Raise your hand if you have ever sprained your ankle! You likely have your hand raised right now, because most people will experience this injury in their lives. This article will help you know the steps to take when this happens. Ankle sprains happen when the foot rolls inward (most commonly) or outward. The motion goes beyond what the joints can safely handle and often results in a sprain or tear of the ligaments on the outside of the ankle. Many people do not handle these well afterward, falling into the trap of over-protecting or the lure of over-aggressiveness. The key is to thread the needle between these which you can do with the acronym ARMS (yes, ARMS for an ankle sprain, its just weird enough that you'll remember it)
Avoid Aggravation or Additional Injury
- If a certain movement or activity causes moderate to severe pain or starts off with minimal pain but begins getting worse, then AVOID the activity for the time being.
- If an activity will place you at high risk for re-injury (playing basketball, hiking really uneven surfaces, jumping on a trampoline) then AVOID this activity.
Rule out a fracture
- If you are unable to bear weight on the leg, have a large amount of swelling and bruising, or have a lot of tenderness on your ankle bones then you will want to get an x-ray to rule out a fracture.
Maintain Motion:
- Do not keep your ankle in one position without moving it, unless your doctor or physical therapist expressly tell you to. Make circles with your foot, spell the alphabet, move your foot up and down, all keeping with rule A and not moving into range of motion that aggravates pain.
- Keep walking, trying to use a normal gait pattern if possible. Still follow rule A.
- Place your injured foot flat on a step or box and while holding onto a surface with your hands, rock forward letting your knee come over your toes. Go as far as you are able to without pain.
Strengthen/stabilize:
- Before returning to sport or other activity it is important to get the ankle back to full strength, motion and stability, otherwise re-injury or compensations can occur.
- This can be done through "4-way ankle" exercises, basic balance training, and stretching.
- Talk to your physical therapist about an individualized program to return you to your normal activities.
