Photo: PhotoNews Media
StatePoint Media -- As fall sports heat up for kids, so do 5Ks, marathons and golf tournaments for adults, leading to ankle sprains for athletes of all ages.
"Both serious athletes and weekend warriors often underestimate how serious a sprain can be, and they rush back into action without taking time to rehabilitate the injury properly," says Michael J. Cornelison, DPM, FACFAS, foot and ankle surgeon and president of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS). "While no one enjoys being sidelined from the physical activities they love, quickly diagnosing and treating an ankle injury expedites the healing process. It also reduces the chances of long-term, chronic ankle pain."
To help people manage this painful injury properly, the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons is sharing some important insights and facts:
What is an ankle sprain? An ankle sprain is an injury to one or more ligaments, usually on the outside of the ankle. The severity depends on whether the ligament is stretched, partially torn or completely torn, as well as on the number of ligaments involved. Ankle sprains are not the same as strains, which affect muscles rather than ligaments.
What are the causes of ankle sprains? Sprained ankles often result from a fall, a sudden twist or a blow that forces the ankle joint out of its normal position. Sometimes ankle sprains occur because of congenital conditions or previous injuries.
"I always recommend that those who’ve suffered sprains and injuries in the past get their ankles checked for chronic instability as they start new fitness routines," says Dr. Cornelison.
Do ankle sprains require a doctor’s visit? Those with ankle injuries should see a foot and ankle surgeon any time there is bruising or the inability to bear weight on that foot. Receiving a correct diagnosis is essential as different injuries require different treatment. An examination can determine if there is a fracture — which involves a crack or break in the bones that form the ankle joint. It can also differentiate between a high ankle sprain and a lateral ankle sprain.
Can an athlete play through the pain? Whether training for a 5K or quarterbacking for a high school team, getting back in the game is often a patient’s top concern, and athletes may experience pressure from teammates and coaches to play through pain. But rehabilitation of a sprained ankle needs to begin right away. If rehabilitation is delayed, the injury may be less likely to heal properly, and may lead to chronic ankle instability, which is not only painful, but can increase the risk of additional ankle sprains down the line.
How are ankle sprains treated? Most ankle injuries require no surgical intervention, according to Dr. Cornelison, who stresses that foot and ankle surgeons will always choose the most conservative treatment for the best long-term outcomes. In addition to rest, ice, compression and elevation, (also known as RICE) doctors may also recommend physical therapy to promote healing and range of motion, as well as NSAIDs to reduce pain and inflammation. In more severe cases, or in cases where the injury was initially neglected, surgery may be required to repair the damaged ligaments. The foot and ankle surgeon will select the procedure best suited to the type and severity of the injury.
For more ankle sprain information and to find a foot and ankle surgeon near you, visit FootHealthFacts.org, the patient education website for the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons.
Will you own an electric car? If you live long enough and that’s all that is being made, you probably will. Many of us we’ll hold out for as long as possible.
I’m all for electric cars especially if someone else is buying them. If 20 percent of America’s driving population goes to the electric vehicle, EV, then surely gasoline will become cheaper. Less people buying gasoline will reduce the demand and it should reduce the price. We hope.
California will not allow the sale of gasoline cars by 2035.
This same state told EV drivers not to charge their electric cars during the past Labor Day weekend when the temperatures were expected to hit triple digits for millions of residents putting a drain on the power grid.
This brings us to the same crisis every community will face. America’s power grids aren’t ready to accommodate millions of EVs plugging in a for a recharge. The prospects of city and regional blackouts are alarming. You can forget charging your car. You won’t be able to charge your cell phone or have air conditioning or heat during a blackout.
I’m not opposed to electric cars. I am opposed to them being crammed down our throats. The manufacturers are being pushed to eventually eliminate all gasoline vehicles. We will see how this goes over the next ten years.
Plan to spend some money. A local salesman talked to me about an electric Mustang. Stickered at $48,000 but they were asking $58,000 because as he said, “We can get it.” I didn’t want the car to begin with but was curious about the car.
It sounds time consuming to recharge an EV, although some EVs are promising up to 150-mile charge in a short amount of time.
EVs could mean fewer people on America’s Interstates. Currently in most American communities its much easier to go home to recharge at your own power station. Cross country driving will be out of the question or very difficult in an EV for the next two or three years. Currently an EV will go about 250 to 350 miles on a charge. This means you will always be searching for the next power station. This will be a major lifestyle change.
There are reports that Pilot and Flying J will have charging stations installed by 2025 and are spending a billion dollars to upgrade their facilities. They will also want to recoup their costs.
The car will cost you more money. You will spend anywhere from $20,000 (low minimum) to $6,000 to install a station at your home and this is all variable. To keep your car charged at home will cost you about what you spend on your monthly electric bill now. So, figure your electric bill doubling, if you’re lucky.
You may be wanting something different in your life and an EV may be just what you want. There is a lot to consider and on some level they will impact all our lives, eventually.
"People in the winter time, particularly in northern, far northern latitudes or far southern latitudes, farther away from the equator will tend to get kind of sluggish and maybe depressed, they start to have carbohydrate cravings, and it may be enough that it’s really a significant problem for them," explains Dr. Scott Hamilton, a psychiatrist with OSF HealthCare Behavioral Health in Bloomington.
As a behavioral health psychiatrist, Dr. Hamilton works with people suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder. He says there’s a difference between SAD and a case of the occasional winter blahs. If you find your mind and mood are impacting your relationships, ability to work, or social activities, it’s something that needs to be addressed.
There are a number of treatment opportunities for Seasonal Affective Disorder. Dr. Hamilton says one of the most effective is bright light therapy.
"These have a UV shield, full spectrum light, 30 minutes in the morning is how most studies were done with pretty good results. Pretty uniformly positive results in people that have wintertime depression, and people that don’t have winter depression, they do sometimes still help, but they’re not as likely to be helpful."
Dr. Hamilton says these light boxes are available online, often for less than $50. He also says that simple behavior modification can help with SAD symptoms. He says eating well and exercise can have a tremendous effect on depression symptoms, but if a person is having a tough time functioning on a day-to-day basis, he or she might want to see a therapist for professional help.
"I think trying that and getting more exercise and doing some healthy things first does make sense," said Dr. Hamilton. "If they get to the point where they can’t function or they get suicidal thoughts, things like that, then they ought to talk to somebody. Those would be the real red flags."
Learn more about Seasonal Affective Disorder 
