As discussed in the
Emergency Department prior to discharge, you have been diagnosed with an ankle
sprain. An ankle sprain is a very common
injury. An ankle sprain means there is
damage to one of the ligaments in the ankle.
The most common type of ankle sprain occurs on the lateral or outside
part of the ankle. In this area,
there are three main ligaments, all of which attach to the bone on the outside
of your ankle: the anterior talofibular ligament (in the front), the posterior
talofibular ligament (in the back), and the calcaneofibular ligament
(underneath).
In
most ankle sprains, the anterior talofibular ligament is partly torn, usually
when the foot rolled inwards during activity.
Unfortunately,
ligaments do not have a good blood supply (unlike tendons) and as a result,
they can take 4-6 weeks to heal, and up to six months for full strength to
return.
There are several ways to reduce swelling and to help the
healing process:
-Elevate
the injured ankle. This can be done by
putting your leg up on a chair when sitting down (watching TV, reading, eating
dinner, etc.). Elevating the ankle uses
gravity to drain the swelling away from the ankle.
-If
the ankle is swollen or painful, apply ice wrapped in a towel (or a bag of
frozen peas wrapped in a thin towel) on the ankle for about 10 minutes at a time. Then remove the ice pack and allow the skin
to return to normal temperature before re-applying the ice pack (to avoid
frostbite). Continue this while the
ankle is still swollen; do not apply heat while the ankle is swollen.
-A
tensor bandage can be wrapped around the ankle to provide more support over the
lengthy healing period. This bandage can
be removed when applying ice to the ankle.
-If
the sprain was severe, you may have been provided with a splint during your
visit to the Emergency Department. Use
the splint as directed by the emergency physician.
You can take Acetaminophen
(also known as Tylenol), Ibuprofen (also known as Advil or Motrin), or Naproxen
(also known as Aleve) for the pain.
When can you walk on your ankle? The answer to this question is to “listen to your
ankle.” If you feel pain when you try to
put any weight on the injured ankle, then listen to your ankle and use crutches
or a cane for a few days instead. After
a few days, try to put some weight on your ankle again, starting with a small
amount of weight and gradually increasing this amount as you feel comfortable.
https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/globalassets/pdfs/2017-rehab_foot-and-ankle.pdf
https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/sprained-ankle/
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