Physical Therapy For An Ankle Sprain
Ankle Sprains are common but chronic ankle sprains are common also. A chronic ankle sprain occurs when you have sprained your ankle, went through a healing process, and then suddenly sprained your ankle again. This is a nuisance as you will have to spend another six weeks in recovery.
At Cross Bay Physical Therapy, we make sure this does not happen to our patients because we understand the cause. The cause of chronic ankle sprains is weak ankles. The way to stop it from occurring is by re-strengthening the ankle and it’s surrounding muscles.
After a sprain, the ankle joint is damaged and it’s surrounding muscles are weak. It cannot hold up and balance your body. Even after several weeks when the ankle joint heals, it is still weak. This means that while you are walking around happy to be on your feet again, any little misstep can cause the ankle two twist, roll, and sprain.
After a sprain, you will want to immediately get off your ankle, elevate it, and ice it. Make sure to ice it at least 3 times per day for 15 minutes for the first week. Also, if you cannot walk with pain, make sure to use crutches for the first couple days. Also, very important is using an ankle brace. An ankle brace restricts the movement of your ankle making it virtually impossible to roll your ankle again.
Re-Strengthen Your Ankle
As you begin to heal, you will likely need some physical therapy to regain strength and push the ankle into the direction of recovery. Our physical therapists guide your ankle to full recovery while increasing your range of motion. We also make sure you ankle gets stronger instead of just staying weak.
Here are a few examples of ankle strengthening exercises:
- Balance on a Bosu Ball - In our facility, we have a ball called a Bosu Ball, which is an inflated ball with a flat surface. You will balance on this ball with one foot for one minute. Your ankle will have to keep your body balanced which will prepare it for the “real world”. It is one of the most effective exercises to re-strengthen an ankle.
- Calf Raises - Keeping the surrounding muscles strong is key as these muscles are now overcompensating for a weak ankle and with sufficient stress can become injured themselves.
Our office in Howard Beach has helped patients overcome injuries for over two decades with our hands-on physical therapy approach and we are confident we can help anyone heal with a sprain.
Call (718) 835-0084 and schedule your appointment.