What You Should Do After An Ankle Sprain

What You Should Do After An Ankle Sprain

Ankle Sprain Treatment

An ankle sprain is one of the world’s most common injuries. It is the ankle that is responsibe to balance the body’s weight while we constantly move around . Sometimes, a mis step takes the ankle by surprise and one twists or rolls their ankle causing the ligament, tendon, and blood vessels to damage.

When this occurs, there are a few important rules to follow. Firstly, get off your ankle and apply ice. Icing lowers swelling decreasing the pain you will experience as well as makes it easier to wear your shoes. Take anti-inflammatories to reduce swelling and pain and elevate the foot while icing.

Next, if you cannot walk without tremendous pain, definitely use crutches. The key is too prevent further injury to your ankle while it is healing over the 6 week period. This means use crutches if you need too, wear comfortable shoes, wear comfortable orthotics, and buy and wear an ankle brace.

No ankle sprain treatment is complete without an ankle brace. Ankle braces restrict the movement of the ankle so that it can not move around. This drastically decreases the chances that the ankle will be injured.

A black and blue is normal as well as redness and swelling. If you feel that the sprain is severe, you should see a podiatrist who will provide an x-ray to determine if the ankle is broken. They will also provide treatment advice on your case.

Physical Therapy For An Ankle Sprain

All the above advice is to help heal the ankle and reduce ankle pain. The next step is physical therapy. This part is just as important as the healing process because without it, the chances of re-injuring your ankle and having to go through this process again is very, very high.

The ankle is extremely weak after an injury and because of this, cannot support your weight while walking. You are likely to roll it again at any minor crack in the floor or mis step.

At Cross Bay Physical Therapy, we re-strengthen the ankle and it’s surrounding muscles so that the ankle is stronger than it was before. It cannot re-roll during strenuous or normal activity. With Howard Beach physical therapy, the chances of re-injuring your ankle are low while without physical therapy, those chances are much higher. This is why many people suffer from chronic ankle sprains, because they have not rehabilitated their ankle.

Here are some examples of exercises to re-strengthen the ankle.

  1. Balance on A Bosu Ball
    1. One stands on a bosu ball with one foot and uses the ankle to balance the body. This exercise helps with balance as the ankle is forced to move side to side and front to back balancing itself. Once off of the ball, it will be harder to take a mis step because your ankle is now stronger.

2. Calf Raises

1. It is important to strengthen the muscles around your ankles so that they too can support the ankle as it does it’s job to balance the body.

Schedule An Evaluation Now!

Our Howard Beach physical therapists use proven and effective physical therapy methods to heal ankle sprains and prevent further injury.

Call 718-835- 0084 and schedule your evaluation now!