Jul 25 2007
Ultra Fast Recovery From Sprained Ankles
Go to a doctor! I might be a big nerd, but I’m not a doctor. This post is based on research I’ve done on the net and is for educational purposes only.
Ok, I got the disclaimer out of the way. I hope you find this information useful. So far it’s been a great help with my sprained ankle.
Sprained Ankle Basics
Ankle sprains are one of the most common sports injuries.
Your ankle is held together by elastic ligaments. Sprains occur when these ligaments stretch past their limits. This might also involve tears to, or in, the ligaments.
The most common sprain is cause by damage to the Talofibula ligament shown in the picture above. A bad sprain may also affect the Calcaneofibula ligament on the bottom.
Types of Sprains
You should have a doctor diagnose your sprain. But in a few words, here are the basic types of sprains.
- Grade I - Slight stretching and some ligament damage. You may not even see any swelling on a Grade I sprain.
- Grade II - Partial tearing of ligaments. May cause some joint “looseness.” A Grade II sprain would involve lots of swelling and difficulty in walking.
- Grade III - Complete tear of the ligament which takes many weeks to heal
The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons has a nice chart laying out details on the different types of sprains.
The First 48 Hours Are Key
Once the swelling and inflammation goes down you’ll probably regain a good bit of mobility, and hopefully loose your limp. In the first 48 hours make sure you RICE your ankle! In case you’ve lived in a cave for the past 10 years, R.I.C.E. stands for Rest, Ice, Compression (wrapping it) and Elevation.
Moving your ankle and regaining your range of motion are also key.
Rehabilitation
If you don’t make your ankle strong again you face re-spraining it. To begin this re-strengthening program you can do range of motion excercises:
Alphabet Writing - Write all of the letters of the alphabet with your foot.
Achilles Stretches - A familiar stretch for boxers, I need not elaborate.
Most of the strengthening exercises are also common to boxing. Toe raises or jump rope, cutting drills, running in a figure 8, etc.
Balance is heavily dependent on ankle strength and sprains can leave a lasting affect to your balance. Proprioception is the body providing feedback to the brain. Ankle proprioception can be damaged following a sprain, leading to problems controlling ankle movements. Range of motion and balancing drills such as standing on one foot can re-develop these.
For more information on ankle rehabilitation, checkout articles on About.com and the Orthopedic Association of Portland.
Prevention
Besides strengthening your ankle you want to avoid reinjuring it as the ligaments continue to heal. Go buy some tape and wrap your ankle before working out.
If you’ve never wrapped an ankle before, I found an excellent video on the eHow.com.
Good luck and happy rehabbing!
