Two days ago I rolled my ankle (rolled, twisted, sprained, strained, came down wrong, busted, stuffed up etc.) and unfortunately I didn’t do it in private. I was at work demonstrating a combined step up with overhead press, as I came down I tuned to talk to my client and awkwardly planted my foot on its side…silly me that’s not how you’re meant to stand! “oh I so sorry my dear, so sorry” my new client said apologetically in a thick accent  “it’s not your fault i’m a klutz” I replied. and sure enough a few other people around me were looking as if to see what I would do next. What did I do? What any embarrassed person would do, pretended it didn’t happen. I continued to demonstrate lunges (omg big mistake) and all sorts of exercises for her session pretending my foot was fine. Well it wasn’t.

Now let me just put this into perspective, it’s just a mild sprain, no biggy, i’ve seen a lot worse and been through a lot

worse but my goodness it’s annoying. That dayI still had to make my way home  then I finally compressed, iced and elevated it. Two days later, it still hurts to walk and drive but not too much swelling.

I’ve rolled my ankle a few times in the past, and the silly thing is I usually continue with whatever i’m doing and then look after it later…. wrong!! One time I continued playing basketball, the other I was doing a step class (I have never gone back! haha) and the other times I’ve done it i’ve been doing something seriously uninteresting and non-dangerous like walking  or stepping up onto a footpath and all of a sudden where’d my balance go whoops i’m rolling my ankle.

Now it’s all well and good to appreciate that it’s only a sprain but it pays to take it seriously otherwise you could be doing yourself serious damage.

First of all let’s define what a sprained ankle is. Most of us have either rolled or twisted our ankles at some point in our lives, the difference is the result, if your ankle is painful and swells up, you have most likely sprained it. A sprained ankle means you have stretched, and sometimes torn the ligaments in your ankle. Even though we see sprained ankles as common it doesn’t always mean the injury is minor.  Sometimes people with severe or repeated sprains can lead to long term joint pain and weakness exposing you to the risk of further injury. treating an ankle sprain straight away can prevent ongoing ankle problems.

Let’s explain the cause of sprains. Most sprains happen when you make a rapid shifting movement with your foot planted. For me it was stepping down from the step deck with a heavy weight in my hand, coming down at a speed expecting my foot planting was correct, when indeed it was not! People usually roll their ankle outward which means their foot turns inward. Here the ligaments in the ankle are stretched and sometimes tear. Less often people roll their ankle inward and this damages the ligaments on the inside of the ankle.

Is it a sprain or something more serious? Sprains vary from mild to severe. With mild spraining you will experience pain after you roll it, experience tenderness, swelling and may feel stiff. It usually feels stable though and you’re able to walk on it with little pain. A more serious sprain will cause pain, tenderness, swelling, sometimes even bruising and feels painful to walk on. In a severe sprain you may experience all these symptoms but you cannot walk on it as it is too painful and feels wobbly or the ankle gives out.  If you hear or feel a tear, snap or pop you have a severe sprain and should be treated straight away. You may experience severe pain at first and may not be able to stand or put your weight on the ankle.

Generally the more swollen and painful the ankle the longer it will take to heal. If you have experienced a severe sprain you may need to get an x-ray or ultrasound done to assess the damage. It is possible to break a bone in your ankle or foot at the same time as a sprain. If unsure, get it checked out!

Here’s what you should do if you sprain your ankle: PRICE

Protect the ankle, don’t walk on it or do anything to aggravate the injury further. You may need an ankle brace or something similar that will support and protect the area.

Rest, take a few days to stay off your ankle as much as possible. You may need to use crutches to take your weight off walking.

Ice, for at least the first 24-72 hours (or until the swelling goes down) 10-20 minutes every hour or two. Remember it is possible for the skin to experience a burn from full on contact with ice, so always make sure there is a thin cloth between the ice and your skin. press the ice pack firmly against the curve of your ankle so the affected area is covered.

Compression. An elastic compression wrap will help reduce the swelling. Wear it for at least the first 24-36 hours. Remember though that compression is support and not protection, protect your ankle from further injury and keep weight off it.

Elevation, Raise your ankle above the height of your heart (a bit hard to do at the office!) for 2-3 hours a day if possible. If not, just do your best and keep your ankle up higher than the floor or hip height. Elevating will reduce swelling and bruising.

Treating your sprain properly and using rehab will help the ankle heal right. If left unattended the ankle may become unstable and you may develop chronic pain. This leaves your ankle weak and more likely to be reinjured. Stay away from sport or unsafe exercises until your ankle has had a chance to heal and has been rehabilitated. A good way to measure this is if you are able to hop on one foot without pain. It is strongly recommended that going back into sports and exercise you use taping and/or bracing for your ankle. Wearing shoes with a high collar such as hiking boots or other high top, lace up shoes will also help support the area.

If  after rehab the area is still weak, unstable  and ligament damage is severe you may require further intervention such as surgery – avoid at all costs!

Now you know what a sprain is. Remember there are degrees of sprains, they can be mild or severe, sprains are not something to shrug off, they are serious and should be treated as soon as possible (I need to take my own advice!). If left untreated it can lead to weakness,  joint pain and further injuries.  If unsure, always check with a health professional.

Look after yourself and your body! 🙂

 

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