Symptoms Of A Sprained Ankle
Some signs that youve likely rolled your ankle include:
- Pain when putting weight on the ankle or when moving.
- Signs of a swollen ankle, including puffiness, redness, heat and throbbing near the affected ligaments/joints.
- Bruising near the bone or other types of discoloration of the skin. Severe ankle sprains are often accompanied by bleeding that in turn causes bruising, This causes a black and blue appearance.
- Some report hearing a snapping or popping sound when the injury takes place. This usually happens in the case of a severe sprain in which the ligament completely tears.
- Loss of functionality and reduced range of motion in the lower body. Sometimes pain and dysfunctional musculoskeletal problems can extend up to the ankles, calves, outer thighs or knees. This makes it hard to go about normal activities.
- If you repeatedly roll the ankle, you might notice pain on the bottom of the feet . Or you may develop clawed toes/hammertoes due to your form/stance.
What Should I Do If I Sprain My Ankle
Ankle sprains are very common injuries. Sometimes, it is an awkward moment when you lose your balance, but the pain quickly fades away and you go on your way. But the sprain could be more severe your ankle might swell and it might hurt too much to stand on it. If it’s a severe sprain, you might have felt a “pop” when the injury happened.
A sprained ankle is an injury or tear of one or more ligaments on the outer side of your ankle. If a sprain is not treated properly, you could have long-term problems. A sprain can be difficult to differentiate from a broken bone without an X-ray. If you are unable to put weight on your foot after this type of injury, or if there is significant swelling, bruising, or deformity, you should seek medical treatment from a doctor . This may be your primary care physician or pediatrician, an emergency department, or a foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeon, depending on the severity of the injury.
Tell your doctor what you were doing when you sprained your ankle. He or she will examine it and may want an X-ray to make sure no bones are broken. Most ankle sprains do not require surgery, and minor sprains are best treated with a rehabilitation program similar to your sporting activities. Depending on how many ligaments are injured, your sprain will be classified as Grade 1 , 2 , or 3 .
Conventional Sprained Ankle Treatments
Doctors sometimes perform an X-ray on an injured ankle to ensure no bones are broken. Oftentimes its possible to diagnose a sprained ankle based on symptoms and appearance. Your doctor will look for signs of ankle swelling. She will talk to you about your symptoms and how the injury happened. She may also move around or press the ankle to determine how limited your range of motion has become. Once diagnosed, your orthopedist or doctors recommended treatments for the sprained ankle can include:
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How To Strengthen Your Ankle After A Sprain
To recover from an ankle sprain fully, you’ll need to restore the normal range of motion to your ankle joint and strengthen its ligaments and supporting muscles. Studies have shown that people return to their normal activities sooner when their treatment emphasizes restoring ankle function often with the aid of splints, braces, taping, or elastic bandages rather than immobilization . Called functional treatment, this strategy usually involves three phases: the RICE regimen in the first 24 hours to reduce pain, swelling, and risk of further injury range-of-motion and ankle strengthening exercises within 4872 hours and training to improve endurance and balance once recovery is well under way.
Generally, you can begin range-of-motion and stretching exercises within the first 48 hours and should continue until you’re as free of pain as you were before your sprain. Start to exercise seated on a chair or on the floor. As your sprained ankle improves, you can progress to standing exercises. If your symptoms aren’t better in two to four weeks, you may need to see a physical therapist or other specialist.
Can I Walk On A Sprained Ankle
Perhaps this question is better phrased as, Should I walk on a sprained ankle? The general rule is that if you feel pain in your ankle when you put weight on it, you shouldn’t be walking on it. Use crutches for the first several days after suffering the injury, and then use an ankle brace or boot to provide support. Also, just because you can walk on a sprained ankle a week or so after the injury doesnt mean you should be running or trying to do other athletic activities.
If youre not sure which of these sprained ankle remedies is right for you, consult with a physician. Ask him or her about prescribing Game Ready to help control pain and inflammation while you recover.
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In Addition To These Symptoms An Ankle Fracture Might Also Include:
- Pain and swelling that does not reduce after a day or two
- Inability to bear weight on the injured leg
- Numbness or weakness
- Reduced circulation
If there is any doubt about whether your ankle is sprained or fractured, immediately seek medical attention. If you have a mild or moderate injury, consider these sprained ankle remedies:
To Ice Or Not To Ice A Sprained Ankle
Rest, ice, compression, and elevation or RICE, as it is commonly known, has been the standard of treatment for injuries since the acronym was coined by Dr. Gabe Mirkin in 1978 in Sportsmedicine Book. Since that time, RICE has been considered the standard in caring for injuries. You would be hard-pressed to find someone who sprains their ankle and doesnt immediately stick an ice pack on it.
