Ankle Injuries

Whether running, jumping, skiing, or walking around calmly minding your own business, you have probably twisted your ankle at one time or another. The ankle is truly an amazing structure and is responsible for holding just about all of your weight, while still maintaining motion and stability. Most ankle injuries happen as a result of an inversion of the foot where you roll the foot onto it’s outside edge, turning the sole inward and upward. Any type of over flexion or over extension however, may damage tendons, ligaments and may fracture bones.

Treatment and Expectations: The first thing to do is elevate the affected limb and put ice on it to minimize the swelling. A bag of frozen veggies such as peas work very well because it will easily conform to anatomical curves of the body. Take off both shoes and socks and look for any gross (not grotesque!) anatomic deformities. If unsure, you can compare the injured to the good ankle. A little bruising and swelling around the ankle and foot is normal, but if the swelling is more than what you’d think is reasonable, or if in doubt, seek you Primary Care Provider.

Palpate (touch and feel) the medial and lateral malleolus (the bumps on each side of the ankle), and see if they are tender. In severe ankle inversion injuries, the outside bump which is actually the end of a bone, often gets fractured. If it’s unreasonably tender, go see you Healthcare Provider.

If you believe you have gotten away with just a badly sprained ankle (most of the time), then Remember the mnemonic: R.I.C.E. It stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. This is a good general rule of thumb to follow for any kind of musculoskeletal sprain or strain. Do the rest and elevation as discussed above, and then add compression with a snug Ace Wrap (elastic bandage) and elevation of the limb above the level of the heart.  A warm compress is then recommended 24 hours after the initial injury, to promote blood flow to the area..

If you’re stomach can handle it (no history of ulcers), then you can take some anti-inflammatory medicines such as Motrin or Advil (generically known as Ibuprofen) as labeled, or as directed by your Healthcare Provider. This medicine will not only work as a pain killer, but also help you heal faster with it’s anti-inflammatory properties. If it is truly a sprain, your Healthcare Provider would have simply written you a prescription for Motrin 800 mg tablets to be taken 3 times a day anyway.  This is equivalent to taking 4 of the over the counter Motrin at a time, that are 200 milligrams each. Take the medicine with food, as scheduled whether it hurts or not, for at least three to four days after the pain has gone.

You have to be patient with any kind of injury involving a ligament (holds together bone and bone) or tendon (holds together muscle and bone).