Blog post from our board member Dr. Robert Bacci: The best treatment for ankle sprains? – Courtesy of Bacci & Glinn Physical Therapy
FOR A SPRAINED ANKLE, CONSIDER SEEING US FIRST-HERE’S WHY
If you play sports, there’s a strong chance you will sprain your ankle at some point. Ankle sprains account for up to 45% of all sports injuries, and approximately 25,000 people sprain their ankle every day in the U.S. In addition, about 10% of visits to the emergency department (ED) are for ankle sprains, which leads to direct medical costs of $2 billion. Most sprains (41%) occur in basketball, followed by football and soccer, which is mainly because each of these sports involve lots of jumping and cutting movements, which significantly increase the risk for sprains.
Ankle sprains involve the ligaments of the ankle joint, which are flexible bands of tissue that connect one bone to another. Ligaments are elastic and can be stretched to a certain length and then return to their original position, but they have a limit. When any of the ligaments in the ankle is stretched beyond its maximum range of motion, it becomes damaged, which is called a sprain. Most ankle sprains involve pain, swelling, tenderness, stiffness, and some degree of instability, depending on the severity of the sprain.
WHAT YOU DO RIGHT AFTER A SPRAIN CAN IMPACT YOUR FUTURE
If you do sprain your ankle, the prognosis is usually quite good, and most people can get back to sports or training within about 4–6 weeks; however, what you do immediately after the sprain will likely influence your eventual outcome. Some individuals will go to an urgent care center or the emergency room/department (ED), especially if the injury seems serious. Read more…