Treat a Sprained Ankle Correctly the First Time

One minute all is going well and the next you’ve gone and twisted your ankle. It’s as quick as one false step off a curb, one crash landing on the football field, or one off-kilter bounce off a trampoline. Ankle injuries happen to the best of us. In fact, a sprained ankle sends almost 30,000 people in the U.S. to the emergency room every day!
What you may not realize is how easily a sprained ankle can become a permanent problem. Chronic ankle pain means you’ve probably got an ankle that’s never fully recovered from injury. That’s why we recommend that you seek professional medical treatment whenever you suffer an ankle sprain.
Different levels of sprain
When we say “ankle sprain,” our expert podiatrists Dr. Megan L. Oltmann and Dr. Craig B. Frey are really talking about a range of injuries to the tissues that connect your ankle bones. These tissues, called ligaments, could be:
- stretched beyond their normal capacity – a mild sprain
- partially torn – a moderate sprain
- completely torn apart – a severe sprain
How should you treat a sprain?
Dr. Oltmann and Dr. Frey urge you to take these steps when you’ve suffered a sprain:
- Take the weight off your ankle – rest it
- Apply ice
- Wrap your ankle with compression bandages
- Prop up your foot to reduce swelling
- Make an appointment with us at Foot & Ankle Associates of Cleveland
Why step #5? Well, it’s not always easy to determine if your sprain is mild, moderate, or severe. A tender, swollen, bruised ankle can even indicate something you won’t be able to figure out at home without an x-ray machine: a bone fracture. Don’t be fooled if your ankle can bear weight; walking may cause more damage.
An ankle sprain that doesn’t heal properly makes that ankle weak and susceptible to an additional injury. A full medical assessment at our state-of-the-art office in Solon, Ohio can help you heal faster and minimize your chances of future ankle instability. Call us at (440) 903-1041 or make an appointment online.