Connor Barwin of the Houston Texans suffered a season ending ankle injury last weekend during their season opener against the Colts. During the first half of the game after what appeared to be an average play, the Texans defensive lineman dislocated his ankle. He was scheduled to undergo surgery to repair the ankle early in the week.
So what does this mean for the NFL player? Very rarely does an ankle dislocation occur as an isolated event, usually there are fractures of the ankle that occur that need to be repaired to stabilize and relocate the ankle to its proper alignment.
The ankle joint is comprised of the fibula, the tibia and the talus. There are multiple crucial ligaments that kees these bones attached to each other and prevent the ankle from dislocating. If any of these bones are broken or the ligaments or torn and enough force is applied the joint can then dislocate. This injury must be surgically repaired for successful long term outcomes.
To fix the injury, the broken bones and ligaments must be repaired. This usually means a couple of plates with screws. When the ligament between the tibia and fibula is torn, I prefer to use a tightrope to pull these back together and allow the patient to return to exercise activity much faster.
So what can Connor expect from his ankle in the future. With proper realignment and physical therapy, he'll be back to tackling opponents next season. But his ankle will never be perfect. And arthritis will occur, no matter how good the repair is. But proper shoe gear and orthotics will reduce his arthritis significantly.
Have ankle pain? Foot and Ankle Associates of North Texas can help.
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