Ankle Sprains Are No Fun! Here’s What To Do About Them:
Ice and Elevate, dear reader!
I mean, who HASN’T sprained their ankle at some point, am I right? Whether you were an active kid who had a sports injury or as active adult enjoying your life, chances are that at some point, you have sprained your ankle. It’s such a common injury – but just because it’s common doesn’t mean it’s no big deal!
What Is An Ankle Sprain?
Technically speaking, a sprained ankle is an injury that occurs to the tissues of the ankle as a result of a movement (could be rolling, twisting, or turning) that is unnatural or awkward. While they generally do not require surgery or casts, they DO require rest, elevation, and time for the body to heal – not everyone’s favorite thing to hear when short Wisconsin summers are upon us and we want to soak up every spare moment of sunshine.
There are three grades with the lowest (grade 1) being the least severe, and the highest (grade 3) being the most severe. While all of them are classified as “less severe” than say, a broken bone, they are still nothing to sneeze at, for sure!
Not only are these injuries painful and annoying, if they’re not properly treated in the beginning, it can lead to a whole host of other problems such as loss of motion, loss of strength, and even chronic instability where the feet roll in towards each other and back out as you go about your life. Not only can this lead to things like arthritis later in life, it can also cause trouble in the cartilage integrity and can even “telegraph” into the rest of the body causing problems all the way up the body in ways you’d never even imagine if you weren’t specifically trained in physical therapy and the intricate way our bodies interconnect.
How To Tell If Your “Old” Ankle Sprain Isn’t Fully Healed
Indicator Number 1:Flexibility
If you cannot easily flex or extend your foot fully without pain, chances are there’s some restriction in the fascia that would benefit from some professional care.
Indicator Number 2: Difficult With Balancing
If you find you’re not feeling as steady on your feet as you used to, particularly if you notice the balance challenges are on the side of the injury, you’ll definitely benefit from coming in to see one of our specialists. This is an indicator you are lacking something known as proprioception, or understanding of where your body is in space. It’s a common problem, but truly, seeking help with grounding awareness back in the body can be actually life changing. Don’t take our word for it! Just ask an of the hundreds of clients we’ve been able to help regain full body awareness through the years.
Indicator Number 3: Pain
If there is pain in your ankle or the surrounding area during normal daily activities such as walking, stretching, or even running, that’s a clear sign that your body has not healed in the ideal way and recovery care is called for to support your healing.
The Importance of Treating The Entire Body
We’ve given you a few ideas about your ankle and its functionality, but something worth noting is when an injury occurs, the specific area which received the focus of the injury may seem fine, but other parts of the body seemingly unrelated may begin to develop habits of overcompensation and we ourselves may not even be aware that this is occurring! This is why working with a trained physical therapist who specializes in assessing and treating the entire body system as a whole is so key.
Dr. Kayla Talks All About The Ankle
In today’s video, Dr. Kayla goes a bit deeper into understanding what’s going on with a sprain and what you can do to ensure you stay healthy, strong, and stable after any kind of injury relating to the lower extremities.
Schedule Your Free Foot and Ankle Assessment With A PT Today
Dr. Kayla and the rest of our team of highly experienced and trained experts are available to meet with you and create personalized treatment plans around your unique needs to keep you feeling your best, even if your injury was months or even years ago.
Call us at 262.264.8701 to chat with us about how we can help and get on the path to better movement, or click the button below to inquire for more information.
Life’s too short to suffer!
To your health & happiness,
Doctors Sarah & The Balance Within PT Team
DoctorTrunk@BalanceWithinPT.com
P.S.
For some people with ankle troubles, custom orthotics are a wonderful solution, and we are proud to now we offering just such a service for those who would benefit from it.
We’ve recently begun offering completely complimentary 3D postural scans in the clinic, and you can reach out to us any time to set up a free visit to have your feet scanned and find out if orthotics are the way to go in your unique situation.
To celebrate this new arrival in our clinic, we are offering an special introductory rate for all of our custom orthotics – flip-flops included! Summer is here, after all.
To claim, simply reply to this email and set up your time to come in and save big on some of the best custom orthotics on the market today.
