Mark Suttie, one of our physiotherapists at Blackberry Clinic Milton Keynes, warns of the problems you may cause if you don’t get some advice early on in how to manage and rehabilitate even a mild ankle sprain.
Mark Suttie Physiotherapist Blackberry Clinic Milton Keynes
Ankle Sprains – why you should always get them checked out
Most of us have done it. We’ve tripped whilst running, gone over on our ankle whilst playing football or missed a step. It hurts, you limp home and it starts to swell up. You maybe get some ice on it and manage it for the next week or so and it starts to feel better so you just get on with it and now it’s fine, right? Or is it?
For some reason, this is the way that lots of people manage ankle sprains. It’s seen as something that will just get better with rest and a Physio is only needed if it’s really bad.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the case!
There are varying grades of ankle sprain:
· Grade 1 – overstretching ligaments. Mild pain. Some swelling and bruising may be present. You should be able to weight bear.
· Grade 2 – small ligament tear. Moderate pain. Swelling and bruising present. Ankle may feel a little unstable and weight bearing might be harder.
· Garde 3 – large or complete ligament tear. Severe pain. More severe swelling and bruising. Ankle will feel unstable and weight bearing will be difficult.
It tends to be the grade 2/3 sprains that people will think about seeing their doctor or a Physio. However, even a grade 1 sprain needs to be checked out as you don’t want problems further down the line. The body is very good at adapting without you even realizing. In the week you’ve spent with the ankle a bit swollen and slightly hobbling around, your body is already changing to take some pressure off the ankle. This is your body’s way of allowing the ankle to heal and reducing pain by putting less weight through it and more on the other leg.
Initially, this is helpful, but it doesn’t take long for this to become a new pattern of movement and for you to weight bear a little more on your other leg. This can lead to problems developing on the opposite leg, due to the increased weight bearing, or problems further up in the back due to the change in loading through the rest of the body. On many occasions, recent or even old ankle sprains have needed to be treated to help with “separate” current problems, even if that ankle now feels fine. It might feel separate to you but it’s all connected.
The other main reason for getting minor sprains looked at is to prevent re-occurrence. Even a minor sprain can cause a small amount of weakness or instability that can lead to future sprains. If this repeats, the ligaments can become gradually damaged and this can cause chronic instability and pain/weakness. This will need to be addressed through a Physio rehab program but may even require surgery to repair the ligaments in the worst cases.
This might all sound like doom and gloom but don’t worry, it’s all very avoidable. If seen in the early stages, it’s a very simple process of hands on treatment and exercises to prevent any of these future problems occurring. For the first few days following the sprain you should follow the R.I.C.E. principles:
· Rest – try to avoid weight bearing where possible.
· Ice – use something cold on the area for 15 minutes at a time. Don’t place the cold object directly onto skin to avoid cold burns.
· Compression – wrap the ankle with a soft support. Do not make it too tight. If skin colour changes then loosen the support.
· Elevation – rest the leg on a support so that it is above hip height. Ideally when you’re lying down.
Book in with one of our physiotherapists soon after to start the treatment process. If you get professional treatment and advice early, treatment will be a simple, quick process and can help to avoid any potential problems in the future.
