How to do rehabilitation exercises for an ankle sprain?
Jan 19, 2021 · January 2021 No. 19. What I Learned Treating my Own Ankle Sprain. Jerry Ditz, DPT, Dip. Osteopractic, Cert. SMT, Cert. DN. Stepping in a sprinkler hole this summer while jogging gave me an unexpected opportunity to experience my own response to a variety of current treatment approaches for lateral ankle sprain to determine their efficacy.
How long does it take to recover from a sprained ankle?
Nov 10, 2021 · In this article, you will learn everything you need to know about a lateral ankle sprain injury and the best ankle sprain rehab protocol!
What is the ankle sprain program?
Rehabilitation of Acute Ankle Sprain Rest, ice, compression, and elevation. The initial focus of an acute ankle sprain rehabilitation program focuses on reducing pain while restoring strength and range of motion. Historically, clinicians have applied the principles of rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE) therapy near universally.
Why is it important to treat a sprained ankle?
Apr 30, 2014 · This injury is surprisingly common. In the United States alone, 23,000 people sprain their ankle each day, and the medical costs associated with treating ankle sprains exceeds $1.1 billion annually. To make matters worse, these numbers do not take into account the long-term disability often associated with ankle sprains. In a 10-year follow ...
How to protect ankle after sprain?
Protection of the injured area immediately after an ankle sprain means that we should strive to not do any activities or movements that cause an increase in baseline pain levels. This means that the general rule of thumb for these exercises is only to move within your tolerable pain-free ranges! Because most ankle sprains involve the ligaments on the outside of the ankle, moving the ankle inwards will typically cause discomfort. This is because you are putting a little stretch on the injured ligament, so be cautious with the inward direction in the first week or so! You will be able to slowly reintroduce this movement after the initial acute phase of the injury once your symptoms begin to subside.
What is a sprained ankle?
An ankle sprain is an injury to the ligaments of the ankle. Ligaments are a type of connective tissue that connects bones to other bones to provide stability to joints and prevent excessive movement. While the ankle has an abundant supply of ligaments, the most commonly sprained ligaments in the ankle are all on the lateral or outside portion ...
Why is it so hard to sprain your ankle?
Lateral ankle sprains can be challenging and frustrating due to having the highest injury AND reinjury rate amongst any lower-body injury. The high reinjury rates are likely because most ankle sprains aren’t properly managed in the first place.
What is lateral ankle sprain?
A lateral ankle sprain refers to a ligament injury of either the anterior talofibular (ATFL) and/or posterior talofibular ligament (PTFL) and/or the calcaneofibular ligament ( CFL). These ligaments are described based on what bones they connect to. These ligaments collectively provide stability to the lateral aspect of the ankle.
Do you need an x-ray for ankle sprain?
Understand, however, that most ankle sprains do not require imaging. Imaging (like x-rays) should only be used if a fracture is suspected, in this case, you want to push pause on your ankle sprain rehab. Moreover, tissue healing timelines will be different based on the severity of ligament injuries.
Is swelling in the ankle normal?
Don’t worry, swelling is a normal process after an injury, and the ankle is one area of the body that is more prone to swelling. However, even if the ankle sprain looks really bad with tons of bruising, you should only seek out imaging based on the Ottawa Ankle Rules below:
Is lateral ankle sprain more common than high ankle sprains?
As previously mentioned, lateral ankle sprains are much more common than high ankle sprains. In the chart below, we have detailed the major differences between these two types of ankle sprains. You can read more on high ankle sprains HERE!
How to heal ankle sprain?
Regardless of the degree of ligament damage, the goal of treating an ankle sprain is to restore strength, flexibility, balance, and endurance as quickly as possible during the first few days following injury. Adding an elastic bandage to a standard air cast has been proven to reduce the length of time to full recovery by 50 percent.
What are the predictors of ankle sprains?
Although numerous factors have been proven to correlate with the development of ankle sprains (such as high arches, poor balance, tight calves, and decreased overall fitness), by far the best predictors of future ankle sprain are prior ankle sprain and being overweight. In fact, heavy runners with a prior history of ankle sprain are 19 times more ...
Can you sprain your ankle?
Although an ankle can be sprained in any direction, the most common ankle sprain occurs when the rearfoot inverts (arrow A ). The sudden movement can damage the anterior talofibular ligament and/or the calcaneofibular ligament. Here’s how to treat and rehab a sprained ankle—and make sure it doesn’t happen again.
How to get rid of a swollen thigh?
Start by sitting with your foot flat on the floor and pushing it outward againstan immovable object such as the wall or heavy furniture. Hold for about 6seconds, then relax.
Can a sprained ankle cause long term pain?
Ankle sprains are common injuries that can result in lifelong problems. Some people with repeatedor severe sprains can develop long-term joint pain and weakness. Treating a sprained ankle canhelp prevent ongoing ankle problems.
What gets injured?
Depending on the severity of the sprain, the most common ligament injured is the anterior talo-fibular ligament. With more severe sprains, the calcaneofibular ligament gets sprained as well. It is worth noting that you can also suffer a “high ankle sprain” or syndesmotic sprain.
What is the cause of ankle sprains?
Most inversion ankle sprains occur when you “roll” the ankle some way, like we described above. As a result, there is lots of pain and often an inability to walk without a limp.
Do you need X-rays after an ankle sprain?
Ankle sprains are an injury that get way too many X-rays. Granted, it’s good to be cautious, but many people sit for hours in an emergency room waiting for an X-ray that many times is unnecessary. The Ottawa Ankle Rules are a reliable method of determining if an X-ray is necessary.
Should I use crutches?
Maybe. If you are limping around, then you should. Limping creates more problems and delays proper healing. You may not need two crutches, one may do the trick. The key is no limping. FYI – if you use one crutch, it should go on the OPPOSITE side of your injury! Yes, it’s true.
Do I need rehab?
You may think we’re a little biased, but this is a resounding YES! Without rehab, the ligament heals improperly, you won’t have your full strength and balance, and may not even get your full motion back. Even a few visits to learn the best exercises are a good idea.
Introduction
Master The Sagittal Plane
Ligaments Are Alive, So Recruit Them Fully
Think – What Are You Trying to prevent?
Don’T Hesitate – Supinate
Fighting Against Evolution
Conclusion
- To conclude, this blog briefly outlines 5 methods to improve your ankle rehabilitation. We explored the importance of not restricting our ankle rehab to just plantigrade movements, optimising ligament recruitment, how to select our exercises based on LAS mechanics, exposing the ankle to supination and how to create ‘’stiffness’’ in the ankle. Of co...