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Sprained Ankles

What is an Ankle Sprain?

An ankle sprain is an injury to one or more ligaments in the ankle. Ligaments connect one bone to another and bind the joints together, they are not much elastic because they have to give stability to the ankle joint limiting side-to-side movement.

Some ankle sprains are worse than others usually a grade is given to describe the gravity, grade 1 the ligament is stretched, grade 2 partially torn, grade 3 which sometime means completely torn. Ankle sprains are not the same as strains, which affect muscles rather than ligaments.

Why do ankle Sprain?

Sprained ankles often result from a fall, a twist, or a blow that forces the ankle joint out of its normal position. Ankle sprains occur while participating in sports, wearing inappropriate shoes, or walking or running on an uneven surface as often happens while hill walking, in modern times also ankle injuries occur while on a night out dancing wearing high heels, falling down steps in a drunken state and other similar conditions.

Sometimes ankle sprains occur because of weak ankles, a condition that some people are born with.

Signs and Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of ankle sprains may include:

* Pain or soreness

* Swelling

* Bruising

* Difficulty walking

* Stiffness in the joint

These symptoms may vary in intensity, depending on the severity of the sprain. Sometimes pain and swelling are not there in people with previous ankle sprains, instead, they may simply feel the ankle is wobbly and unsteady when they walk.
Even if you don’t have pain or swelling with a sprained ankle, treatment is crucial.
Any ankle sprain medical attention, consult your physician.
A Sport massage therapist will be able to assess your injury and give you the first aid needed, ice is usually applied immediately to stop inflammation and slow down metabolism, a compression bandage will also help containing any swelling, elevating your foot above the heart if you are lying prone ( face up) or a pair of crutches if you are standing straight to avoid weight bearing ( just in case a fracture is present), he/she will refer you to your Doctor/Physician.

What is:
R.I.C.E. = Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation to help reduce swelling, pain, and further injury.
Sprained Deltoid Ligaments ( Medial aspect of the Ankle)