David S. Weiss , MD. Sports Orthopedic Surgeon. Michael J. Alaia , MD. Lauren E. Borowski , MD. Sports Medicine Specialist. Dennis A. Cardone , DO. Jeffrey M. Gross , MD. Salil Gupta , MD. Orthopedic Surgeon. James Gurtowski , MD.
Soterios Gyftopoulos , MD. Musculoskeletal Imaging Specialist. Stuart J. Hershon , MD. Parul Jajoo , DO. Laith M. In most cases, over-the-counter pain relievers — such as ibuprofen Advil, Motrin IB, others or naproxen sodium Aleve, others or acetaminophen Tylenol, others — are enough to manage the pain of a sprained ankle. Because walking with a sprained ankle might be painful, you may need to use crutches until the pain subsides.
Depending on the severity of the sprain, your doctor may recommend an elastic bandage, sports tape or an ankle support brace to stabilize the ankle. In the case of a severe sprain, a cast or walking boot may be necessary to immobilize the ankle while it heals. Once the swelling and pain is lessened enough to resume movement, your doctor will ask you to begin a series of exercises to restore your ankle's range of motion, strength, flexibility and stability.
Your doctor or a physical therapist will explain the appropriate method and progression of exercises. Balance and stability training is especially important to retrain the ankle muscles to work together to support the joint and to help prevent recurrent sprains. These exercises may involve various degrees of balance challenge, such as standing on one leg. If you sprained your ankle while exercising or participating in a sport, talk to your doctor about when you can resume your activity.
Your doctor or physical therapist may want you to perform particular activity and movement tests to determine how well your ankle functions for the sports you play. In rare cases, surgery is performed when the injury doesn't heal or the ankle remains unstable after a long period of physical therapy and rehabilitative exercise.
Surgery may be performed to:. Schedule an appointment or get emergency medical care for suspected sprains that don't respond to self-care strategies or that cause continued pain or instability. If your sprain is severe, you may be referred to a doctor who specializes in sports medicine or orthopedic surgery.
So you also need a brace to protect your ankle if you try to put weight on it. E levation. Raise your ankle above the level of your heart for 2 to 3 hours a day if possible. This helps to reduce swelling and bruising. What kind of rehabilitation program should you follow? Health Tools Health Tools help you make wise health decisions or take action to improve your health.
Actionsets are designed to help people take an active role in managing a health condition. Cause Ankle sprains occur when ligaments that connect the bones in the foot, ankle, and lower leg stretch or tear. Grade I is stretching or slight tearing of the ligament with mild tenderness, swelling, and stiffness. The ankle feels stable, and it is usually possible to walk with minimal pain.
Grade II is a larger but incomplete tear with moderate pain, swelling, and bruising. The ankle sometimes feels stable, but the damaged areas are tender to the touch, and walking is painful.
Grade III is a complete tear of the affected ligament or ligaments with severe swelling and bruising. The ankle is unstable and may feel "wobbly.
Symptoms People usually feel immediate pain at the site of an ankle sprain. When to Call a Doctor Call your doctor now or seek medical care if: Your ankle looks different than normal. Your pain is getting worse. Your swelling is getting worse. You are unable to put weight on your foot. Exams and Tests Your doctor will ask you when and how the ankle sprain occurred and ask about any prior injuries.
You may need to use crutches until walking is not painful without them. For the first 48 to 72 hours or until swelling goes down, apply an ice pack for 10 to 20 minutes every 1 to 2 hours during the day. After 48 hours, you can continue with ice or try contrast baths. There is not good scientific evidence that ice or contrast baths help, but they are often used. An elastic compression wrap will help decrease swelling and should be worn for the first 24 to 36 hours.
A protective brace should also be worn if you try to bear weight on your injured ankle. Don't apply the wrap too tightly. Loosen the bandage if it gets too tight. Signs that the bandage is too tight include numbness, tingling, increased pain, coolness, or swelling in the area below the bandage. See instructions on how to wrap an ankle with an elastic bandage. Compression wraps do not offer protection, except by reminding you to be careful of your ankle.
Raise your ankle above the level of your heart for 2 to 3 hours a day if possible to decrease swelling and bruising. Using Crutches Using a Walker. Home Treatment Ankle sprains take an average of 6 weeks to heal but can take can up to 4 months, depending on the severity.
Range-of-motion exercises to move the joint as far as you can in every direction that it moves. You can start these exercises soon after your injury. Stretching exercises to keep your Achilles tendon heel cord flexible while your ankle heals. You can start stretching as soon as you can do so without pain. Strengthening exercises to strengthen the muscles so they help support your ankle. Talk to your doctor or physical therapist about the timing of strengthening exercises for the ankle.
In general, you can start these exercises after you are able to stand without increased pain or swelling, as long as you do not feel pain while you do them. Balance and control exercises to help your foot and ankle respond to activities, which can help prevent reinjury. You can usually start balance and control exercises when you are able to stand without pain. But talk to your doctor or physical therapist about the exact timing.
You should not feel pain while doing these exercises. Also, don't try these exercises if you could not have done them easily before your injury. If you think you would have felt unsteady doing these exercises when your ankle was healthy, you are at risk of falling when you try them with an injured ankle. Sprained Ankle: Rehabilitation Exercises. Ankle sprain. In JF Sarwark, ed. Giza E, Silvers HJ Ankle instability prevention. In JC DeLee et al.
Philadelphia: Saunders. Hertling D, Kessler RM Lower leg, ankle, and foot. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. Krabak BJ In WR Frontera et al. Mann JA, et al. Foot and ankle surgery. New York: McGraw-Hill. Credits Current as of: July 1,
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