The Super Bowl is just a few days away. Much of the media's attention this week has been on Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski and his ankle. He sustained a high ankle sprain during the AFC championship game a few weeks ago. A high ankle sprain is an injury to the syndesmotic ligament which connects the tibia and fibula in the lower leg. This type of injury usually occurs with an outward twisting of the foot and leg.
This type of injury can be difficult to heal. The degree of injury will determine the course of treatment to allow for optimal healing. Some high ankle sprains are treated with 6 weeks of immobilization in a cast. Other times this type of sprain requires surgery to place a screw between the tibia and fibula to hold the bones in proper position, allowing the ligament to heal. An additional surgery may be needed to remove the screw after the ligament has healed due to the risk of the screw breaking when the patient begins walking again.
There has been quite a bit of speculation about the severity of Gronkowski's high ankle sprain. We will all find out how much this injury has affected him on Sunday.