Ankle sprains are common injuries. I have had many more consultations for ankle sprains during the Covid pandemic lockdown, as more people have taken up outdoor exercises and activities.
Ankle sprains can be very painful, and I can tell from first hand experience that an ankle sprain can be worrying due to the pain, swelling, bruising and difficulty with walking. Often you may wonder if you have broken your ankle. Thankfully the majority of ankle sprain ankle sprains settle after a few weeks of simple treatment. The main treatment for ankle sprains involve rest, ice application and elevation to help with the swelling. Painkillers are advised to help with pain and walking. It is important to keep movement in the ankle joint with exercises (such as moving your ankle up and down and around) to improvement the movement in the ankle. It is usually safe to continue walking on the injured limb, it may need a brace or walking boot in the first week to help with walking.
However, there are a few cases where symptoms are ongoing. Ongoing deep ankle pain, swelling, repeated ankle sprains, or a feeling that the ankle may give way are signs that medical advice should be sought. There are some injuries that are subtle and require an expert in foot and ankle surgery to diagnose and treat. These include high ankle sprains, 'chip' or 'avulsion' fractures, and more severe ligament injuries involving other parts of the ankle or foot. The majority of these can be treated without surgery, however there are some cases where surgery is advised. Nevertheless, it is important to get the appropriate treatment for these injuries.
If you are worried, get in contact using the contact me page and a consult can be arranged to assess and treat your ankle injury
