Ankle Bone Pain

The ankle joint is a "hinged" joint capable of moving the foot in two primary directions, away from the body which is called plantar flexion and toward the body known as dorsiflexion. The ankle joint is formed by the meeting of three separate bones. The end of the shinbone of the leg which is medically termed as tibia and a small bone in the leg known as fibula, meet a large bone in the foot, called the talus, to form the ankle. The end part of the shin bone or tibia structures the inner portion of the ankle, while the end of the fibula forms the outer portion of the ankle. The hard bony knobs at each side of the ankle joint are called the malleoli. These parts provide stability to the ankle joints, which function as weight-bearing joints for the body during standing and walking.

Ligaments and tendons on each side of the ankle joint also provide stability by tightly strapping the outside of the ankle, the lateral malleolus, with the lateral collateral ligaments and the inner portion of the ankle or medial malleolus with the medial collateral ligaments. The ankle bone joint is encircled by a fibrous joint capsule. Tendons and ligaments that attach the large muscles of the leg to the foot wrap around the ankle both from the front and behind. The large tendon which is called Achilles tendon of the calf muscle passes behind the ankle and attaches at the back of the heel. A large tendon of the leg muscle which is called the posterior tibial tendon passes behind the medial malleolus. The peroneal leg muscle tendon passes behind the lateral malleolus to attach into the foot.

The normal ankle joint has the ability to move the foot, from the neutral right-angle position to approximately 45 degrees of plantar flexion and to approximately 20 degrees of dorsiflexion. The powerful leg muscles that move the ankle are located in the front and back portions of the leg. These leg muscles contract and relax during walking and running. Ankle sprains, as reported, are one of the most common musculoskeletal injuries. Sprains of the ankle are the injuries to the ligaments of the ankle, causing them to partially or completely tear as a result of sudden stretching. They can crop up on either or both portions of the inner and outer portions of the ankle joint. Ankle sprains more commonly occur when there is a preexisting muscle weakness in the ankle area or a history of previous ankle injuries.

The typical ankle injury occurs when the ankle is suddenly get twisted in a sports activity or by stepping off an uneven surface. The ankle pain is initially severe and can be associated with a severe popping sensation. Immediate swelling over the joint area of injury often occurs as the injured blood vessels leak fluid into the local tissue. Examination of the joint area may cause severe pain when the ankle is moved. The degree of joint pain may not necessarily indicate the degree of damage to the ankle ligament(s).

• Felicia Byrnes
• 23/02/2009, 8:59 AM
• 0 Comments