Dwight Freeney was sent out to play in the Super Bowl with a ankle ligament rupture/sprain.

The question asked is how good will he be in his performance at the Super Bowl? Ankle sprains are a common injury for many athletes who participate in sports that require a lot of running or jumping. Simply engaging yourself in physical activities can cause injury. An injury such as an ankle sprain can be caused by an underlying medical conditions, poor weight distribution, weak or over used muscles, and/or the wrong footwear

Many professional athletes play with sprains and strains because it is part of the "job" that they live for, but it may be doing more damage than they realize. How do you know when enough is enough? For example the Indianapolis Colts, defensive end, Dwight Freeney, missed two consecutive practices before Sunday's big game with a sprained right ankle. Coach Jim Caldwell said Freeney was “coming along” in his recovery. Team president Bill Polian had stated Freeney would play in the Super Bowl. Freeney sprained his right ankle late in the AFC championship game against the New York Jets. It is important for Freeney to be 100% because he will be counted on to try to slow Drew Brees and the lethal New Orleans attack.

It goes to show even if we are in great shape, one awkward step can cause a nasty ankle sprain. The healing process after an ankle sprain happens immediately. Swelling is usually one of the first symptoms noticed along with pain. Swelling or inflammation is your body’s reaction to the injury to help bring nutrients to the area to speed the healing process. RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) is the term used to treat sprains for acute injuries. It is also important to strengthen the ankle muscles to prevent from further sprains during the rehabilitative process. Avoiding constant re-injury is critical. Obviously, it delays the healing process, but even worse, every re-injury and additional healing cycle means increased scar tissue build-up in the soft tissue.

Scar tissue is hard, inflexible, and tough to get rid of. As scar tissue develops, you lose the range of motion for that ankle/foot. Also, the more scar tissue, the more likely you will suffer from chronic pain or arthritis later on. Scar tissue means that your ankle does not perform as well as it once did and it makes it prone to injury again and again. If you have an injured ankle, it’s very important to heal it quickly and completely. Incomplete healing means it may curse you forever.

If you experience any type of ankle/foot pain, don't wait to call us because you are only slowing down your foot from getting back to normal healthy activity. You should always seek medical assistance as soon as possible to prevent further damage from occurring. Here at CKPA we specialize in the foot and ankle so call us and we will get you in right away.