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The ankle is the joint between the bone at the top of the foot, the talus, and the lower ends of the shin bones, the tibia and fibula. It is called the talo-crural joint. Its main movement is up plantar flexion (when you go in tip toes) and dorsiflexion (toes pulled back toward you).
A common injury is a “sprained ankle” , either through an inward twist (“inversion”) or outward (”eversion”). Most commonly, there is a severe strain on the ligaments that run either side of the joint. Sometimes it can cause a fracture.Osteopaths treat the ligament strains by using supportive strapping, freeing of any joints that have got jammed as well during the injury, and oftewn helping recovery by getting the patient to use a wobble board.
Another injury is the “shifted talus”. This can happen when for example a footballer hits the ground with his toe, jamming the talus backward in the joint. Sometimes the opposite happens, on forcible pointing of the toes. There are osteopathic techniques that can quickly treat these conditions
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