Ankle Sprain 101: The Ultimate Guide

Ankle sprains: It’s one of the most commonly treated ankle injuries, with causes ranging from traumatic impact while playing sports to stumbling from instability while walking in high heels. You probably know them to be characterized by a severe, unintended twist in the ankles, but what’s really going on when you sprain your ankle? Definition: When you experience an ankle sprain, it means that the ligaments around the ankle are injured. These ligaments connect one bone to another and a sprain occurs when they are stretched, torn, or severed from an injury or trip on uneven ground. Symptoms and Grades: If you’ve had an ankle sprain, you may remember that it came with symptoms such as pain, swelling, redness, and possibly bruising. Depending on the severity of the injury, the swelling and pain may subside after applying the RICE method (rest, ice, compression, elevation). That would be characterized as a grade 1, where the injury was probably limited to overstretched ligaments and/or small tears in the soft tissues. For a grade 2, there may be partial tears in the ligament, which would be characterized by much more pain, require longer recovery time, and likely need physical therapy for rehabilitation. Grade 3, the most severe, is when the ligament tears completely and the ankle needs to be immobilized for several weeks while it heals. Treatment: Treating your ankle sprain will depend on how you injured it and the severity of the injury. As mentioned above, treatment can range from applying the RICE method, to immobilization in a cast, orthotics, or brace. The ligament usually needs physical therapy to fully regain strength and mobility, with the amount of therapy depending on the severity of the sprain and healing process. This could range from 2 to 12 weeks, on top of rest time for the injury to heal. Surgery is usually not the recommended course of action, but may be necessary for extreme circumstances. If you’ve experienced an ankle twist or sprain, you may need to be checked out by one of our podiatrists, especially if it’s a severe injury. Make an appointment with us at Alamitos-Seal Beach Podiatry Group. One of our board-certified podiatrists, Dr. Douglas H. Richie, Dr. Jeremy L. Cook, Dr. Faye E. Izadi will be happy to help at either of our Orange County, CA offices in Seal Beach and Los Alamitos.