sprained ankles

[r0g3r]

hey guys, I was just wondering, for those who have had a sprained ankle, what did you guys do to make it heal faster? and how long did it take to heal.

How long before you went back to playing sports? like soccer?

I sprained my ankle back in the beginning of march, went to the doctor to get an X-ray but he didn't give me one and said my ankle is fine, now its may.... and I still cannot have a full range of angle, as it hurts to bend it a certain degree outwards.

[theken]

ice, light stretching, exercise it, go to another dr

[r0g3r]

its not swollen anymore, its just i cannot point it outwads without it hurting...

maybe i'll just go to a walk-in, i hate when doctors think they know everything and just take your ankle and rotate it whichever way they want then end up hurting it even more....

I hate not being able to be active, now that school is over and spring is here!

[~Leah~]

Happened to me... it was probably not taken care of properly at the beginning of the sprain and didn't heal properly. Your tendons are most likely still stretched and causing you pain. Physio might be your only answer... and ankle braces. Check out Active Ankle.

[theken]

is that a pine cone in your avatar?

[1-Bar]

depends....what is the original ankle injury (inversion/eversion...etc)?
Type 1/2/3 sprain?
What did you do post 48 hours after injury?
How long was it swollen for?

X-ray is just to diagnose if there is any broken bone(s). This cannot tell you what degree the injury is. From stretched tendons all the way to torn tendons.....

I had a Type 1/2 sprain (stretch with a minor tear) and it lasted me 3 week before I could fully weight bare. After about a week of nutz physio I was able to be active and do regular stuff.....

[Supa Dexta]

I WRECKED mine once. Swollen and hard to walk for weeks. Couple months before I could walk normally. And even now a few yrs later, I find it weak sort of, and I catch it off kilter now and then, it doesn't step right and I can feel a slight pain start so I have to stop that step and correct it..

.. pain in the ass. Never did get it checked out. Worst thing is I always thought highly of my ankles growing up, I never had an issue with them, no matter how many times I rolled them they held up great.

[r0g3r]

Originally posted by 1-Bar
depends....what is the original ankle injury (inversion/eversion...etc)?
Type 1/2/3 sprain?
What did you do post 48 hours after injury?
How long was it swollen for?

X-ray is just to diagnose if there is any broken bone(s). This cannot tell you what degree the injury is. From stretched tendons all the way to torn tendons.....

I had a Type 1/2 sprain (stretch with a minor tear) and it lasted me 3 week before I could fully weight bare. After about a week of nutz physio I was able to be active and do regular stuff.....

i was given no information on what kind of sprain it was. After the sprain I continued to play on it for about an hour...( I regret that) It did not hurt at all at the time (adrenaline is still doing its thing). Then upon stopping it started to swell and I couldn't bear weight on it at all, couldn't even drive home, had to let my friend drive. When I got home I just took a shower then went to bed without apply any ice (regret that too)...

Fastforward:
Everytime I think it is healed i was wrong, as i started to play sports again and started to hurt it again and again.... Thats why Im asking how long should I stay off of it for a full 100% recovery.

To Leah: when you went to physio, what kind of techniques did they use? maybe i can try some of those myself as I cannot afford to go to physio
:dunno: :dunno:

[~Leah~]

You should see my ankles... they are HUGE from all the sprains. Permanently swollen. It's gross. As for the techniques they used, you can't do it on your own. Shock therapy to stimulate and strengthen the muscles, plus their massage and ROM (range of motion) exercises, sorry I honestly can't remember exactly what they did cuz they were working on my wrist and my knee at the same time (yeah I'm fucked up, so what). I HIGHLY recommend trying to go to physio if you can even borrow money from your 'rents or something.

[r0g3r]

Originally posted by ~Leah~
You should see my ankles... they are HUGE from all the sprains. Permanently swollen. It's gross. As for the techniques they used, you can't do it on your own. Shock therapy to stimulate and strengthen the muscles, plus their massage and ROM (range of motion) exercises, sorry I honestly can't remember exactly what they did cuz they were working on my wrist and my knee at the same time (yeah I'm fucked up, so what). I HIGHLY recommend trying to go to physio if you can even borrow money from your 'rents or something.

yea I notice that my ankle that I sprained is slightly larger than the other. I hope it means its getting TOUGHER lol j/k... I guess I can look into it, I think the UofC campus has a physio office right? Is it free for students? hope so.

[badatusrnames]

I blew mine out in February last year, I felt it pop out and back in again. The doctor said the ligaments were so stretched, she was surprised they didn't detach from the bone. My ankles were so wrecked from playing a lot of competitive soccer and all the training that goes with it, that at 23, I have arthritis in my ankles and as the doctor said, the ankles of a 40 year old.

Your ankle will never be the same, you're better off breaking it than getting a severe sprain. Ligaments really don't heal, so that ankle is permanently altered. Mine is still quite swollen.

The best advice I can give is to not push it too early. I did so when the pain was gone and assumed they were good to go. I was fine running in a straight line, but any side to side motion the wrong way in my ankle and it goes again.

Get a good brace, because like I said, the ankle will be permanently weak.

[r0g3r]

Originally posted by badatusrnames
I blew mine out in February last year, I felt it pop out and back in again. The doctor said the ligaments were so stretched, she was surprised they didn't detach from the bone. My ankles were so wrecked from playing a lot of competitive soccer and all the training that goes with it, that at 23, I have arthritis in my ankles and as the doctor said, the ankles of a 40 year old.

Your ankle will never be the same, you're better off breaking it than getting a severe sprain. Ligaments really don't heal, so that ankle is permanently altered. Mine is still quite swollen.

The best advice I can give is to not push it too early. I did so when the pain was gone and assumed they were good to go. I was fine running in a straight line, but any side to side motion the wrong way in my ankle and it goes again.

