How to treat a sprained ankle?
Did you sprain your ankle? What to do in this case?
This article was designed to help you in case of a sprained ankle. Don't worry, in general it can be treated without any problem because it is a superficial injury.
Definition of an ankle sprain or strain
A sprain is when there is a false movement of the ankle, that is, a ligament has been stretched during a sudden movement of the ankle. It is superficial, but it is advisable to talk to your doctor or to see an osteo (specialized in traumatology) to make sure that there is nothing serious such as a fracture or a rupture of the ligament... And yes, it can happen, that is why it is necessary to be examined and in some cases to carry out an X-ray of the ankle to eliminate a possible fracture.
It is very easy to twist your ankle and this accident happens very often. Even if it is most often benign, it must always be treated well to prevent it from affecting other parts of the body. Indeed, the feet support the weight of our body and therefore play an important role, like the base of a pyramid, if it is affected, the building collapses.
How does it happen?
When the foot loses its support and makes unstable movements, it is injured. In other words, an ankle sprain occurs when the foot makes extreme or incompatible efforts with its anatomy, and the severity of the trauma depends on the extent of the ordeal suffered by the ankle.
A sprain is said:
- internal in case of foot inversion,
- external if there is eversion,
- or both at the same time in rare situations.
But whatever the type of sprain, there are 3 different stages:
- a small stretch of the ligament
- a more severe stretch where the ligament is partially torn
- a total rupture of the ligament
- and sometimes even a bone tear caused by the stretching of the ligament.
What are the signs of an ankle sprain?
Clinical signs are sometimes complicated to analyze. Swelling with a large hematoma does not necessarily mean that the sprain is serious.
However, there are 2 criteria for severity:
- Functional impotence: i.e. the inability to walk 4 steps
- pigeon egg
It is the clinical examination and possibly the X-ray that will determine the severity of the sprain.
How to treat or relieve a sprain?
Ice cream? Immediately yes and then no!
Ice has an analgesic effect, so it helps relieve pain.
Putting ice on the sprain immediately will limit the bleeding following the stretching of the ligament. Do not put the ice in direct contact with the skin, it will avoid burns, use a cloth. Put the ice on the injury as soon as possible for a quick effect.
The application of ice, in the days following the sprain, has long been advocated. The remaining studies tend towards another point of view. Inflammation is a natural process of the body that aims to provide the elements that will allow healing. Removing this inflammation slows down the healing process. Ice is therefore to be avoided as well as anti-inflammatory drugs.
Elevate your foot
Elevate your ankle as much as possible when you are lying down, or in front of the TV, in a position 10 cm higher than your heart. This improves blood circulation.
Keep the ankle still
If the ankle is not fractured, there is no need to immobilize it in a cast. This could slow down recovery and leave stiffness, which would make rehabilitation too long... The ideal solution is the strapp, because it will keep the ankle in a position that will optimize the healing of the ligaments.
Many doctors or emergency rooms recommend a splint as a precautionary measure to avoid aggravation and to maintain the ankle, which is better than nothing at first. However, nothing is better than a beautiful custom-made strapping perfectly adapted to your trauma. Unfortunately, due to lack of time or technical knowledge, you are not fitted with one.
In children?
In children, when an X-ray is taken, it is not always possible to confirm that there is no fracture. Indeed, the child has not finished growing and the growth plate does not appear on the X-ray, one can only see the well-ossified bone. As a precautionary principle, we tend to put a child in a cast.
Resting
If the sprain is not severe, a few days of rest may be sufficient and the ground support for walking should be started as soon as possible. In the case of a severe trauma, rest could extend over several weeks (3 weeks) and physical therapy will be necessary.
Treatment of the sprain
In osteopathy
Do not wait to consult a specialized osteo as soon as the sprain occurs. His role is to examine your ankle using various tests. This will allow to measure the extent of the trauma to determine the appropriate treatment.
In case of doubt about a fracture, your osteopath will refer you to the emergency room or to your doctor for an X-ray. If he is absolutely sure, he will take care of you.
To do this, all the joints of the foot will be studied in parallel to prevent possible barriers that could corrupt the recovery. He may apply ice to the ankle to reduce swelling and ease pain. He may also apply kinesiotaping to improve drainage of inflammation and apply a strapping to help protect against further injury by stabilizing the ankle and allowing the ligament to heal better.
When a sprain occurs, most of the time your gait is modified by a limp. As a result, your body is no longer completely balanced because it has adapted to the changes. The osteo will be able to help you by doing an assessment of your whole body in order to reorganize it and make it stable, often at a distance from the trauma.
Rehabilitation of the ankle
The ankle must be worked on following a sprain, because the stretching of a ligament is a source of instability in the joint. Thus, it is necessary to do exercises to strengthen the muscles and also proprioception. This also helps prevent future sprains.
Here are some examples of exercises:
- Walking barefoot on many different ground textures and surfaces is a good exercise. For the lucky ones, go barefoot on the fine sand
- Brush your teeth on one foot! When you are on one foot, you work on the imbalance and thus the musculature of the foot. At the level of the jaw, there are many posture sensors. Brushing your teeth on one foot allows you to optimize this time to simply re-educate your ankle and allows a more optimized work of the posture.
- For major traumas, a more complex rehabilitation is necessary. This is why you will need to make an appointment with a physiotherapist to work on proprioception.
Don't hesitate to ask your practitioner for advice. He or she will give you exercises to do at home as well, so that you can begin rehabilitation as soon as possible in complete safety.
Marie Messager
Osteopath for sports in Versailles
78 - Yvelines
