I sprained my ankle today at school because of a damn soccer game during gym.
I have a training camp next week (28-30 of March), and I was wondering if there is anything I could do to help speed up the healing. My doctor said this is a classic sprain and I should ice it a lot, but other then that he didn’t think I should wrap it up because he thinks the movement will keep it from feeling like a block of concrete when I start running/walking normally again.
Any help is appreciated.
Having torn all tendons in each ankle on numerous occasions(latest time happening last week) I know a bit about ankle rehab.
My tips:
Ice is king
A little Ibuprofen does not hurt
It is important to get your strength and range of motion back, however please wait untill the swelling is gone.
Some exercises:
Draw the ABC’s with your foot
Put a towel on the floor with a light weight on the towel and pull it with your foot. Foot is rotating on your heel.
Just give it time, you should be fine - Dont rush things or you will lose some ankle flexibility.
THanks,
Corbin
Go here: http://www.nismat.org/ptcor/ankle_sprain/index.html
I am a chronic ankle sprainer and now I’m working with a wobble board to get some strength and propioception back. Hey your a teenager, you’ll be back running by friday!
In addition to the above good advice, get hold of an Air cast stirrup - a form of functional bracing. There are randomised trials which show it speeds recovery by allowing the ankle to move while helping the swelling and allowing the injured ligaments to not take any additional stress. If you’re like me, it’s not bad to own one, as every year or two I have a good sprain. The proprioceptive exercises like the wobble board are a very important part of prevention as well.
Deke
Thanks, that site is great. I think I have a Grade I (thank god). It hurts but I can walk, and I have no problem moving my toes. It swelled to a decent size, but after the ice it’s down to around the size of a 1/3 of a tennis ball.
I always sit at the comp with my legs elavated (out of laziness though), so I guess it’s a good thing in this case.
I really hope I can attend that training camp next week, but I did skip swim practice today.
One thing I do notice is that I have a lot of knacks when I try walking normally. Same kind of sound when you crack your knuckles. Is this normal?
Can be.
Deke
I read an article recently that suggests that ankle sprains are the Roger Dangerfields of injuries. They get no respect and people fail to recognize the long-term problems they can create. Be sure to follow the advice of competent medical providers.
Once you sprain the ligament, usually you can’t resprain it so that is a good thing. Unitl your able to streghten the joint, its gonna feel a little loose. Best thing to do is fill a bucket of ice and stick your foot in there. Four minutes of pain, then it goes numb. your toes are going to feel like they will explode but you’ll be fine. Massage the ankle after, working toward the knee. Stay away from splints, the sooner you can get back the better. Try to walk as naturally as you can, don’t limp if at all possible. Balance boards are good. Your gonna really feel it in the pool when you kick so be prepared. Other than that just don’t try and come back too soon and risk other joints being injured. good luck kevin
Yo Freestyle,
i am in the ankle sprain club too, but it started with a few fractures.
here’s some more tips:
-after injury: ice 48 hours
-then hot/cold water cycles (5-10 min. each ending with cold)
-ice water soaks work best – fill up some buckets and soak
-i never soak in ice for more than 10 minutes
-avoid ibupro when running etc = pain masking
RICE
-sleep with your ankle elevated above the heart
heal fast,
FASTMAN
Thanks everyone.
“Once you sprain the ligament, usually you can’t resprain it so that is a good thing.”
I’ve heard people say this before. It’s wrong. If you stress a ligament as it’s trying to heal, it heals too long. If it heals long, and you keep respraining it, you have an unstable ankle, because the ligament turns into a flimsy, tattered piece of crap, and it doesn’t get better no matter how strong you make the muscles around it. There are splints and then there are splints - you don’t want it immoblised in flexion and extension, but you want it not to invert any more. I agree with the Rodney Dangerfield comment above - it’s better to treat it right early, because if you neglect it, and keep abusing it, you can end up seeing someone like me.
Deke
I tried to cut and paste a reply, but seem unable to do that even thought the post preview shows my pasted response. It’s still on my clipboard. anyone know if I can repaste it or do I have to retype the whole thing?
You can also buy an “air-splint” for camp to help support your ankle. It’s a plastic splint with inflatable lining. It’s designed so you can still run in it if you trim the straps down a little. I missed a year of running from what the ortho described as the worst sprained ankle she’d ever seen. My doc gave it to me when I was given the OK to start running. You definitely want it to heal a little tight and lose some flexibility than heal loose. If it’s loose you cannot make it tighter but if it’s too tight you can regain your flexibility through stretching. One legged squats and hopping are a good exercises that combine flexibility,strength and balance. If you can’t hop around on your bad foot then you’re not ready to run.
I sprained my ankle last year, on Thanksgiving playing football with my kids. I did the normal RICE thing and started running again sooner than I should have - but like I always did after an ankle sprain. Well, here it is March and am starting to look for a Dr as this one did not go the normal course. Not fun so take care and don’t underestimate the injury. My ankle I sprained last year is still obviously larger than the other one. I don’t think that is a good sign . . . but the optimist in me thinks is was larger before but I just didn’t notice. Be cautious young grasshopper
Deke and seel98,
I’m just gonna retype this, so here it goes.
Not having your ankle, or seeing your progress, I can only make generalizations. A recent article in PHYSICIAN AND SPORTS MEDICINE might be instructive.
I mostly6 agree with Deke, but lots of rest, ice (a bag of frozen peas works great, if you con’t have the flexible cold gels, and ait can be used several times before you have to relegate it to pea soup and get a new one), compression and elevation at the beginning. The Air Cast stirrup will stabilize your ankle while allowing near complete range of motion, so that you can bear weight with less,or no, pain and use your ankle while keeping you from further injuring it. (If it hurts bear weight in the device you might have a syndesmosis tear, which is more serious.) You can progress to walking and even light running while using. (It fits inside your shoe (preferrable a high-top). When you can without pain without the stirrup, use it mostly for jogging or light running, until you can run without it.
The towel sliding, one-legged stands, and wobble are invaluable to rehab your proprioceptors. THE LIGAMENT DOES NOT HEAL AS STRONGLY AS BEFORE, IT HEALS WITH SCAR, WHICH IS NOT AS STRONG AS LIGAMENT, but, proper rehab of the ankle and proprioceptors will significantly reduce your risk of reinjury. A visit to your orthopedist and/or PT may be warranted if you are not getting better soon.
The training camp might not be adviseable if you are not able to participate without pain. Luckily mild sprains, while they take several months to reach full healing, are often pain free in a few days to weeks.
Lastly, continuous use of NSAIDS, such as ibuprofen, actually delay healing, so don’t use them consistently for more than a week.