Sprained an Ankle? Don’t Delay Treatment!
Regardless of how mild or severe an ankle injury is, it is extremely important that you book an appointment with a physio promptly for safe return to activity.
● A sprained ankle is the stretching or tearing of 1 or more of the ligaments in the ankle.
● With each ankle injury, the risk of re-injury increases significantly.
● Ligaments provide the brain with a lot of sensory feedback, damaging a ligament reduces this feedback and therefore a good rehabilitation program is needed for recovery.
● Research has shown that the faster physio treatment is commenced, this will in turn decrease that risk of re-injury in the future.
● Begin treatment of Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation (RICE) as soon as possible along with a low dose of oral and gel anti-inflammatories.
● There are multiple locations and levels of severity of ankle injuries and therefore following exercises found online are inadvisable until further assessed by a physio.
● The level of pain, swelling and difficulty walking is not always directly linked to the severity of the injury, it is not unheard of that a patient with a complete ligament tear will present with minimal symptoms.
● An x-ray will only show if the injury involves any broken bones and not the involvement of any ligaments, patients are often dismissed from A+E, told there are no fractures, are told to ice the area then to return to activity as pain allows. This advice often leaves patients with months of being unable to return to activity comfortably.
● An MRI scan will show if the injury involves any soft tissue such as ligaments.
● Depending on the level of damage, rehabilitation will be done through a graded exercise program.
● The injury may or may not require a brace/immobilisation.
An ankle sprain is an injury that we often see people ignore as they feel that resting the injury is sufficient recovery. Having your ankle checked by a physio soon after it happens is always advisable to avoid an extended recovery period.
