Another method of treatment of sprains of the ankle is by strapping with adhesive plaster, but it is advisable only for slight injuries. In severe cases, in which extensive laceration of the ligaments is suspected from the marked extravasation, it is best to immobilize the foot in a plaster-of-Paris splint for two weeks; later baking in a hot-air oven (see “Arterial Hyperemia”) with massage, and active and passive motion are advisable.
In simple sprains, the fixation does not produce serious stiffness, and without fixation the repair of the ligaments is only partial. In the latter case, the result is weakness of the ligaments and an instability of the foot which leads to frequent recurrence. This explains many habitual sprains. On the other hand, under appropriate treatment, a sprain should recover without leaving any functional disturbance.
CHAPTER XVII
DEFORMITIES
PES PLANUS, OR FLAT FOOT
The terms weak foot and flat foot will be used to designate the mild and the severe forms of the same condition which include all the deviations from the normal height of the arch of the foot.
Flat Foot may be congenital or acquired, the former being a very infrequent deformity, and the latter one of the most common pathologic conditions.
Congenital Flat Foot is a deformity of infrequent occurrence, and in some cases is associated with defective formation of the bones of the foot. In this condition the whole foot is displaced outward in relation to the leg; the sole is rolled outward, the inner malleolus is prominent and the foot is abducted on itself, and in severe cases, it cannot be replaced in its normal position on account of the contracted tissues.