Ankle Sprain
This is where the ligaments which attach the bones of the foot together are stretched too far and they become torn or damaged. The size of the tear will determine the level of pain and swelling. If your foot is heavily swollen and bruised, it is likely to be quite a significant tear. (A tear is basically when a % of the fibres which make up the ligament are ripped, if only 25% of the fibres are torn, healing will be quite quick).
It must be stressed that this type of injury requires treatment as soon as possible to avoid long term unnecessary pain and discomfort. Early intervention by one of our physiotherapists will also reduce the cost of treatment. Quite simply, the quicker we can get to the injury, the less time it will take to recover.
Disappointingly, this is an injury which when first occurs, people usually visit A&E or their local GP and are given painkillers and possibly crutches and told rest. The initial advice is great, however with no further advice given and no definite period of rest advised, people quite literally do nothing with the ankle and it is left to stiffen up. This then becomes what we call chronic (long term injury) and this is now a much bigger problem than the initial ligament sprain. People usually rest and then six months later, the ankle is still stiff and painful and although can run or walk in straight lines without much discomfort, twisting, turning and swelling are still a problem. We find that this is often when people look for a physio!! TRY NOT to make this mistake, you need to be looking to see us approximately 5-6 days after the injury.
Caused by
Often caused by jumping and then landing off balance, i.e. basketball player, football player, dancer or more simply, walking on a path which is uneven and your foot landing and rolling outwards.
Recovery time
Typically, with immediate/early physiotherapy from us this type of injury will recover within four weeks. If the injury is left and is in the chronic stage, it may take us 6-8 weeks to restore you to pre injury condition but more often than not it recovers well.
More examples of the injuries we see every day in our practice
Back pain | Ankle sprain | Shoulder pain | Whiplash | Knee pain