However, in recent years the RICE approach, particularly the icing component, has been challenged throughout medical literature, even with Dr. Mirkin himself publishing an article on how ice may, delay recovery.
There is also conflicting evidence as to the effects of icing on swelling, as well as reducing pain. Some of the literature seems to promote modest benefits, while others do not. A newer study, published in May 2021, investigated whether icing had any effect on pain intensity, swelling, or range of motion after acute ankle sprains. The overall take-away was that there was no improvement on swelling, pain, or range of motion when compared with exercise alone.
Are the other parts of RICE still important for a Sprained Ankle?
Compression: If there is a lot of swelling, use a compression sock or ace bandage to provide compression. It should be tight, but not so tight that it cuts off circulation or is painful. This will help minimize some of the swelling that makes the ankle feel stiff.
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Everything You Need To Know About Sprained Ankles
One small misstep off a curb or a turn of your ankle on the sports field can have lasting effects, taking you out of the game and making it hard to walk. When the ankle is overstretched or rolled, it can pull on the ligaments hard enough to cause a sprain.
This injury is quite common, and can happen to people of all ages but its most common for athletes. Ankle sprains often happen when youre jumping or running sometimes while playing soccer, football, or volleyball.
After My Ankle Sprain Heals What Can I Do To Strengthen My Ankle
It’s important for you to strengthen your ankle after a sprain. This helps prevent another injury. Use elastic tubing and follow a few basic exercises described on the next page. Do each exercise 10 times do 3 sets of each exercise, twice a day. For example, in the morning, you’ll do 40 repetitions 3 times. In the evening, you’ll do another 40 repetitions 3 times.
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How To Perform Heat Therapy
There are many products on the market that penetrate deep tissues for effective heat treatment. Whether dry heat or moist heat may be more appropriate depends on the condition. A heating pad is an example of a dry heat source, whereas a warm bath is a popular moist heat therapy. Research has shown that moist heat may be superior to dry heat when it comes to penetrating deeper tissues. Therefore, moist heat may be more effective for treating denser muscle tissues, such as the quadriceps. During heat therapy treatments, its important to use a comfortable level of heat to minimize the risk of burns. When it comes to a warm soak in a hot tub, whirlpool or bath, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission does not recommend soaking in temperatures in excess of 104 degrees Fahrenheit Heating pads or heating packs should be wrapped in a towel or layer of fabric to prevent direct contact with the skin.
While heating pads and packs may be ideal for wider areas such as the lower back, smaller joints may require other types of heating products for optimal treatment. For example, those suffering from arthritis pain may choose to fully submerge the joint in a paraffin bath. While minor aches and pains may benefit from short 15 to 20 minute treatments daily, moderate symptoms may need extended treatment. Those with chronic muscle soreness may see good results from a soak in a warm bath for an hour or two.
Common Aches Pains And Soft Tissue Injuries
Sprains
Whether the result of a slip around the house or a misstep on the playing field, many of us have experienced a painful sprain or two. A sprain is a common sports injury that generally occurs in the wrists, knees, and ankles. Throughout the human body, tissues known as ligaments support joints by connecting bones to other bones. A sprain is the result of the tearing or stretching of one of these ligaments too far. Common sprain symptoms include swelling, pain, discomfort, and difficulty moving the affected joint or limb.
Strains
While ligaments connect bones to other bones, tendons attach muscles to bones throughout the body. Overexerting a muscle or stretching a tendon or muscle too far can result in a strain. Muscle strains involving the lower back, legs, and shoulders are common. Typical symptoms of strains include pain, general stiffness, weakness, swelling, muscular spasms, and difficulty moving the affected area.
Cramps
While ligaments connect bones to other bones, tendons attach muscles to bones throughout the body. Overexerting a muscle or stretching a tendon or muscle too far can result in a strain. Muscle strains involving the lower back, legs, and shoulders are common. Typical symptoms of strains include pain, general stiffness, weakness, swelling, muscular spasms, and difficulty moving the affected area.
At-Home Injury Care: What Is the Rice Method?
R Is For Rest
I Is For Ice
C Is For Compression
E Is For Elevation
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How Is A Sprained Ankle Treated
For the majority of ankle sprains, healthcare providers recommend using the PRICE method for the first 24-48 hours after injury. PRICE stands for protection, rest, ice, compression and elevation.
- Protection. Use crutches or apply a splint or brace to limit use of your injured ankle.
- Rest. Limit physical activities that may cause stress to the sprain .
- Ice. Apply ice or a cold pack in a towel to your ankle in 20-minute increments to reduce swelling.
- Compression. Gently wrap your ankle in an elastic bandage to help decrease swelling.
- Elevation. Raise your ankle on pillows while youre sitting or lying down so that it’s higher than your heart.
