RE - Ankle fracture and ligament sprain
RE is a semi professional footballer who sustained an undisplaced fracture and grade 2 ligament sprain to his right ankle in November 2013 whilst playing in a match. After several weeks of ankle immobilisation in a plaster boot, he was given the all clear from his Orthopaedic consultant to begin his rehabilitation.
On initial assessment, RE had a swollen ankle joint which showed reduced range of movement. His calf muscles had lost bulk and his balancing ability on his right leg was reduced. He was unable to jog or run and walking for periods over half an hour were limited by swelling and pain. His main goal was to return to football.
RE began a graded exercise program at AquaPhysio, initially focussing on ankle range of movement exercises, gait re-education and non-weight bearing aqua-running to maintain his cardio-vascular fittness. He made excellent progress through this stage of rehabilitation and was able to progress speddily to more dynamic load bearing tasks in the pool such as hopping and jumping on submerged plyometric pads. More recently, RE has been preparing for his return to football training using the underwater treadmill and AQX aquatic training shoesto run partially weight bearing. This has been successful in increasing the strength endurance of his ankle muscles and his general cardio-vascular fitness.
6 weeks after starting his rehabilitation at aquaPhysio, RE has recently returned to light football training and is able to confidently run, jump and change direction. He is beginning to integrate more land based football specific drills under advice from his football club's physiotherapist in order to make a safe but timely return to the demands of a full contact game.
