A slip on the ice can be tough on the ankles
Last Updated: 2006-01-05 8:24:06 -0400 (Reuters Health)
By Megan Rauscher
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - With old man winter bearing down in Northern climes, the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS) warns that falls on icy surfaces are a major cause of ankle sprains and fractures.
And it's not just the elderly who run the risk of taking a spill on the ice. "Yes, it's very common for older people to slip and fall on the ice in winter, but pretty much everyone is vulnerable to slipping on ice in the winter time," Dr. Matthew Dairman, an ankle and foot surgeon, noted in an interview with Reuters Health.
Dairman, a member of the ACFAS, and an assistant professor at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia, also noted that the ankle joint is especially susceptible to sustaining a serious injury from an ice-related fall because ice accelerates the fall, often leading to more severe trauma.
Most people don't often realize, warned Dairman, that sprains and fractures often occur at the same time and a bad sprain can mask a fracture. "Just because you can walk on your ankle or foot after a fall doesn't mean you don't have a fracture."
Dairman advises "anyone who falls and has a great deal of swelling, bruising, and difficulty with walking to seek medical attention," to prevent further damage that can prolong recovery.
If that's not possible, it's best to follow the RICE strategy -- an acronym for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation.
"Rest it immediately after the injury; apply ice to it, 20 minutes on 20 minutes off; apply compression, usually with an ACE wrap; and elevate it above heart level or at least above the hip to reduce swelling," Dairman explained.
"Sometimes a P is added to it to make it PRICE therapy, which is protection in the form of a cast or splint," he added.
Never soak the injured ankle or foot in warm water, Dairman stressed. "That's absolutely the wrong thing to do because that will increase the swelling, increase the pain, and prolong the injury," he said.
According to the ACFAS website -- FootPhysicians.com -- symptoms of ankle sprains and fractures overlap, but, in contrast to sprains, fractures are associated with pain at the site of the fracture that can extend from the foot to the knee. Also fractures often involve significant swelling, blisters over the fracture site, and bruising soon after the injury.
A fracture is obvious if bone protrudes through the skin, which is a sign of a compound fracture. This requires immediate attention.
