How to Heal a Sprained Ankle
Sticks and stones may break your bones, but sprained ankles will definitely hurt you. Even the most seasoned athletes wince in pain and agony with an ankle injury. Ankle sprains can also leave you out of commission for quite a while, before the muscles and ligaments heal up again. Here are some ways for you to heal a sprained ankle.
Immobilize the Injury
Sprains are caused by pulled or overexerted ligaments, tendons, or torn muscles. The human ankle has a very limited range of motion moving sideways; most sprains occur when the ankle is forced inward or outward away from its natural range of motion. The tissues on the foot are injured enough as they are, so massaging the foot or forcing yourself to move will only aggravate the injury. A good first resort would be to immobilize the foot. Remove shoes or socks, and wrap the foot in clothes to keep the patient from further causing damage to the ankle.
RICE It
RICE is an acronym that stands for the things that you should do to any sprain or muscle injury:
sprained ankle
Rest. Treat an ankle sprain like you would any other illness. Make sure to get plenty of rest to assist your body in naturally repairing the injury. Sprains usually take at least a week to heal up completely, although a mild sprain usually takes about three days to heal. Once the pain has somewhat subsided, you should carefully exercise your ankle to restore full movement to the area.
Ice. Ice helps to soothe the throbbing pain of a sprain, and it also helps minimize swelling. You should place ice on a sprained ankle as soon as possible. Ice should be applied for 20 minutes at least three times a day until the sprain heals.
Compression. A splint may not be recommended for a mild sprain. To prevent any further injuries to the ankle, you can wrap it in gauze or dressing.
Elevation. To minimize swelling and discomfort, you can prop up the injured leg on pillows or a mattress. Make sure that the ankle is above the heart level.
For serious sprains, you need to consult a doctor; some sprains may be so severe that they require medical attention or surgery. For mild sprains, though, these tips can get you back up and going in no time.