OT: Talk to me about sprained ankles
As this is a sports blog filled with people who either played sports (and possibly suffered from a sprained ankle) as well as a few docs and trainers, I figured it might be a good place to get some basic info about this particular injury. I sprained my ankle about 5 weeks ago tripping on a stair. I haven't sprained my ankle since I was 7 so I have no frame of reference about recovery. I didn't go to the doc because I could walk on it, so I figured at least it's not broken. But it still bothers me. I haven't done anything more than walk on it. I'll probably go see someone about it if it doesn't get better, but I was curious what other people have experienced with this injury.
High ankle sprain? If so, they do take some time to fully heal. So 5 weeks isn’t a crazy time frame.
I played a lot of soccer and have sprained my ankle countless times.
Multiple ankle sprains here from soccer. I would recommend doing two-legged toe raises, they're good for the calf and strengthen the ankles. 3 sets of 15. Use a stair to get full range of motion. Once your ankle is strong enough, go to one-legged toe raises. If you have elastic bands, I would also use those to exercise both outward and inward motions.
While the first 24 - 48 hours are the best time for ice, if you have swelling, I would ice it 10 - 15 each evening.
If toe-raises / elastic bands are too difficult, I would probably see a doc (who will likely recommend PT after an X-ray.)
As someone who had ankles like a baby and loved to play hoops, I've sprained my ankles numerous times.
A high ankle sprain can often times take 2 to 3 months to fully heal.
I guess if the pain gets too bad I'd probably see a doc
No expert, but I was blessed with weak joints from my father. If I wasn't able to walk on it after 5 weeks I would get it checked out. Frame of reference I am 33 and never had a sore ankle longer than 2 weeks.
Not a doctor and haven’t had a sprain since I was a kid years ago.
Did you wrap it up? Put anything to stabilize your ankle? I only ask because you didn’t say anything in your OP.
Hope you feel better
Same question. RICE, RICE, baby.
I wear a tight wrap every day, and I iced every day for the first three weeks. I was also in physical therapy for something else and the therapist looked at it and wasn't concerned at the time. But it feels a little more wonky now than before. The bruising is gone and the swelling is 95% gone.
I played a lot of pickup basketball in college and badly sprained both ankles. This has been a great gift to me: they're so loose that they're impossible to resprain, and their flexibility is amazing for playing virtuoso things on the organ pedals. So you've got that going for you!
This was my exact experience. They are basically loose hinges which is a blessing at this point (46). It probably won't be quite the same again, but then again from age 15-45 I sprained each ankle so many times I still walk focused on not stepping to trun an ankle.
Glad to know I'm not the only one. I sprained my ankles countless times playing basketball over the years. One summer I sprained it 7 times because I wouldn't let it heal up. This was many years ago and my basketball days are long behind me, but to this day if I step just wrong I can feel them give but they don't sprain anymore. But now that I'm past the half century mark who knows how long that lasts.
I sprained my ankle right at my Achilles about three weeks ago. I would say it is about 80% better but I still feel it when I try to run or so anything explosive like jump.
Happened to me, once in each ankle, in the span of a few months.
Went to the doctor the first time when it still wasn't recovered after 4 weeks, and they just said it would just take a while. They were right.
Second time I didn't go to the doctor, also healed.
If the swelling increases, or color gets worse, or feels noticably worse, that's bad. Anything else it's probably fine
(Not a medical professional. I'm 40 now so definitely taking longer to heal)
Get well soon
Ice for 15, scolding hot water for 15, elevate for 30. Repeat as much as possible. Works like a charm
You naughty foot, you! In to the water for 15 minutes
Or would it be “bad water. Bad hot water!”??
Talk to a doctor.
