Ankle sprain is a common injury seen in 80% of the population. It usually occurs due to an ankle twist happening in the inwards or outwards direction. most people experience ankle while running or sudden ankle pain without injury or just plain ankle pain, no swelling or just right foot swollen or inner ankle pain. all of these symptoms could be indicators of eitheir ankle sprain or occasionally tenodintis of ankle or foot. It may occur in sports like football, basketball, marathon runners and other sports which require quick change of directions.

Ankle sprain usually can be classified as mild, moderate or severe.
Mild ankle sprain indicates that there is mild overstretching of the ligament.
Moderate sprain indicates almost half of the ligament will be torn leading to pain, swelling and minimum instability.
Severe sprain includes complete tear of the ligament with huge swelling and occasional internal bleed as well.

The treatment for acute ankle sprains is based on Acute injury management which is based on PRICER principle i.e. prevention, rest, icing, compression and elevation.
Prevention– Individuals with previous history of ankle sprains are screened for instability and a preventive taping or a brace is provided
Rest– depending on severity of sprain it may vary from 3 days to 2 weeks. It includes not putting weight on the injured ankle, and then depending on the severity of the sprain, weight bearing can be gradually increased.
Icing– should be done immediately for around 15-20 mins atleast 3-5 times a day for the next 48 hrs.
Compression– can be provided via crape bandage or taping done by a physiotherapist.
Elevation– it is important to keep the leg elevated in order to drain the swelling around the ankle.

Referral – if  there is a need referral to the appropriate health care person is provided.

The physiotherapy treatment can be started to prevent these injuries before they occur in the form of Taping, Ankle Prehab Level 1 or after injury as early as 24 hrs. The treatment is aimed at reducing the swelling and improving ankle mobility via taping and non weight bearing exercises. The recurrence Rate of ankle sprain is very high and hence, at Physiocure our Rehab Programs/  Prehab is aimed at restoring the balance and stability as early in the rehab as possible.

if u have recently experienced an ankle sprain, try doing a some self ankle pain treatment by doing some warm water bath infused with some epsum salts. while your foot is dipped in knee high luke warm water do these warm water bath exercises. if you feel better try these ankle mobility exercises.

In case of recurrent ankle sprains, exercises aimed at restoring neuromuscular control and balance can help prevent the frequent recurrences.

try out our Prehab programs to avoid these recurrences.

neuromuscular retraining in later phase of rehab

Tips for preventing recurrent ankle sprains
1. Using a closed footwear / flat sandal
2. Avoid wearing heels and flip-flops
3. If there has been a sudden weight gain of more than 2 kgs, shedding off the weight helps in preventing recurrences.

4. Include ankle strengthening and stability exs in your daily fitness routine
5. For athletes, returning to sports before the injury has properly recovered puts them at a higher risk for recurrent sprains.
6. Icing works for acute injuries, but for those with chronic ankle sprains, heat therapy works better.