Keeping your foot raised helps decrease pain and swelling. When you elevate your ankle, try to keep it at the level of your heart. Lying on a couch with pillows under your foot is better than sitting in a chair with your foot on a footstool. Try to keep your foot elevated for 2 to 3 hours a day.
Soft tissues in your ankle could also become trapped between the injured ligament and a bone, resulting in further pain, weakness, and difficulty walking. Swelling caused by an ankle sprain may damage surrounding nerves, muscles, and blood vessels if left untreated.
Elevation: Raise the injured part above heart level to decrease swelling.
Elevation: Raise your ankle at or above the level of your heart. This prevents the swelling from getting worse and reduces bruising. Keep your ankle elevated for 2 to 3 hours a day.
Elevating a sprained ankle reduces the accumulation of fluid in the joint. This can ease swelling, which may also help reduce pain. Try sleeping with the foot and ankle propped up on pillows at a level higher than the heart. When sitting or resting, use pillows or a footrest to keep the foot and ankle elevated.
E = Elevation.
Keeping your foot raised helps decrease pain and swelling. When you elevate your ankle, try to keep it at the level of your heart. Lying on a couch with pillows under your foot is better than sitting in a chair with your foot on a footstool. Try to keep your foot elevated for 2 to 3 hours a day.
Keep the ankle elevated for 48 hrs. Immobilization or splint may be recommended. Range of motion and stretching exercises usually after a few days. Time to heal: 3–6 weeks.
If you've just sprained your ankle, you might be wondering if it's OK to walk on it. The answer that most medical professionals may give you is no. In fact, suggest that immobilizing the foot and limiting weight-bearing activities for up to two weeks is the best course of action for a newly sprained ankle.
Elevation: By keeping your ankle elevated above the level of your heart, you can help reduce swelling and pain. Prop up your leg during the day, and put a pillow beneath your ankle in bed at night.
Yes, it is possible to elevate an injury too much. Elevation is a technique commonly used to treat many musculoskeletal injuries ranging from foot fractures to tendinitis in your knees. Elevating injuries in your legs or arms can encourage blood flow to inflamed tissue and reduce swelling.
Painkillers like paracetamol(external link opens in a new window / tab) will ease the pain and ibuprofen(external link opens in a new window / tab) will bring down the swelling. You shouldn't take ibuprofen for 48 hours after your injury as it may slow down healing.
DON'T do activities that will increase swelling. Avoid early use of heat or too much activity, standing, or sitting with the ankle hanging. DON'T play sports again until pain and swelling are gone and the ankle is strong.
Ankle pain at night can be debilitating, because it interferes with sleep. The ankle allows your feet to flex and extend, so if you move your foot while sleeping it will aggravate an injured ankle and result in pain.
For less severe sprains, you may be able to go back to your normal activities after a few days. For more severe sprains, it may take several weeks. Talk to your provider before returning to more intense sports or work activities.
According to the National Association of Athletic Trainers, ankle injuries, including sprains, are very often undertreated. Ignoring treatment, including excessive movement of the ankle through unnecessary walking, leads to a greater risk of worsening the injury.
Healthguidance.org recommends how to sleep with a sprained ankle is by elevating it slightly to drain fluids and prevent unnecessary swelling, so place a pillow or some blankets under the offending ankle while you sleep. Also apply some ice before going to bed to reduce inflammation.
The recovery time for a sprained ankle varies depending on the severity of your injury. It may take anywhere from two weeks to heal a minor sprain and anywhere from six to 12 weeks to heal a severe sprain.
What Are the Symptoms of a Torn Ligament in an Ankle? You can feel sudden pain, and a tearing, snapping or popping sensation – which might be so bad you can't put weight on your foot – and swelling around your ankle joint. In some cases, there may bruising that extends down your foot and up your calf.
Rest— Get off of the foot as much as possible for the first 24 to 48 hours.
Grade 1: Stretching or slight tearing of the ligament with mild tenderness, swelling and stiffness. The ankle feels stable and it is usually possible to walk with minimal pain. Grade 2: A more severe sprain, but incomplete tear with moderate pain, swelling and bruising.
“A mild sprain should take approximately seven to 10 days to heal,” Mufich said. “A torn ligament is considered a severe sprain that will cause pain, inflammation, bruising and result in ankle instability, often making it difficult and painful to walk.
Lingering inflammation, scar tissue, or a partly torn ligament can occur in the hollow place in the side of the anklebone called the sinus tarsi (sinus in Latin means hollow or sunken and the tarsus is the ankle). This is the most common cause of the sprained ankle that won't heal.