I am not a doctor and am not giving professional advice, but I sprained my right ankle over a dozen times playing football and rugby in college, and pickup basketball. The first sprain is the slowest to heal, so it makes sense that it's worse for you than it would be for an athlete you might hear about. I wouldn't worry about where it is now, because still having some discomfort after this long is not unusual. It sounds like you'll be fine in a few more weeks. I'd just watch it and if you find it isn't improving for a couple weeks, or if it ever swells up again, then that would be the time to go to the doctor just to rule out anything more being wrong with it. Or you could just go now if you have good insurance and all, couldn't hurt and there's nothing wrong with being safe. But you'll probably be fine
I sprained mine in a similar way (heard the crunch of ligaments tearing). I was a medic for a long time and knew if I could climb stairs it was probably okay and I could. Still got an x-ray bc the bruising was pretty gnarly. No fractures. My Achilles even had a bruise over it. Walked on it since and it healed but I have to stretch it still a lot. It’s still tight going on 4+ months. Every now and then I get a click and it releases the tension and hoo boy that’s a great feeling. Best of luck
Mrs. Pico here. I’m a physical therapist. It’s not uncommon for sprains to take 6-8 weeks to heal. Depending on the severity and which ligaments were involved it can take longer. It also may take longer to get your strength and stability back. Your comment about feeling unsteady is my primary concern. You probably need some strengthening. You can start with basic ankle circles and ankle pumps. If anything causes a significant increase in pain and/or swelling have it checked out by a physician. It might not hurt to have a couple of visits with a physical therapist to get set up on a home exercise program specifically designed for your injury and situation. Please- no scalding hot water- ice (for 10-15 minutes once per day) is a much better option to control inflammation.
I approve of “RICE, RICE, Baby”.
Freshman year of high school, the year of JFK’s assassination; wrestling practice; badly sprained ankle while wrestling the taller, stronger senior captain; doctor gave me an ace bandage and a crutch and told me to apply some ice when I got home. In those days, ice came from aluminum, ice-cube trays. It was long before I’d ever hear the RICE expression (Rest-Ice-Compression-Elevation).
Aggravated in sophomore year during pre-season wrestling practice. Only thing different this time was getting TWO crutches while the injury lingered much longer – a sign to give up wrestling.
Damaged much worse just before senior-year soccer practice after stepping in a hole while running and twisting ankle badly, but not breaking it. End of soccer career. Little did I know then that I’d suffer from chronic Achilles tendinitis for the rest of my life. No more running on steep inclines on treadmills.
Voltaren gel also helps.
I did that last June. I could barely walk on it for 48 hours then it got better quickly to the point I could run on it within week but the pain lingered. It was never bad enough to go to the doctor but didn’t fully go away for 6 months. It seemed to just take a lot of time to completely heal.
Sprained mine in 08, pick up bb game. Ended up black and blue from my knee to my toe. The game was with a bunch of dr’s all standing around discussing the grade the sprain was…. All the pain somehow I didn’t feel it as I was laughing so hard at them discussing it and not actually looking at it… my friend an rn was checking it out..
Just as a lot of people on here have shared similar experiences but I too had/have a right ankle that was a sprain magnet. The last time it occurred was in my mid-20’s when I was playing some mid-level adult travel basketball. It was without a doubt the worst one I ever sustained and it took 3-4 months where I felt comfortable doing things I did before (I was able to play at a about 6 weeks, but was so cautious).
As echoed earlier, ever since this last injury now years and years later, my ankle seems immune to spraining. I have had many rolls where I expected to fall down, but I didn’t. When I do movements with it, I do feel a strain feeling, but not painful. Hopefully with some good RICE you can be back to normal and have the new bionic ankle experience.
Long history of ankle sprains and even 2 spiral fractures along the way. RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) is key. Especially ice and elevation. Avoid heat even though it feels good at the time - ice is is better for inflammation. When elevating try to get it above your heart. In my experience a severe sprain could take a few months, and after long days on my feet the swelling would cause throbbing pain even after a few days of feeling ok. Back to ice and elevation.
Family physician here. 5 weeks is too long. Sorry to be a contrarian but ice wont help much this far out. Time to see a doctor
Going to immediate care tomorrow. Figure they'll do an x-ray and then give me a referral for an ortho. Faster than trying to get into my PCP.
Good luck with the ankle. I sprained both of my ankles so many times I owned a pair of crutches during the eighties and early nineties. My ankles are so full of scar tissue they creak and crack constantly. My golf buddies laugh when the ankles do a duet during my tee shot 🏌️🤣.
Outside of my devastating ankle injury during the 2A State Championship Game, I have sprained my ankles countless times. One thing that is rarely considered and easy to do is to fracture your malleolus. I fractured both of my inside malleolus’ (malleoli?) and both took excruciatingly long to heal - around a year. But that was without knowledge that I had actually fractured them until long after the fact.
I’d trade for a sprained ankle. Coming up on 6 weeks post-op from a ruptured Achilles tendon (basketball). Just started full weight bearing in an air cast this week and easing into seated calf raises. This injury is firmly a “10/10 do not recommend.”
