Prevention and Treatment of Ankle Sprains
What is an Ankle Sprain?
An ankle sprain is an overstretch or tear of the ligaments that hold your ankle bones together. This is normally due to the ankle rolling or hyperextending beyond its normal positioning. The ligaments in your ankle are there to prevent the bones from moving beyond a normal range. These ligaments give you stability in your leg when you’re walking, jumping, and running.
What Causes Ankle Sprains?
Ankle sprains normally happen when the ankle is rolled or hyperextended. This can be caused by walking on uneven surfaces, turning while running too quickly, or from poor shoe structure. It is more likely to sprain the ligaments on the outer side of the ankle due to how people walk.
Hos do I Know if I Sprained my Ankle?
Sprained ankles are normally characterized by pain and swelling of the ankle. Most people notice increased pain when walking or bearing weight on the affected ankle. Other symptoms include a decreased range of motion, tenderness of the ankle itself, and a popping or clicking sound when flexing the ankle.
How are Ankle Sprains Treated?
If a sprained ankle is suspected, consult your physician or urgent care to ensure that there are no broken bones or torn ligaments. A doctor will normally order an X-Ray and MRI to confirm there are no breaks or torn ligaments. Once these have been ruled out, the standard treatment for a sprained ankle is RICE. RICE stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. Ligaments will take time to heal but you can expedite the process by not further stressing them with exercise. Adding ice, compression, and elevation to the affected area as well can help to limit pain and swelling. If the pain is severe, over the counter pain medications like Advil and Tylenol can be used to alleviate the tenderness.
Can I Sprain my Ankle More Than Once?
Once you have sprained your ankle, the ligaments will be slightly weaker than they were before. It is important to strengthen the ankle joint and provide sufficient stability when exercising. This can be done by allowing the ankle to heal completely before going back to physical activity.
Can an Ankle Sprain Lead to Something Worse?
A sprained ankle could potentially lead to a torn ligament or broken bone within the ankle if it is not treated correctly. This is fairly uncommon as the ankle is a resilient joint but it is still something to keep in mind. The more pressing issue with repeated ankle sprains is long term usage. The more times you sprain your ankle, the more likely it is that you will have long-term pain and limited range of motion. This will become more problematic as you age as joints lose range of motion as we age already.
Preventing Ankle Sprains
The best way to prevent ankle sprains is to build strength within the muscles surrounding the ankle joint and to wear supportive footwear when exercising. Ankle braces can be a great supportive tool to add in addition to footwear for athletes that are making quick turns and side to side movements. Speak with your doctor about adding ankle strengthening exercises to your routine to help prevent ankle sprains if you have already had one or if you are at a higher risk.
Written by: Micheline Maxwell, PharmD, Leg Up Recovery
