Sprained ankle treatment

So you got a sprained ankle huh? That suck's luckily for you there are ways to ease the pain and protect your ankle from further harm.

Make sure you ankle is well supported with the correct footwear, Boots/Shoes with high ankle supports are perfect, You should not be putting much weight on your ankle for the first 48-72 hours, so make sure you get quite a bit of rest. Use a walking stick or crutches to to move around. (only if you have to.) After you have rested your ankle for 48-72 hours you should gradually try and move/put weight on the affected ankle remember....take it slow, you do not want to injure yourself further.

Ice is a great sprained ankle treatment. You can use packs of veg from your freezer or ice packs, be sure to wrap the ice in some kind of cover to avoid ice burn (a towel will be fine.) Put the ice on ankle for 15-20 mins every 3 hours. It is a great way to reduce bruising and swelling. Never apply ice to the ankle when you are asleep.

Another great sprained ankle treatment is to bandage the injury. By applying bandages the ankle is well supported and it will help reduce bruising and swelling. Before going to bed all bandages should be removed.

Swelling can be reduced further by elevating the ankle above the heart. Pillows or a chair can be used to help support the ankle. 

After the 48-72 hours recovery period you should try to do some flexibility exercises if it causes you to much pain, further rest is needed wait 24 hours before you try again. Exercise will help the ankle heal. Flexibility exercises can be performed by making circles with your foot both ways. Shifting weight to the inside and outside of your foot. 

Its important to see a doctor of physiotherapist if the pain persists after 72 hours.