ANKLE SPRAINS
Bondi Junction, Eastern suburbs Physiotherapy

A sprained ankle is one of the most common sporting injuries, often recurring regularly if not treated and rehabilitated correctly. In most cases the foot is rolled inwards, resulting in stretching or tearing of the ligaments on the outside of the ankle. Occasionally, there is associated muscle, bone or cartilage damage involved too.

Stepping or running onto an unstable surface or landing unbalanced can cause your ankle to ‘roll’ and sprain your ankle. Pain, swelling and bruising may follow. Depending on the severity of your sprain, you may have trouble standing on your foot or walking. In these cases, a walking boot, crutches or strapping might be advisable.

​

​

​

​

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR AN ANKLE SPRAIN TO HEAL?

​

This can vary greatly depending on the grade of your ankle sprain.

Grade 1 will most likely heal within 2 to 3 weeks, although it can take up to 6 weeks for full scar tissue maturation. Untreated mild ankle sprains quite often result in joint stiffness, ligament laxity, muscle weakness or reduced proprioception (balance and joint awareness). This can lead to compensations in other parts of the body, which can lead to other injuries at a later time.

Grade 2 sprains have more severe ligament stretch and need 4 to 6 weeks recovery time.

Grade 3 ligament injuries are when the ligament is completely ruptured. The rehabilitation of a Grade 3 ankle sprain normally takes 6 to 12 weeks but is quite variable depending on your specific injury.

​

TREATMENT OF ANKLE SPRAINS

​

Depending on the grade or severity of your injury, treatment will be tailored to your individual needs.

"A sprained ankle can increase your risk of re-injury as much as 40-70%, but the correct post-injury rehabilitation exercises significantly decrease the risk."

Pain relief, regaining full range of motion, strengthening of calf and ankle muscles, restoring proprioception, normalising gait patterns and returning to sports are goals that will be addressed to get you the best rehabilitation and get you back to doing what you love.

DRY NEEDLING ANKLE SPRAIN

​

Dry needling is often a technique that is not commonly used with an ankle sprain, but it can have significant benefits. The peroneal group is a muscle group on the outside of your lower leg, which plays an important role in the stability of your foot and ankle. We’ve seen chronic ankle instability and pain due to the overactivity and trigger points in this muscle group. It is important that this is addressed and dry needling can be an effective way to treat this. To learn more about dry needling, click here.

In the video bellow, Kenny from Physio K runs you through a stability exercise program for your ankle and your foot. These are particularly handy after you sprained (or rolled) your ankle or if you have ankle instability. You really should master these ones after an ankle sprain, otherwise you could have an instability for a long time. This exercise program will start off easy and will progress to more difficult exercises.

Please always check with your physio to know which exercises will be helpful for you. These videos are here as a guide and will contribute to your rehab, in addition to some specific manual treatment. Sometimes you'll need a different approach, so always contact your health practitioner to get the best recommendation for you.

​

Watch the video about ankle and foot stability exercises

1. Standing on one foot

That's a very easy exercise. You can do that anytime: when you wait for traffic lights or when you're cooking, just stand on one foot. You can make it a little bit harder if you close your eyes. Doing that will eliminate a part of your balance system, so that will

be a little bit harder. Try to do that for a minute or longer, if possible.

2. Standing single leg with movement

Bending through your knee, up and down while standing on 1 leg is a very good progression from the first exercise. Next, moving the free leg in different directions can be used to challenge your balance system. Try to do this for a minute each time.

3. Lunges steps (forward and sideways)

Take big steps forward and then sideways: lunges. Keep your bodyweight on top of the front foot and try to keep your balance for 3 seconds before switching to the other leg. Try to do 10 repetitions each side, 3 sets.

4. Jumping lunges

Big jumps forward and sideways. This is very similar to the previous exercise, only now it requires jumps instead of steps. Start with jumping from 1 leg to the other, then switch to continuously jumping with the same leg. Try to make your foot and leg tired to improve your balance and your stability in your ankle.

These exercises are paramount to increase the stability of your foot and ankle. Really try to do them as much as you can, you should do them at least for a few weeks to a few months.

​