shock to people especially when they are generally fit and well and pretty active. Our bodies are clever and find a way of compensating where one part of us doesn’t work, another region will pick up the slack. My hip had enough of being overloaded and of having to compensate for my ankle. My poor, poor hip, no wonder it hurt!

What does this mean for you?

Commonly, pain occurs when a region has been loading in the wrong way. This build up to things niggling and then hurting can be years in the making. Something either doesn’t lengthen, shorten, or it’s working too much or too little. Overtime, it can’t sustain what it’s doing and gets sore.

This is when conventional methods of ‘my hip hurts so I need to strengthen and look at my hip only’ just doesn’t cut it. Looking at why the hip hurts is important, and, in most cases, it stems back from an old injury, bone break or surgery after which you never felt quite right after. When you really think about it, you would never come out a leg cast and go for a jog would you? Why would we expect other parts of your body to “bounce back” to the levels of activity before the injury? You shouldn’t!

You need to do some work to address the compensation strategies your body has used to help you carry on living your life. My ankle injury meant that I just began to use my hip without actively trying, this is what led to that overload that resulted in the hip injury. Does that sound familiar to you at all with an old injury you may have?

For some of our clients it is an old ankle break, rugby injury, or it’s their tummy muscles not doing very much. For others it’s a difficult childbirth that led them to having pain elsewhere. It really could be anything that triggers the cascade of subtle changes in how you use and move your body.

You are really robust, but…

Of course, things can take time to go wrong in your body. It was only when I introduced a new type of exercise or movement pattern, that my body’s “weakness” showed up. Many of you get sore when you change, start an activity, or do more of something. Things start niggling or hurting, leading you to assume that the class / exercise / lifting etc “just isn’t for me”.

I want to caution you here – just because you feel you can push your body and get through a long costal walk, a day gardening or even a HIIT session, it DOESN’T mean you are using your body in an “optimal” way. It may just mean you have very good ways of compensating which can unravel without warning one day.

Often, our clients who can do lots and be very active will struggle to do a simple exercise in a certain direction when we test them. You need to be able to work your body under load in all directions. That’s forward, backwards, sideways and rotation. Hands up if you can honestly say you can do that?

How do you fix this?

After identifying my ankle wasn’t doing enough, and my hip was doing WAY too much, it was easy to fix! First, I started to load my ankle under low load lying down. Over the next few weeks, I was able to progress to a standing split squat exercise then to stepping, lunging, then leaps and hops.

The key to success was to progress the loading of my joint slowly so my ankle could tolerate learn to tolerate it. Progress too quickly or stop treatment too soon and I would revert to my old compensations and the problem would return.

There is a process.

There were and are no shortcuts when training the body to get rid of pain and problems. You must do the work. It took 8 sessions to get me strong and moving properly again. Getting my weight over my foot right whilst using my midfoot and big toe instead of my hip, was game changing to my hip pain. Now, it is HARD work to try and relearn how to use your body and you need to give it time, this is not a process that happens overnight. Those of you who come to our Pilates classes, or have ever had to learn where you need to place your weight on your feet know just how hard this can be. Vic and Abbie worked hard to progressively overload my ankle to make sure it could tolerate all the things I wanted (and needed) to do on it, like run, jump, swim and teach Pilates!

Changes can happen quickly, but the work takes a bit longer!

Within the first 2 sessions I noticed positive changes. Over the weeks my day-to-day life was easier too. I felt more stable and much more balanced when working. I felt more comfortable walking and even getting into a comfortable position at night! I felt a spring in my step and my right leg wasn’t heavy to move. These things may sound small but to me it’s been life changing! I can teach a Plié for one! But the real benefit is how amazing and light I feel everywhere. My movement seems effortless and free. No exaggeration needed. It’s been amazing. I would seriously encourage everyone to not wait for a problem to develop like I did. If you’ve ever had any injuries and don’t feel you move as symmetrically or easily as you should, please consider exploring what can be done to optimise how your body works! Don’t just put it down to age. You only get one body. You only have one life. Like after your body well and life will be far, far easier!

What is your next step? Pardon the pun!

An MOT may be just what you need to see if an old ankle sprain or foot problem is causing underling problems in your body. You can either book a call with one of our therapists or come in for a Discovery Visit to see if we can help you. Either call 01548 852355 or email [email protected] and request a FREE call or Discovery Visit.

With the NHS as it is, waiting times so long and resources so limited, if you want to lead a healthy, active, and pain-free life, it’s on you to take care of yourself for the long term. If you want to get to of a pain cycle and get back to doing something you LOVE, without flaring something up, act now. A good therapist will be able to assess you and the problem, identify what’s wrong and work with you to create a plan to correct how you move and use your body. This may look like stretching something that is tight or strengthening that old point of injury, or often both!

So – you may ask what has this experience left me with? Here are a few points below:

- Never underestimate how one injury can impact your body, no matter how minor it may feel or how long ago it was

- Your body really does need to work together, every little bit of it has a role to play.

- You may notice other positive changes apart from pain relief, such as a feeling of stability and freedom of movement

- Trust the process, invest time in yourself. You only get one body.

- There often is an explanation for the pain! Even if there is no injury.

- The longer you wait, the harder it will be to unpick the non-optimal habits your body falls into, BUT not impossible.

Please, please do not ignore those niggles, the quicker you come in, the sooner we can unravel what is driving the problems with movement you have.