What is a Medial Ankle Sprain (Detloid Ligament Tear)?
The deltoid ligament is a strong triangular ligament that connects the tibia to the navicular, calcaneus and talus (connect the shin bone to the bones on the inside of the foot). Medial ankle sprains are less common and the mechanism of due to excessive eversion and dorsiflexion (foot outwards and upwards). These injuries are usually associated with a fracture to the outside of the fibula.
What are the Signs and Symptoms of a Medial Ankle Sprain (Detloid Ligament Tear)?
+ Tenderness over the inside of the ankle
+ Feeling of instability in the ankle
+ Loss of movement in the ankle
+ Swelling of the foot and ankle
+ Pain with weight bearing
+ Pain with raising onto the toes (calf raise)
+ Pain with rolling the foot outwards and upwards
What is the Treatment of a Medial Ankle Sprain (Detloid Ligament Tear)?
Non-surgical management: Isolated medial ankle injuries are often placed into a boot for 2-3 weeks to reduce pain and encourage weight bearing. Once the patient is able to weight bear a rehabilitation program is prescribed to help strengthen the muscles that support the ankle. Proprioceptive exercises are given to help improve the feedback mechanism of the injured ligament. Stable isolated deltoid ligament injuries return to sport between 6-8 weeks post injury.
Surgical Management: If the injury is considered to be unstable and there are associated injuries such as a fibula fracture then an open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) is required. The patient is then placed into a boot or cast for 6-12 weeks depending on the severity. The Physiotherapist will then prescribe strengthening, flexibility and proprioceptive exercises. Unstable medial ankle injuries return to sport between 3-6 months.