How Do You Treat an Ankle Sprain?
Ankle sprains are a very common injury seen in both the athletic and non-athletic patients. Ankle sprains are not a light foot injury for some people. They seem to happen quickly and without much warning. It does happen to many people and you could experience mild to severe pain depending on how bad you sprained your ankle.
A sprain basically injures your ligaments after a twist of the ankle. That twist causes your tendons to stretch beyond their given limits. So, if your ankle is able to withstand a higher than normal stretching point beyond what others can tolerate, you may not experience severe pain and could recover sooner. For others, your ankle ligaments may tear and cause a significant sprain that may take longer than usual to get healthier.
TREATMENT FOR ANKLE SPRAINS
Treatment of ankle injuries depends on the extent of the injury. Below are some common treatments:
Rest your ankle to help the injured ligaments heal.
Ice may help decrease inflammation.
Utilize as much support as possible. This would require the use of a supportive device such as taping or bracing for support.
Take medications to lessen swelling and pain.
Participate in physical therapy to help strengthen the ankle as it recovers from the sprain.
You can use crutches to help avoid placing weight on your ankle after the sprain.
SEVERE ANKLE INJURIES
If your sprain is very significant, you may need to have surgery to repair injured ligaments. This procedure may be performed in a quick manner or could be more comprehensive depending on how bad your sprain is. What’s important to remember is that if you do incur a sprain and do not treat it accordingly, you may have to undergo surgery because your ligaments may become weakened over time.
WE CAN HELP
Here at our podiatry practice, Dr. Ara Kelekian specializes in treating all types of ankle sprains. If you’re tired of ankle sprains and want long-term ankle stability, contact Ara Kelekian, DPM for an appointment. Please call (323) 346-0996 or (818) 848-0535. You can also fill out our on-line website appointment request form for a comprehensive examination. Our two state-of-the-art podiatry offices are conveniently located in Montebello and Burbank, CA.