Jeter Breaks Ankle, Out of Playoffs

Baseball fans know the extremes in emotion a playoff game can cause.

One minute you’re flying high, and the next, stunned disbelief.

Last night was one of those nights for NY Yankees fans. They were trailing the Detroit Tigers in the ninth inning of Game 1 of the AL Championships, when Raul Ibanez hit a two run homer to tie the game. The jubilation was short-lived.

In the 12th inning, Detroit won by two runs, but even more importantly, they lost shortstop Derek Jeter to an injury. Jeter’s left leg collapsed as he was fielding a ground ball. X-rays revealed an ankle fracture that will require at least 3 months to heal.

Yankees Manager Joe Girardi told reporters:

There is disappointment that we didn’t win the game. There is disappointment that our captain and our leader went down for the rest of the year.

At this time, it is unknown whether surgery will be necessary.

Ankle Anatomy

The ankle joint is made up of 3 bones, ligaments and a joint capsule:

• The tibia,sometimes called the shin bone, is the main bone of the lower leg, and makes up the inside of the ankle joint.
• The fibula is a smaller bone that lays next to the tibia on the outside of the lower leg and makes up the outer side of the ankle joint.
• The talus is a odd hump shaped bone of the foot that the tibia and fibula arch over to form the ankle. Those bumps that stick out from the sides of your ankles are called malleoli (singular is malleolus). They are the end parts of the tibia and fibula that surround the talus.
• A fibrous membrane called the joint capsule, lined with a smooth layer called the synovium, encases the bony joint structure. The joint capsule contains synovial fluid which allows for smooth movement of the joint surfaces.
• The ankle joint is stabilized by 3 groups of ligaments, which are strong bands of fiber that hold these bones in place.

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What you should know about ankle fractures…

Although there are many ways to fracture an ankle bone, the most common injuries involve a sharp twist of the ankle or a direct impact that breaks at least one (or more) of the ankle bones.

Symptoms of a fracture include:

• Pain, swelling, tenderness and bruising at your ankle joint
• Inability to move your ankle through its normal range of motion
• Inability to bear weight on your injured ankle (although being able to bear weight doesn’t rule out a fracture)
• In more severe cases, there may a deformity of the lower part of the leg

These symptoms are nearly identical to those of a ankle sprain, and the only way to know for sure whether an injury is a fracture or a sprain is by taking an xray of the ankle.

Treatment for a fractured ankle usually involves casting to prevent movement while the bones heal. More severe fractures, especially involving both bones, may require surgical stabilization as well.