Summer is sports season for many amateur athletes and weekend warriors in the Valencia area. It’s also ankle sprain season for one area foot and ankle surgeons.
Leslie G. Levy and Dana Lavian, DPM, FACFAS, foot and ankle surgeons with offices in Valencia and Northridge, say ankle sprains are one of the most common sports injuries they treat this time of year.
“As people emerge from their winter hibernation and start to get active again, they can injure their ankles playing sports such as basketball, baseball, tennis and soccer,” they say.
Anyone who injures an ankle requires prompt medical treatment, whether it’s their first sprain or their fifth. Rest, ice, compression and elevation (R.I.C.E.) can reduce swelling and pain until the ankle can be evaluated and treated by a foot and ankle surgeon. A sprain may not always be a sprain; the ankle could be fractured.
Levy and Lavian note that many athletes develop chronic ankle instability from repeated ankle sprains, causing their ankle to frequently “give way.” In some cases these players may require surgery. Proper rehabilitation of an ankle sprain reduces the likelihood of developing chronic ankle instability.
Levy and Lavian shares three spring ankle sprain prevention tips from
FootPhysicians.com :
1. Perform warm-up stretches and exercises before playing sports.
2. Wear the right shoes for the sport. For example, don’t wear running shoes
for sports that involve a lot of side-to-side movement, such as tennis and
basketball.
3. Wear an ankle brace if you’re recovering from an injury or have repeatedly
sprained your ankle.
For more information, contact Dana Lavian, D.P.M. and Leslie G. Levy, D.P.M. office at 661-254-0795. Leslie G. Levy, D.P.M. and Dana Lavian, D.P.M. are board certified in foot and ankle surgery and earned their podiatric medical degree from Podiatric Medical School. They both have been practicing in Valencia for 20 years.