Tips On How To Treat An Ankle Sprain

Ankle sprains are all too common in sports. However, ankle sprains also occur from everyday activities such as missing a step on your way to the office or tripping and falling down while doing house chores. Even simply walking on an uneven surface can affect the positioning of your ankle and cause a sprain.

No matter how you get a sprain, it’s essential that you immediately search for medical attention such as a physio Auckland, but the tricky thing with sprains is that sometimes you do not feel the most severe symptoms until it’s unbearably painful. This is generally why people ignore treatment until their sprain worsens because they cannot feel much pain or see any alarming physical signs of one.

Usually, with an ankle sprain, symptoms can be instant or take a day or two to show up but it is essential that you monitor the situation. People tend to feel the discomfort of their ankle being pressured almost instantly, but the severity depends on the impact itself which is hard to determine at that moment in time. Some of the signs that you need to keep an eye out for include: pain that results in limping, soreness at physical touch, visible bruising and swelling.

However, as sprains can happen at literally any moment in life, finding a healthcare practitioner at odd hours can be difficult. And so many choose to wait until they can get an appointment. But how do you care for and treat an ankle sprain in the meantime?

Take Some Time Off 

You need to rest your ankle immediately. This can be done by taking the weight off your ankle physically. Try to lie down with slight elevation of your ankle to remove all pressure on it. While this is not ideal, going about your day normally can risk worsening the sprain, making it more painful.

Cool It Down 

It is advised to ice your ankle by placing a cold gel pack or ice cubes on it. Do not put the ice directly on your skin but rather wrap it up before using it i.e. in a damp tea towel. Ice is a short-term remedy to pain and should not be used for long periods at a time. Do not attempt to massage pain-relief gels on the sprain or use coolant sprays as you may end up hurting yourself more.

Wrap Your Ankle Up

Although we do not advise you to use an ankle brace or similar as it may cause more damage if applied incorrectly, using a bandage to wrap around your ankle in sturdy motions can help compress the injury. The bandage should not cut off circulation or leave you feeling numb, but rather act as a support to your injured ankle while you wait for your appointment.

Ankle sprains can differ in seriousness and if you cannot immediately get an appointment with a physio in Auckland, it’s best that you follow the above advice for the first 48 hours. Sprains that are severe and that go untreated can have you ending up with a potentially worse condition to deal with later. A condition which will be costly and more painful to correct. Contact us at Cairnhill Physiotherapy for professional treatment of your ankle sprain and make an appointment today.