How We Treat Ankle Sprains
We Help Heal Your Ankle Sprain
We help your ankle to heal as quickly as possible – using treatments that aim to increase blood flow, decrease inflammation & break up scar tissue. The first steps towards resolving ankle sprains properly – all involve being extremely proactive with the management of stiffness and pain.
We Offer Computerised Gait Analysis
We identify where your underlying specific weaknesses & imbalances lie. Many people sprain their ankles repeatedly because they have some pre-existing weakness or imbalance.
Rehab Exercises for Those Who Want Them
We help you restore the strength of your ankle in the long term. Research has shown that sprained ankles can cause the type of long term issues that call for committed rehab processes.
Insoles for Those Who Need Them
We prescribe custom orthotics – to help prevent ankle pain and ankle sprains – by limiting strain in the connective tissues of the ankle during day to day life:
Why We Treat Ankle Sprains
The ability to exercise and move safely and comfortably is a big part of our most basic sense of physical freedom. Finding that you can’t exercise the way you would like to without worrying about your ankles can be seriously frustrating. Ankle sprains can cause both short and long term issues for those of us who prefer to lead an active life.
Research has shown that ankle sprains that are not effectively rehabilitated can have serious long term repercussions. This has been our clinical observation over the years too. Our knowledge of these facts is what drives us to do everything we can to help get you out of pain in a way that is comfortable, stable and long-lasting. Your quality of life is what drives us to work as hard as we do.
Ankle Sprain FAQ
What is a sprained ankle ?
A sprained ankle is essentially trauma to the connective tissues that hold the ankle joint in place.. ligament. Ligaments are the bodies strongest ‘connective’ structures, they are strong fibrous cords that bind bones to other bones. The primary damage in sprained ankles is usually damage to the ankle ligaments, although other tissues like tendon, joint capsule, fascia and blood vessels are most likely also affected in bad sprains.
The vast majority of sprained ankles or ‘rolled ankles’ involve ‘rolling over’ on the outside of the foot which damages the ligaments etc on the outside of the ankle. The severity of the sprain is essentially determined by how far the ankle joint rolls over and how much body weight is loaded through the ligaments.
Looking through a microscope at a sprained ankle you would see tears ranging from the extremely tiny and microscopic tears through to completely tears of the ligament. Looking holistically at the whole ankle foot and leg (the opposite of down a microscope) through the eyes of a trained health professional you would usually see signs of significant pre-existing weakness in ankles that get sprained, there is a lot more to most sprained ankles than bad luck.
What is a normal sprained ankle recovery time?
Ankle sprain recovery time can vary from less than 3 weeks in mild sprains that are managed correctly through to ankles that take many years to recover. Permanent weakness and issues with chronic pain are more common than you might think after bad ankle sprains. If you are concerned about recovery time seek a professional who takes a hands on approach to your pain and have them move you towards a serious approach to rehabilitation. Loosely speaking the recovery time for ankle sprains are as follows.
Grade I Sprained Ankle
This grade of sprained ankle involves microscopic tears in the ligaments of the ankle. The symptoms generally include mild tenderness, mild swelling, and stiffness. The ankle feels relatively stable and it is usually possible to walk even immediately after the injury with moderate or minimal pain.
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