Ankle Sprains Treatments in Westminster Denver Colorado
Overview
●
A
sprained ankle is an injury that occurs when you roll, twist or turn your ankle
in an awkward way. This can stretch or tear the tough bands of tissue
(ligaments) that help hold your ankle bones together.
●
Ligaments
help stabilize joints, preventing excessive movement. A sprained ankle occurs
when the ligaments are forced beyond their normal range of motion. Most
sprained ankles involve injuries to the ligaments on the outer side of the
ankle.
●
Treatment
for a sprained ankle depends on the severity of the injury. Although self-care
measures and over-the-counter pain medications may be all you need, a medical
evaluation might be necessary to reveal how badly you’ve sprained your ankle
and to determine the appropriate treatment.
Symptoms
Signs
and symptoms of a sprained ankle vary depending on the severity of the injury.
They may include:
● Pain, especially when you bear weight on the affected foot
● Tenderness when you touch the ankle
● Swelling
● Bruising
● Restricted range of motion
● Instability in the ankle
● Popping sensation or sound at the time of injury
When to see a doctor
●
Call
your doctor if you have pain and swelling in your ankle and you suspect a
sprain. Self-care measures may be all you need, but talk to your doctor to
discuss whether you should have your ankle evaluated. If signs and symptoms are
severe, you may have significant damage to a ligament or a broken bone in your
ankle or lower leg.
Causes
A sprain occurs when your ankle is forced to move out of its
normal position, which can cause one or more of the ankle’s ligaments to
stretch, partially tear or tear completely.
Causes
of a sprained ankle might include:
● A fall that causes your ankle to twist
● Landing awkwardly on your foot after jumping or pivoting
● Walking or exercising on an uneven surface
● Another person stepping or landing on your foot during a
sports activity
Risk
factors
Factors that increase your risk of a sprained ankle include:
● Sports participation. Ankle sprains are a common sports
injury, particularly in sports that require jumping, cutting action, or rolling
or twisting of the foot such as basketball, tennis, football, soccer and trail
running.
● Uneven surfaces. Walking or running on uneven surfaces or
poor field conditions may increase the risk of an ankle sprain.
● Prior ankle injury. Once you’ve sprained your ankle or had
another type of ankle injury, you’re more likely to sprain it again.
● Poor physical condition. Poor strength or flexibility in the
ankles may increase the risk of a sprain when participating in sports.
● Improper shoes. Shoes that don’t fit properly or aren’t
appropriate for an activity, as well as high-heeled shoes in general, make
ankles more vulnerable to injury.
Complications
Failing
to treat a sprained ankle properly, engaging in activities too soon after
spraining your ankle or spraining your ankle repeatedly might lead to the
following complications:
● Chronic ankle pain
● Chronic ankle joint instability
● Arthritis in the ankle joint
Prevention
The
following tips can help you prevent a sprained ankle or a recurring sprain:
● Warm up before you exercise or play sports.
● Be careful when walking, running or working on an uneven
surface.
● Use an ankle support brace or tape on a weak or previously
injured ankle.
● Wear shoes that fit well and are made for your activity.
● Minimize wearing high-heeled shoes.
● Don’t play sports or participate in activities for which you
are not conditioned.
● Maintain good muscle strength and flexibility.
● Practice stability training, including balance exercises.
Diagnosis
●
During
a physical, your doctor will examine your ankle, foot and lower leg. The doctor
will touch the skin around the injury to check for points of tenderness and
move your foot to check the range of motion and to understand what positions
cause discomfort or pain.
●
If
the injury is severe, your doctor may recommend one or more of the following
imaging scans to rule out a broken bone or to evaluate in more detail the
extent of ligament damage:
–
X-ray.
During an X-ray, a small amount of radiation passes through your body to
produce images of the bones of the ankle. This test is good for ruling out bone
fractures.
–
Magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI). MRIs use radio waves and a strong magnetic field to
produce detailed cross-sectional or 3-D images of soft internal structures of
the ankle, including ligaments.
–
CT
scan. CT scans can reveal more detail about the bones of the joint. CT scans
take X-rays from many different angles and combine them to make cross-sectional
or 3-D images.
–
Ultrasound.
An ultrasound uses sound waves to produce real-time images. These images may
help your doctor judge the condition of a ligament or tendon when the foot is
in different positions.
Treatment
●
Treatment
for a sprained ankle depends on the severity of your injury.
●
The
treatment goals are to reduce pain and swelling, promote healing of the
ligament, and restore function of the ankle.
●
For
severe injuries, you may be referred to a specialist in musculoskeletal
injuries, such as an orthopedic surgeon or a physician specializing in physical
medicine and rehabilitation.
Self-care
For
self-care of an ankle sprain, use the R.I.C.E. approach for the first two or
three days:
● Rest. Avoid activities that cause pain, swelling or
discomfort.
● Ice. Use an ice pack or ice slush bath immediately for 15 to
20 minutes and repeat every two to three hours while you’re awake. If you have
vascular disease, diabetes or decreased sensation, talk with your doctor before
applying ice.
● Compression. To help stop swelling, compress the ankle with
an elastic bandage until the swelling stops. Don’t hinder circulation by
wrapping too tightly. Begin wrapping at the end farthest from your heart.
● Elevation. To reduce swelling, elevate your ankle above the
level of your heart, especially at night. Gravity helps reduce swelling by
draining excess fluid.
Devices
●
Because
walking with a sprained ankle might be painful, you may need to use crutches
until the pain subsides.
●
Depending
on the severity of the sprain, your doctor may recommend an elastic bandage,
sports tape or an ankle support brace to stabilize the ankle. In the case of a
severe sprain, a cast or walking boot may be necessary to immobilize the ankle
while it heals.
Therapy
●
Once
the swelling and pain is lessened enough to resume movement, your doctor will
ask you to begin a series of exercises to restore your ankle’s range of motion,
strength, flexibility and stability. Your doctor or a physical therapist will
explain the appropriate method and progression of exercises.
●
Balance
and stability training is especially important to retrain the ankle muscles to
work together to support the joint and to help prevent recurrent sprains. These
exercises may involve various degrees of balance challenge, such as standing on
one leg.
●
If
you sprained your ankle while exercising or participating in a sport, talk to
your doctor about when you can resume your activity. Your doctor or physical
therapist may want you to perform particular activity and movement tests to
determine how well your ankle functions for the sports you play.
Surgery
In rare cases, surgery is performed when the injury doesn’t
heal or the ankle remains unstable after a long period of physical therapy and
rehabilitative exercise. Surgery may be performed to:
● Repair a ligament that won’t heal
● Reconstruct a ligament with tissue from a nearby ligament or
tendon
Our
expert providers are experienced and skilled at treating ankle sprains and are
your source for expert treatment of ankle sprains in Westminster and Denver
Colorado. Not only are we the premier treatment for spine injuries and
chiropractic in Westminster and Denver Colorado, but we also specialize in many
other advanced treatment techniques such as shockwave, cold laser, graston
technique, KT Taping, activator, instrument aided spinal alignments, drop
table, toggle, in house rehab services, and on site digital xrays. We are your
Premier destination for ankle sprain treatment in Westminster Colorado and
Denver Colorado Chiropractor.