In the 2024 Copa America final, Lionel Messi appeared to hurt his ankle in the 36th minute after a collision with Santiago Arias and another non contact injury to the same ankle in the 64th minute that forced him to leave the field. He had an ankle eversion injury and had major swelling to his ankle. He had ice applied to the medial side of his ankle which suggests that he most likely had deltoid ligament sprain vs. high ankle sprain which can sideline him from returning to action for a longer period of time.
Deltoid ligament sprains typically occur when you roll your ankle. They are rare, only accounting for 15% of ankle sprains. The primary symptoms of a deltoid ligament sprain are pain and swelling of the inner ankle.
Other symptoms may include:
Bruising, which may spread to your heel
Difficulty bearing weight or walking on the injured heel
Feeling a tear at the time of injury
Hearing a pop at the time of injury
Trouble moving your ankle
Your symptoms may vary depending on the severity of the sprain. Recovery usually takes 6 to 8 weeks.
High ankle sprains on the other hand will take a longer recovery time. High ankle ligaments are located above the ankle between the tibia and fibula. It is important to have stability between these bones at this level because walking and running place a tremendous amount of force at this junction. The treatment initially will include the rest, ice compression, elevation. Balance and stability training is especially important to retrain the ankle muscles to work together to support the joint and to help prevent recurrent sprains. Surgery is sometimes also needed depending on the degree of instability or the lack of response to nonsurgical approaches.
Messi’s availability will be determined based on his recovery progress. Wishing Messi a safe and speedy recovery.
