With more people working from home due to the Covid-19 pandemic many of those people are taking up exercise. This is obviously a good thing but with the increase in exercise participation, we are seeing an increase in ankle sprain/strain injuries coming into The Core. Not only are these ankle injuries initially very painful and debilitating but if they are not managed correctly they can lead to chronic issues. Let’s look at what should be done right from the beginning when you sprain/strain your ankle.
The Ice Treatment
As already mentioned a sprain/strain of the ankle is extremely painful. Most of the pain is a result of the initial inflammatory process and as the swelling continues the movement at the ankle and foot becomes reduced. So for the first 48 hours using ice or cold water is essential. Apply the ice/cold water for 15 minutes, keep it off for 30 minutes and then reapply the ice/cold for 15 more minutes. Continue this process or at least try to repeat it every couple of hours. This will help to reduce both the pain and the inflammation. It is also very important in the first 48 hours to move the foot and ankle in all its different ranges of motion but strictly non-weight bearing. The best way to do this is to envision the toes as the point of a pencil and then attempting to write the letters of the alphabet, both capitals and lower case. This will achieve all the ranges of motion.
After The First 48
After the first 48 hours, it is time to introduce some heat and some weight-bearing movement. Find 2 containers that when filled with water will allow the water to come up over the ankle bones. Fill one with bath warm water and some epsom salts. Keep a kettle of hot water close by to keep it warm. Fill the other with ice water and keep some ice cubes handy to keep that water icy. Put the injured ankle/foot into the hot water for 3 minutes then immediately into the cold water for 1 minute. Repeat this 5 times so that it takes 20 minutes to finish. Do this 3 times a day. Weight-bearing walking should be started but may require crutches or a cane depending on pain. If weight-bearing is too painful at this time it is recommended that an X-ray be done to rule out possible fractures. At The Core, we would use laser, ultrasound, and electrotherapy as well to help speed up the healing and manage the pain.
Rehabilitation
After the acute phase of care, it is extremely important to begin restoring strength and the ability to balance properly. You can build muscles that will help protect the ligaments from future sprains and you can restore nerve signals to and from the brain that were damaged by the injury. These allow us to know what the foot and ankle are doing without us looking down at the ground with every step we take. The physiotherapists at The Core are well trained at providing these exercises to ensure that your chances of having chronic issues are significantly reduced.