If your sprain is very painful and swollen or you’re having trouble walking and putting pressure on your ankle, visit your healthcare provider for treatment.
Ankle Sprain: What Can You Do
In the first few days after an ankle injury, people are usually advised to rest their foot, keep it elevated, cool their ankle and use a compression bandage. Resting your foot for a while at first can help reduce the swelling and pain. But if the ankle sprain isn’t severe, there are good reasons to already start doing suitable exercises very early on.
Cooling your ankle with an ice pack may provide some pain relief. There isn’t much research on how effective cooling the ankle is. If you feel that cooling helps, there is little reason not to. But ice cubes or ice packs should not be placed directly on your skin because this could lead to a cold burn.
According to studies, compression bandages can help in the healing process. Compression bandages are elastic bandages that are wrapped around the foot, from the tips of the toes to above the ankle, to apply gentle pressure. This is best done by a medical professional, to make sure it isn’t too loose or too tight.
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Sprained Your Ankle Now What
Topics in this Post
You step off a curb, land wrong after shooting a basket, stumble on uneven ground, and ouch! Your ankle tells you something is wrong. That something may be an ankle sprain, which happens when you roll your ankle inward, excessively stretching the ligaments supporting the joint. An ankle sprain is the most common injury among athletes and weekend warriors, but it can happen to anyone who’s active or simply takes a misstep.
What Is A Sprained Ankle
A sprain is usually a sign that certain parts of the body are overused and stressed. A sprained ankle can also be called a rolled ankle or twisted ankle. Pain often means that a tear has developed in one or more ligaments that support and stabilize the ankle.
Ligaments are strong bands of tissue that hold bones together. They keep joints in place like the ankle, wrist, knee, parts of the lower back, neck, elbow and shoulder. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons states, An ankle sprain occurs when the strong ligaments that support the ankle stretch beyond their limits and tear. The ankle ligaments are pulled beyond their normal range of motion.
The lateral ligament is located on the outside of the ankle. Its the part of the ankle most often injured due to rolling, overusing, twisting or straining. Up to 85 percent of all ankle sprains result from dysfunction of these ligaments. The ankle ligaments are made of small tissue fibers. These fibers can develop injuries ranging from small pulls or twists, to complete tears.
If the ankle ligaments are completely torn, the ankle may become unstable even after the initial injury passes. This sets the scene for weakness, instability and other injuries in the future. Over time, muscular compensations caused by instability can result in damage to the bones and cartilage of the ankle joint. This is especially risky for those who engage in high-impact exercises such as running or playing contact sports.
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How Do I Wrap My Ankle
Take the compression wrap out of the packaging and unroll it. Place a small section of the cloth just behind your toes and begin to wrap it in a spiral toward your heart. Each layer should cover about half the width of the previous one. Continue wrapping around the foot, heel, and ankle until every bit of skin — up to several inches above the injury — is covered.
If you still have pain and swelling, ask your doctor about over-the-counter pain relievers. Donât give aspirin to anyone under age 19.
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Questions To Ask Your Doctor
- What grade of ankle sprain do I have?
- Do I need to wear a cast, boot, or brace? If so, for how long?
- How long until I can return to my regular activities?
- What can I do to prevent re-spraining my ankle?
- What should I look for in supportive shoes?
- What kind of ankle brace should I wear when playing sports?
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How Long Should It Take To Heal From A Sprained Ankle
There is no single answer to this question because how long it should take to heal from a sprained ankle depends on a number of factors. The severity of the injury, how much rest you get after the injury, the treatment approaches you take, and your overall health may influence how fast the healing process goes. In general, healing times are as follows:
- Mild sprains: 1-2 weeks
- Moderate sprains: 4-6 weeks
- Severe sprains: 8-12 weeks6
In some cases, a severe sprain may require surgery or physical therapy to fully support recovery.
How To Treat A Sprain Strain And Stiffness
Knowing exactly when to use heat or ice can shorten recovery time and help with chronic aches, pains, and stiffness. Treating an injury can be tricky and not all sports injuries or conditions will require strictly ice or heat therapy. In some cases, both ice therapy and heat therapy can play a crucial role in the rehabilitation process. Generally speaking, ice therapy is more appropriate for new injuries, like sprains and strains, whereas heat therapy is typically better for treating chronic conditions.
The RICE method is useful immediately following a sprain or strain and can also help with swelling or sharp pain following rigorous activity or exercise. Heat is often best for tight muscles, sore muscles, as well as the stiffness and pain associated with arthritis. Heat can also be used following an acute injury to increase blood flow once the swelling has subsided. Remember, though, that applying heat too soon following an acute injury can increase swelling. After sustaining a sudden injury, ice therapy should be used for the first 24 to 72 hours and, after that, individuals can transition to heat therapy in order to increase blood flow to the area.
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