Get a good brace, because like I said, the ankle will be permanently weak.

thanks for the info, yeaI heard that ankle breaks often heal faster than a bad sprain, and also hurt less. I kind of wish I broke it instead...yea my ankle now feels messed up, I cannot do much on it.

Do you play for the UofC soccer team also? do you join the intramurals also? I wanted to join for the summer but this ankle is holding me down haha.

yea I brought an ankle brace, but did not get to use it as I can hardly do any sports as of now.

[jdmXSI]

walk often on it

[~Leah~]

I went to the U of C physio, I can't remember if your student health plan covers it or not.

[5fivespeed]

IMO - All those excercies, Physio and crap don't work. I've sprained my left ankle once, and the right twice.

All I did - was had it massaged, and then pulled straight forward. What this did was crack the sprain and even though the ankle's never look the same again - it's brilliant. The physio and all that, doesn't crack the sprain. I found that out.

I play soccer, all year round. Sprains are part of it. I got it massaged (It hurts SOOO BAD) and then cracked. Worked for me, I know it's not a medical thing, my uncle just learned that back from his Fiji days

[r0g3r]

Originally posted by 5fivespeed
IMO - All those excercies, Physio and crap don't work. I've sprained my left ankle once, and the right twice.

All I did - was had it massaged, and then pulled straight forward. What this did was crack the sprain and even though the ankle's never look the same again - it's brilliant. The physio and all that, doesn't crack the sprain. I found that out.

I play soccer, all year round. Sprains are part of it. I got it massaged (It hurts SOOO BAD) and then cracked. Worked for me, I know it's not a medical thing, my uncle just learned that back from his Fiji days

getting it cracked....is it those asian kung fu martial arts movie type things? where the master just says "oh u sprained your ankle, let me see it"
then he just does this really fast twisting type action and then everything is all better? lol

[hassanc21]

If you still have swelling and it's more than 3 days after the injury, try cold/heat therapy.
Take two large buckets (big enough for your foot and ankle to be immersed under water).
Put ice water in one and hot water in the other.
Put your ankle in the cold for 1 minute and alternate between the two for about 10 minutes or as long as you can stand.
The ice water can be painful on the toes so you can wrap them with a neoprene sleeve or cloth.

Do this a few times a week if not daily, you'll notice the swelling will go down and the alternation of heat and cold will help blood flow to the area.

Also, go to Cornerstone fitness off Edmonton trail and ask for Smart Balm. Put it on your ankle and apply heat to promote blood flow to the area. This stuff is awesome for everything from headaches, bruises, sprains and muscle strains.

If you have newly sprained your ankle, ice it 3-4 times a day for 10-15 minutes for the first 72 hours. Do not apply heat until after 72 hours. I could explain why but this I've typed enough.

[r0g3r]

thanks for the tip! helps alot

[1-Bar]

Originally posted by r0g3r


getting it cracked....is it those asian kung fu martial arts movie type things? where the master just says "oh u sprained your ankle, let me see it"
then he just does this really fast twisting type action and then everything is all better? lol

cracking sound is most likely the tendons rubbing over the bone and "cracking" or snapping back into the right place, that's why it feels better.....

[pinoyhero]

WOW no one has posted RICE?

Rest
Ice
Compression
Elevation (above heart)

Do that every night or 2x daily if you can and rest that bitch, I've had countless sprained ankles, this is the cure

[1-Bar]

lol, so basic that everyone forgot....^^ good call

[~Leah~]

rice is really only a good cure within 48 hours of the original incident... it might help a LITTLE now, but if he didn't take care of it when it happened, he's pretty much screwed.

[Kloubek]

Didn't bother to read the whole thread.

But when I sprained my ankle, it literally took 3-4 months before it was perfectly normal again. They take a ridiculously long time to heal, unfortunately.

[r0g3r]

Originally posted by ~Leah~
rice is really only a good cure within 48 hours of the original incident... it might help a LITTLE now, but if he didn't take care of it when it happened, he's pretty much screwed.

:cry:

3-4 months, wow , i think mind will be close to 3months also before its close to what it was originally before i sprained it.hopefully.

[beyondpinoy]

depending on the degree of sprain... its probably just weak right now.. and you probably just need to build the strength back in it... because if you think about it.. while its been injured, the area gets weak, and that why it still hurts a few months after.. it has to build back to original strength... i would start doing some activities to strengthen the ankle again..

[SpoonEK9@STRD]

I just "broke" my ankle, the fib and tib. Also Tore of a ligament. Any how, its all plated back together. The doctors are saying I can take the cast of in 6 weeks.

With Physio, how long do you think it will take to train my self how to walk? (properly)

Worst ankle roll EVER!

[r0g3r]

Originally posted by SpoonEK9@STRD
I just "broke" my ankle, the fib and tib. Also Tore of a ligament. Any how, its all plated back together. The doctors are saying I can take the cast of in 6 weeks.

With Physio, how long do you think it will take to train my self how to walk? (properly)

Worst ankle roll EVER!

sorry to hear that man, i don't know the answer to your question but when you first rolled your ankle how did you know it was broken and that you tore a ligament? because when I rolled mine it was pretty intense, I hear hear cracking and other weird noises. I'm worried that I maybe fractured it and now its just healing the wrong way? (i dont know, just a guess....)

i went to another walk in doctor and he told me "as long as your able to walk on it, its not broken" and then just walked out. Should I trust his advice, considering his mood, he looked very aggravated and stressed?

[5fivespeed]

Well, if you can walk on it - it could be a mild sprain. I rolled mine in Soccer today, and limped my tired ass off the field. Just pain, and in a few days it'll go away.

One thing I noticed, once you sprain an ankle - it'll never be as FTW as OEM.