In this blog post we will talk about one of the most common ailments we treat. The sprained ankle. You will learn what happens to the ankle when you sprain it, what to do about, and how to prevent future ankle sprains. This is not medical advice, it is a guide to help you with your ankle sprain.
Anatomy of an Ankle
The ankle joint (also called the talocrural joint or the mortise joint) is composed of three bones; the tibia, the fibula, and the talus.
Connecting the bones are numerous ligaments, all of which can be sprained. The most commonly sprained ligament is called the Anterior Talofibular Ligament (ATFL) It connects the talus and the fibula at the front side of the ankle.
What to Do When You Sprain Your Ankle
When the ankle gets sprained, it hurts! There is no denying that. You might even think that you broke a bone. Most times that is not the case.
When you sprain your ankle try to move it slowly. Don't stand up yet, just try to move it. If it doesn't shoot pain with small movements, it probably isn't broken. It will swell up either way. This may take a few hours or just a few seconds.
Swelling is good!
It means that your body is starting to repair any damage that may have occurred when you sprained your ankle.
Once you know that you can move your ankle without any shooting, sharp pain, it is time to stand up and try to put some weight on it. Find something, or someone, to hold on to and gradually increase the amount of weight you place through your sprained ankle from little to full weight bearing. You may not be able to do full weight bearing, and that is okay!
Walking is going to be the hardest part when you sprain your ankle. This is because of the injury to the ligaments and the swelling that is occurring. Ligaments that are sprained are less likely to maintain the support they give to the ankle and the swelling is taking up precious space in the joint itself. That means that when you move, the ligaments will be aggravated (not injured more) and the joint will not have full movement due to the swelling taking up space.
When you get to a place you can rest and elevate your ankle (this may be the sideline, a chair, or waiting until you get home, etc.) it is best to do gentle pumps and/or circles with the ankle to help move the inflammation out of the ankle. The heart pumps the healing materials to the ankle, but muscle movement helps the extra materials leave the ankle.
Once the pain goes away or becomes less than 3 on a scale of 0-10 (0 is no pain what-so-ever and 10 is Emergency Room level pain) then you can start doing exercises to strengthen the muscles around the ankle.
Ankle Exercises
Banded Inversion
Banded Eversion
Seated Heel Raises
Seated Toe Raises
Single Leg Balance
Tandem Balance
Ankle Injury Prevention Exercises
Single Leg Balance
Single Leg Romanian Deadlift
Monster Walks
Squats
Lunges
Comments