Hello USTA Mid-Atlantic! I’m Dr. Blake Moore at Atlantic Orthopaedic Specialists. I specialize in foot and ankle surgery for both acute injuries and chronic care. I work in Virginia Beach and see patients at both our Princess Anne and Camelot offices. My Athletic Trainer, Riley Fontaine, MSAT, ATC, OTC will be available at USTA MAS events across the greater Hampton Roads area for consultation and appointment scheduling if you experience an injury and need further care.
I wish to offer some advice to keep you in the game not only today, but for many years to come. There are a number of different structures in the foot and ankle that can lead to daily discomfort and even debilitating pain. For anyone who has experienced this type of pain you know that it can affect your daily life and extend to your game play as well. Among the various conditions that can affect one’s foot and ankle, tennis players are at an increased risk to sustain an ankle sprain due to the constant demands of the sport including lateral movement, cutting and twisting.
Recent sports literature suggests that ankle sprains are the most common injury suffered during sports participation. With appropriate treatment the vast majority of these injuries go on to heal themselves. If left untreated, and repeat incidents occur, some athletes go on to develop chronic ankle instability, where the ankle is no longer able to support the body as its virgin status once could. If you’ve experienced one of these injuries, here is what you should know.
Prevention of a primary incident or rehabilitation to prevent a secondary event is thought to be the key to decrease the rate of recurrence in most cases. Ankle sprain prevention programs that include proprioceptive exercises, isolated single leg strengthening and balance activities have been shown to decrease the risk of sustaining a repeat ankle sprain. An ankle sprain, regardless of severity, affects the ligaments that stabilize your ankle. Proper treatment and gradual/monitored return to sport, increase the chances of a long, healthy and successful career.
Click here to watch Dr. Moore demonstrate what severe ligament ankle damage looks like.
With those tips in mind we hope you have a healthy and successful career. If you sustain an injury to the foot or ankle we would be happy to treat you and team up to safely return you to play. Please feel free to schedule an appointment by contacting Ceil Scarano at (757) 321-3307, or visit www.atlanticortho.com for more information.