A sprained ankle will occur when you turn, roll, or twist your ankle in an unnatural way. When you do this, it stretches the ligaments that hold the ankle bones together. Your ligaments help to stabilize your joint, preventing any wrong kind of movement.
Symptoms
The symptoms of a sprained ankle will vary from person to person and will depend on how bad the sprain is. Symptoms may include:
- Pain
- Tenderness
- Limited range of motion
- Popping sound or sensation
- Swelling
- Bruising
- Instability
Treatment
Treating a sprained ankle will depend on how bad the sprain is. Treatment goals should include ways to reduce any pain and swelling, restore the function of the ankle, and heal the ligaments. If you have experienced a severe injury, you may be referred to an orthopedic surgeon for treatment.
Treating Your Sprained Ankle Yourself
There are several ways that you can help to treat your sprained ankle, and they include:
- Rest. After spraining your ankle, you will want to stay off of it until after it has healed. This will help to ease any pain and discomfort.
- Ice. After spraining your ankle, the first thing you should do is to put an ice pack on it or put your ankle into an ice bath. You should do this for fifteen to twenty minutes and repeat every two to three hours. You should continue to do this for several days after the sprain.
- Compression. You will want to wrap your ankle with an elastic bandage. Do not wrap too tightly as you will cause circulation issues. Compressing your ankle will help to aid in the reduction of swelling.
- Elevating. You will want to prop your ankle up above the level of your heart. This will need to be done, especially at night. Gravity works to help drain excess fluid off of your ankle, which will help to reduce swelling.
Medication
Pain from a sprained ankle may be managed by over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen, naproxen sodium, or ibuprofen. In some cases, if the sprain is severe, your doctor may prescribe you a stronger medication. If they do, it is imperative that you relax and not try to do much, as these medications can affect you in ways you may not expect.
Devices
Walking on a sprained ankle is painful, so you will need to use crutches until the swelling and pain stops. If you have a severe sprain, your doctor may recommend wearing an ankle support brace, sports tape, or an elastic bandage to help ensure that your ankle is stable. Some doctors may put your sprain in a cast or walking boot if they think the ligaments have been severely damaged.
Physical Therapy
Once you have seen a reduction of pain and swelling and you get your mobility back, your doctor will give you some exercises that you should do. These exercises will help to restore your ankle’s flexibility, stability, strength, and range of motion. In some cases, you may need to see a physical therapist to help you get the full use of your ankle back.
If you fail to do stability and balance training after having a sprained ankle, you may be at risk for not being able to run well, balance well, and you may find yourself at an increased risk to have another sprained ankle.
If you injured your ankle while running or doing another sport, it is important to talk to your doctor about when you return to that sport. You do not want to go out and run too soon with a sprained ankle, no matter whether or not you are feeling no pain. Your doctor or your physical therapist will need to access the full movement of your ankle to ensure that it can withstand you running or doing your sport again. Doing something too quickly can reinjure your ankle and can cause severe problems.
Surgery
Sometimes, in very rare ankle sprain cases, surgery is warranted. This happens when the ankle remains unstable after a period of rehabilitation and exercise, or the injury simply does not heal. Surgery may be used to reconstruct a ligament or to repair a ligament that is refused to heal.
Prevention
While in some cases you simply cannot stop an ankle sprain, there are things that you can do to help lessen your risk, and these include:
- Warming up. Before doing any kind of exercise, you should warm up. If you are running, you will want to make sure that you target your ankles and lower legs. This includes stretching and ensuring that you are ready to move.
- Avoiding issues. Do not do rapid increases in your speed or how long you are going running.
- Terrain issues. You need to be very careful when changing terrain and make sure that you know the area well. Many sprained ankles happen because people do not pay attention to the terrain very well.
- Quality shoes. You will want to make sure that you are using the best running shoes that you can find and that they fit well. Far too often, people purchase shoes that do not fit well and are not meant for running. You should be changing out your shoes at least every three to six months.
- Ankle supports. If you have already had an ankle injury or you have weak ankles, you should go ahead, and purchase ankle supports. These lightweight supports can help to increase the stability of your ankle, which will work to prevent sprains.
- Range of motion exercises. When you are working on strength training, you should work to increase your ankle’s range of motion. A great way to do this is to make each foot write out the entire alphabet in the air. This will help to ensure that you are able to have a good range of motion in your ankle.
- Balance exercises. Another great way to ensure that you are less at risk for ankle sprains is to do balance exercises. Work on standing on a single leg each day and then alternate. This will help to improve your balance and your ankle stability.
Sprained ankles can be painful to deal with, and if you live a active lifestyle, you will not enjoy being sidelined very much. If you are careful and do prevention techniques, you should have no trouble enjoying your run and not spraining your ankle.
