Sprain your ankle once or repeatedly? Here are some tips to help you recover

"Sprained ankle" is very common in life, but if it is not taken seriously and not treated properly in the early stage, the ankle ligaments will loosen, which may cause joint instability and easily lead to repeated sprains. Therefore, if you sprain your ankle, you should seek medical treatment in time and seek professional rehabilitation treatment!

▲What is a sprained ankle?

Ankle sprain, commonly known as "sprained ankle", refers to the situation where the ankle joint moves beyond its normal range (excessive inversion or eversion) during walking or exercise, causing damage to the soft tissues around the joint, such as ligaments, tendons, and joint capsules.

Related studies show that ankle sprains have the highest incidence rate among all sports injuries, accounting for more than 40%. Most ankle sprains are caused by lateral ligament injuries. If not treated properly in the early stage, the ligaments will be too loose, which can cause ankle instability, easily lead to repeated sprains, even articular cartilage damage, traumatic arthritis, and in severe cases, affect walking function.

▲Why do people sprain their ankles?

Ankle sprains usually occur when the ankle twists inward or outward, which can cause the surrounding ligaments to be strained or torn when the joint moves beyond its normal range.

▲Factors that increase the risk of sprains:

Lack of exercise, weak ankle muscle strength and poor flexibility;

Loose joints, such as congenital arthrogryposis;

Walking or running on uneven surfaces;

Sports, such as basketball, football, cross-country running, long jump, etc.;

Wearing inappropriate shoes for exercise, such as high heels, soles that are too soft, or shoes that are too low.

▲What will happen if you sprain your ankle?

Pain is the primary symptom of all ankle sprains.

In mild to moderate sprains, the ankle joint is slightly swollen and tender, and the pain worsens when the ankle is moved.

In severe sprains, the pain is more severe, the swelling is severe, and there are often obvious subcutaneous ecchymoses. It is impossible to walk or even bear weight.

The pain is usually severe in acute sprains, while chronic sprains often present as persistent mild to moderate local pain.

▲How to treat a sprained ankle?

When it comes to ankle sprains, you must not be careless to avoid serious adverse consequences. You should seek medical attention in a timely manner and, if necessary, undergo auxiliary examinations such as X-rays, CT scans, or MRI to confirm the diagnosis.

For the treatment of ankle sprains, it is recommended to adopt the "PEACE and LOVE" principle.

The PEACE principle is used in the acute phase:

Protect——protection, prevention of secondary damage

Elevate——elevate the affected limb

Avoid antiinflammatory modalities

Compression——Pressing the affected limb

Educate——Cognitive Education

In the recovery period after the acute phase, the LOVE principle is used:

Load——Appropriate load

Optimism

Vascularization

Exercise

▲How to recover after spraining your ankle

It is roughly divided into 6 steps: protect the injured part and avoid further injury → reduce pain, swelling and spasm → restore joint mobility and flexibility → restore nerve and muscle function, restore muscle strength and endurance → restore proprioception, coordination and agility → restore limb movement skills.

Different physical factors can be used for treatment at different stages to reduce swelling, relieve pain, reduce local inflammation, and promote tissue repair.

After the symptoms are relieved, you can cooperate with the following training movements to improve the stability of the ankle joint, assist recovery, and reduce the possibility of recurrence of injury.

Single-leg standing: stability training, 10-20 seconds/set, 3 sets; initially on flat ground, later on a cushion.

Sitting ankle dorsiflexion: 5-7 times/set, 3 sets, resistance can be added later (such as tying sandbags, using elastic bands, etc.)

Sitting ankle plantar flexion: 5-7 times/set, 3 sets. Later on, you can add resistance (such as a soft ball or elastic band) or standing heel raises

Sitting ankle eversion/circumduction training: 5-7 times/set, 3 sets, resistance can be added later

When you can easily control it, you can add elastic bands to strengthen the training, especially elastic bands to improve the strength of ankle dorsiflexion

Resistant plantar flexion training

Resisted Dorsiflexion Training

Resistance inversion training

Resistance eversion training

▲Pay attention to these to prevent sprained ankles

1. Warm up before exercise

2. Be extra careful when walking or running on uneven surfaces

3. Those who have had ankle sprains and weak muscles around the ankle joint should use ankle braces for protection.

4. Choose suitable sports shoes and do not do strenuous exercise while wearing high heels

5. Maintain good muscle strength and flexibility

6. Perform stability training, such as balance training, etc.