It is common to experience ankle sprains irrespective of your age group or activity level. The injury can occur even with simple tasks as walking or more intense activities such as workouts and competitive sporting activity. Whichever the cause, it is necessary to seek expert care as soon as possible. Dr.JaymesGranata of Battle Born Bone & Joint Center offers a comprehensive evaluation of ankle injuries to understand its state to recommend the best treatment. It is vital to have an expert assessment before trying out anything, even if you can treat mild cases at home. You can do the following if your ankle is sprained.
- Determine the Severity of Your Injury
Medical experts have categorized ankle sprains into three grades to differentiate between the severity. The ankle ligaments are only slightly torn for grade one, and you experience mild swelling and tenderness. Still, you are partially torn in a grade two ankle sprain, and you experience moderate swelling and tenderness. For grade three, you will experience significant swelling and immense pain as the ligament is completely torn. If you can’t determine the grade of your injury on your own, contact your doctor for evaluation.
- Rest Your Ankle
In mild cases of an ankle sprain, swelling can go down through resting your ankle. Therefore, sit down and relax as you rest the ankle until you notice the inflammation going down. Take off weight from your ankle and avoid walking and use crutches if you must walk. But try moving your ankle as much as possible during rest without stressing the injury or putting weight on it. If the symptoms do not improve, contact your doctor immediately.
- Ice Your Ankle
Using ice therapy on your ankle can dull pain and limit swelling. Wrap an ice pack or a handful of ice with a dry towel or any other thin piece of cloth and apply it to the injured ankle. Hold the ice there for about 20 minutes and do this repeatedly every 2-3 hours as long as the symptoms persist. Icing your ankle is essential even if you plan to visit your doctor, as it can limit the inflammation, especially in your first 24 hours of injury. However, talk to your doctor before applying the ice if you have circulation complications and diabetes.
- Compress Your Ankle
You can use an elastic bandage to compress your ankle to manage to swell. Wrap the application around the ankle, covering the areas you feel pain and experience swelling, and secure it with metal fasteners or medical tape. However, ensure the wrap remains dry even when icing. You can remove the bandage while you ice the ankle and reapply once you remove the ice. If you notice your toes turning blue or begin to feel numb, you can loosen the wraps.
- Take Some Painkillers
Some over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen, aspirin, or naproxen sodium are strong enough and can help you manage the inflammation and pain from a sprained ankle. Therefore, you can consult your doctor about using them and get them from the local store.
When you experience a sprained ankle, the first thing to do is contact a medical expert for evaluation to know what next step to take. Reach out to Battle Born Bone & Joint Center to examine your ankle injury as soon as possible. Your provider will advise you accordingly to make informed decisions.
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