I know a sparty who knows all about broken ankles....
That was actually 6 years ago today!
Ah yes, the good ol days of Meeeechigan bball....
A sprain is worse than a break. I sprained my ankle 7 years ago and workers comp finally approved my surgery this past November. Ankles take a looooong time to get from a sprain. If you tore something, it may never heal. I'm still in PT from my surgery.
5 weeks is reaching the time you might want to see a doc. I'd still wait a bit longer. But as also mentioned seeing a doc sooner than later if it's not too expensive/insurance isn't a terrible idea.
Whether it's soft tissue or even a hairline fracture there's not much that they can do except stabilize it really. I personally would give it another week or two before I scheduled an appointment.
Inversion or eversion?
Inversion is much more common and is essentially ‘rolling’ your ankle inwards and stretching ligaments.
Eversion is when you turn your foot outwards, it’s basically the opposite direction of inversion (obviously).
Fractures can happen because the fibula is keeping your foot from moving out.
first sprained my ankle playing basketball in 7th grade i think. After that it felt like a rubber band and would get minor sprains from the occasional uneven pavement or landing on a foot in basketball.
3rd bad sprain was from flying off a tube behind my uncle’s bass boat a few years after first sprain. wrapped it and iced it at night. that summer i spent a lot of time in my cousins pool and in the lake. never had problems with it since, that was around ‘91. I think swimming was key to getting it back.
Well this timely. I injured my ankle for first time in my life about 4 weeks ago. Like you, I self-diagnosed after researching online. About a week after the incident and some further reading, I scheduled an appointment with an orthopedist. Turns out the ankle-roll pulled a ligament with enough force to fracture my fibula, the non weight bearing bone in lower leg. Been in a boot since and bone showed signs of healing on follow-up x-ray. Have an MRI this week because doctor feels there may be some cartilage damage that needs to get cleaned up.
My advice: consult with a physician.
I’ve had many ankle sprains in HS and college playing bball. Five weeks is too long for you not to be recovering from the injury. Have it looked at.
Rolled my right ankle 8 times. The last time, at 42, was brutal to get over and I finally went into an Ortho. They took an MRI and determined I have several torn ligaments and a fracture (a sprain can pull bone fragments off of ankle bones), and needed surgery.
I procrastinated, and a year later got a second look by the former ortho for the Tampa Bucs. An interpretation of another MRI claimed an Achilles tear and no other ligament damage, but confirmed bone fragments free floating.
Bucs Ortho didn't recommend surgery. After two PRP treatments and 12 weeks of physical therapy, the tear was gone without surgery and the ankle is stronger than it's been since my teens.
Point being, get to a sports medicine Ortho with credentials right away to rule out damage. Surgeons want to perform surgery. Sports orthos are in the business of healing sports injuries. Get two opinions if you can. Don't let damage compound.
Jon Sanderson has some free time, try reaching out to him?
P.S. Get well soon
If it’s still bothering you, get some professional advice. Proper and complete recovery is important for ankles. Particularly, if u want to do more than just walk. I have had ankle injuries and even now I do a proper warm up before any physical activity. No messing around with foot stuff.
Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate...try a little cryotherapy, I had a wrestler recover from a bad high sprain within a week before the state meet due to cryotherapy. He ended up wrestling and was good to go. You should also wear a brace that is hard plastic to stabilize it throughout the day, unless you have a walking boot, that would be ideal, keep things stable!
Regular icing is crucial. It is important to get your mobility back because I have seen more recent studies show that people with previous ankle injuries tear ACLs at a higher rate due to the lost mobility in their ankle. I learned this because my wife tore her ACL playing flag football last year and read a ton of stuff about ACLs and recovery. She had sprained her ankle twice in the two years before the ACL so that info stuck in my brain.
Five months ago I fell on stairs - broke one ankle and tore a ligament in the other. I hobbled around for a few days before going to the doc. I was surprised to learn about the break as I was walking, but it was the fibula - smaller, less weight bearing bone. The broken side has completely healed. The one with the ligament has a lingering issue - actually going for a follow-up this week.
Overall, not fun. I did discover that airport wheelchairs are a great service.
BAPS board to regain and even strengthen the ankle is the way.
Once a moderate to severe injury eventually heals, it will be significantly weaker and will lead to many more sprains down the road.
Good physical therapy works here - and it is a lot like antibiotics...you have to keep it up even though you feel better. Go through the regiment and get that strength back.
Good luck.