HEP: Lateral Ankle Sprain
Patient Education
What’s going on?
Sometimes when you roll your ankle, tissues that stabilize your ankle can be stretched or torn.
This can result in pain, swelling, and instability.
Don’t worry with rest, and therapy, you can recover fully.
How long will it take?
If you make the necessary adjustments to your activities to decrease stress on the ankle, and surrounding tissues, you will likely see significant improvements in one to six weeks depending on the severity of the injury.
How will we treat your condition at IHSM?
At IHSM, a doctor of physical therapy will perform a detailed physical examination to determine what specific tissues and joints in your ankle and foot are the cause of your pain.
Based on the findings, we will design a specific treatment plan to help you recover.
Our plan will include an exercise program to help improve the flexibility and mobility of your ankle joint and surrounding muscles.
Strengthening and conditioning exercises including balance training are critical to your full recovery.
Modalities such as acupuncture, infrared heat, or electrical stimulation may be used to control the pain in your ankle and foot.
Orthotics or taping may be necessary to support your foot and reduce stress on the tissues.
In addition, we will also work with you to explore ways to perform bothersome activities in a more comfortable manner.
What can you do to help yourself?
Rest is absolutely essential to allow tissues to heal properly.
If the sprain is severe, use crutches and immobilize the ankle for a few days (or even up to a week or more).
Elevate the leg to help reduce swelling.
Adherence to our comprehensive home program is essential to ensure an optimal recovery.
If the pain is very severe and constant, avoid putting weight on your foot initially, to reduce stress on the healing tissues.
Refrain from performing activities that exacerbate the pain like walking, running, jumping and cutting.
A structured and gradual rehabilitation program for return to sport is important to limit recurrence.
Instructions:
As soon as it doesn’t hurt too much to put pressure on the ball of your foot, start stretching your ankle using the towel stretch. When this stretch is easy, try the other exercises.
About IHSM
Integrative Health and Sports Medicine, LLC is a one-stop health and wellness center. Our mission is to restore our patients to a healthy, pain-free, and productive life. By combining orthopedic physical therapy techniques, sports medicine, acupuncture, and Chinese medicine, we can treat conditions and achieve results in cases that have not responded well to modern Western medicine.
We are located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Please email us at info@ihsm.org to schedule a consultation and let us help you on your journey to optimal health.