How Severe Is Your Ankle Pain

You may not have even known it, but at some point in your life, you had probably sprained your ankle. It could have been that twist your ankle did while playing soccer or simply missing the sidewalk and losing your balance. Your ankle may have hurt for the day, but you just iced it and that was it. Although all ankle sprains are not always severe, they can be. Our physical therapists in Shirley, Ronkonkoma, and Farmingville know all about sprained ankles, and we are here to help you.

Severe Ankle Sprain

If after a twist or a fall you notice your ankle is swollen and you begin to feel consistent pain, you have most likely sprained it. Typically, it will be very painful to walk, and tender to touch. If you find your ankle significantly swelled and in a lot of pain, maybe even unable to walk, the sprain will likely last longer. When you have a severe ankle sprain, it will take longer to heal and you should seek medical attention to be sure it’s not anything more serious than a sprain.

Types of Ankle Sprains

An ankle sprain occurs when a ligament or ligaments on the outside of your ankle are damaged. The more ligaments damaged or the severeness of damage of a ligament, the worse the sprain is and you should come see our physical therapists in Shirley, Ronkonkoma, and Farmingville.

Different types of ankle sprains include:

The Inversion Injury. This is the most common and occurs when the outer ligaments of the ankle are extensively stretched. When an inversion injury occurs, your ankle rotates outward and your foot spins inward.
The Eversion Injury. When an eversion injury occurs, your ankle rotates inward and your foot spins outward.

Treatment

If you ankle sprain is not severe, it is easy to treat it at home through self-care.

You should…

REST your ankle and try not to put pressure on it.
ICE for the first couple days at least, and if the swelling does not go down continue icing.
COMPRESS using an elastic wrap to bring down your swelling for the first day.
ELEVATE your ankle for at least two hours a day, which will help bring down your swelling.

If the home remedies are not bringing down your swelling much and you continue to have severe pain, you should see our physical therapists in Shirley, Ronkonkoma, and Farmingville. We will examine you by carefully moving your leg and foot to ascertain if your ligaments on intact, as well as to make sure no other injuries have happened. As your ankle is healing, we may suggest that you use an…