Today we want to share some great tips on getting back on your feet after spraining an ankle. In terms of common physical injuries, a sprained ankle is right up there as something most of us will experience in a lifetime. Essentially, this happens when the ligaments in your foot are moved beyond their normal range of motion. They’re either stretched too far, or they end up tearing completely. A sprained ankle is often called a rolled ankle because it usually happens when you roll your foot onto the side, which stretches those important ligaments.
It can be extremely painful, usually leading to swelling, bruising, and the inability to walk. Loads of people can sprain their ankles if they already have unstable joints, but your choice of footwear also impacts things. For women, sprained ankles tend to commonly happen when you’re wearing high heels or other shoes that don’t offer much support. It’s so easy to go over on your ankle, hear a horrible pop, and be rushed to get urgent care. Similarly, when you’re pregnant, the extra weight bearing down on the ankle joint makes it unstable, so there’s more chance of spraining it then.
No matter how you sprained your ankle, it’s important to get back on your feet right away. Here’s what you should do in this situation:
Get a diagnosis
The chances are you only have a sprained ankle and nothing too serious. However, if you’re in a lot of pain, you might be better off seeing a doctor or an injury specialist. This way, you can get a proper diagnosis to see how badly you have sprained your ankle. Most sprained ankles can be easily recovered without any medical intervention. In extreme cases where the ligaments have torn really badly, you might need surgery. I want to stress this is highly unlikely!! But, it’s worth getting a diagnosis as you’ll at least know what to do next and how long your recovery will be.
RICE
No, don’t put a bag of ice on your ankle, it’s not a water-damaged phone! RICE refers to the following:
- Rest
- Ice
- Compression
- Elevation
Basically, these are all the things you should do to let your ankle heal. Rest as much as you can with your ankle elevated above the level of your heart. Use an ice pack to soothe the swelling and wear compression bandages to further prevent swelling.
Physical therapy
Once your ankle has started to heal, and you can walk on it again, you should start some physical therapy. You don’t need to see anyone for this, there are plenty of videos and articles online outlining different exercises you can do to help strengthen the ligaments, stabilize your ankle, and prevent the injury from happening again. This is such an important step as many people that sprain their ankle will do it multiple times as the joint becomes so unstable.
That’s all there is to it! These are the steps to follow to get back on your feet following a sprained ankle. As with all injuries, be it a sprained ankle or back pain, you can also use pain medication to help you out. However, be sure you do all of the above as the meds won’t cure your injury, they only mask the pain temporarily.
Read more health articles at ClichéMag.com
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