Everyday Injuries
Some of the most common forms of injuries among athletes can be found in muscle and joint sprains. This is because of their active lifestyles and them always striving for better and better physical performances. However, when it comes to ankle sprains, it is not just the professionally active individuals who fall victim. People of all ages, kids, grownups and even the elderly have experienced the pain and ache of having a sprained ankle. In some lucky cases the pain can easily subside by putting some ice on it or by massaging it for some time. In other cases, the wound has gone to such an extent that it is in need of serious medical attention.
Causes and Symptoms
While it is important to understand that not all sprain related conditions are ever that serious, it is always a good idea to check if your injury is alright or not.
The best way to check if your ankle is actually sprained is to check for its symptoms. Sprained ankles usually are swollen, have discoloration (from bruises) and cause severe pain especially when moved. Sprained ankles are usually caused by moving the joint and/or the muscles in an abnormal manner, causing them to develop tears and other implications internally.
Arthroscopy for Sprained Ankles
While there are multiple ways to cure this condition, there are quite a few ones that will actually get the job done of curing the pain. This is why there are a few fast, effective methods of relieving pain in and around the effective area. If the pain persists, then some contemporary, surgical methods are prescribed upon close examination of the joint by your doctor. Read about Providence’s sprained ankle treatments and surgery here.
These can include surgeries like arthroscopy. This is a simple, surgical procedure which enables the doctor to look within the joint and diagnose the problem and treat it as well. A small incision is made within the skin, allowing the lens of the arthroscopy to peek into the skin. This lens is accompanied by a small lighting system to better view the joint and its structure. Typically this surgery is done on the joints such as the knees, elbows and even the shoulders so the doctors can have a better view of these problematic and hard to see areas. When a proper examination has been done the doctor will proceed to make a proper diagnosis and deem the condition critical enough for surgery.
The surgery itself is very safe and the risk of contracting infection is very low. Through the button-sized incisions made, there will be a couple of instruments which will be inserted in and around the joint area. These are of course the camera, lights and various other instruments which will assist the surgery. Because there is an ‘open joint operation’ feel to this surgery, the patient will normally be given normal local and even sometimes general anesthesia to help avoid the pain. The main goal of this surgery is to effectively stamp out pain and fatigue in the pained joint and help restore mobility.
The benefit of this surgery is that there is a lesser recovery period as the procedure is very quick and there is a high chance of little to no scarring in the skin.
