Ankle sprains can happen virtually anywhere, at any time. Whether you’re an athlete running down the field to make a big play or you’re hurrying down the stairs at home because you’re late for work, it takes almost no effort to sprain an ankle and when you do, you’ll certainly know it!
About three million people each year sprain their ankles in varying degrees and, for the most part, it’s something that will work itself out over time, so long as you’re careful to not make it worse and aid the healing process. And, in order to prevent further harm to your sprained ankle, it behooves you to know a little about what the damage is and how it should be handled.
Understanding ankle sprains
The human body is full of ligaments that help to hold bones together—when these ligaments become strained, inflamed or torn, it’s known as a sprain. And, depending on the severity of the damage to a ligament, there are certain grades that can be assigned to a sprain—most people encounter low-grades sprains, however athletes often see higher grades trains due to the force of the strain that causes the sprain.
So what happens when you sprain your ankle? Well, the symptoms are usually pretty consistent, which makes it easy to identify and diagnose a sprain. Commonly you’ll have limited range of motion in the ankle, swelling, some redness and tenderness, and the inability to put weight on it, depending on the severity of the sprain.
Now, many ankle sprains may feel absolutely terrible when they occur, but you might be surprised to know that very few actually require any sort of intense rehabilitation in Brampton. It’s always a good idea to get an injury looked at by a professional, however don’t be surprised if you’re told to ice, elevate and wait for the sprain to heal itself!
Severe sprain treatment
Now, while the everyday ankle sprain might not require a whole lot of rehabilitation in Brampton, the opposite could be said for more severe grades—high ankle sprains especially. Again, more severe sprains are often attributed to athletes and it’s quite common for severe ankle sprains to be assessed by sport therapists for rehabilitative healing.
Rehabilitating an ankle sprain takes a precise approach to ensure that the efforts are helping the injury to heal, not further damaging the ligaments. Basically, what this means is that a professional should be dictating the rehabilitative approach—this plan should be unique to the sprain grade and the person, and this isn’t something you can or should find on the Internet and follow blindly.
Common rehab exercises for severe ankle sprains include massage therapy, range of motion exercises, stretching exercises and most equipment assistance such as wearing a brace, splint or tape.
After a serious sprain the main concern is regaining full range of motion and ensuring full ligament health. If all goes according to plan the sprain should be healed in a few weeks and back to normal after a few more!