First Aid: Sprained Ankle

by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger

05 Jun 2008 02:24 PM

Since I've been obsessing lately about possible ankle injuries, this is as good a time as any to look at other mishaps that could befall me while walking the dogs. Okay, I'm mostly kidding. Mostly. (You didn't know me as a kid, but I was incredibly clumsy.)

If you think you've sprained your ankle, here are some things you can do:

1. Rest. It's important to give the injured body part a chance to heal! You may not need to be entirely inactive, but you may need to put things like jogging or power walking on hold. There are other things you can do for cardiovascular exercise that will be easier on a sprained ankle, like swimming.
2. Apply ice to keep swelling down. Limit your icing to no more than twenty minutes at a time throughout the day. More than twenty minutes with the icepack and you can do more harm than good. (A bag of frozen veggies makes a great icepack in a pinch.)
3. Elevate the injured ankle to help keep swelling down. The less you can let your foot dangle, the less swelling you'll have.
4. Light compression can help minimize the swelling when you can't elevate your ankle. If you don't know how to use an Ace bandage to wrap your ankle, you might want to give your doctor a call so you can get a demonstration. Wrapping your ankle too tight can cut off circulation and do more harm than good. The bandage (if you're wrapping your own ankle) should be snug, but not tight.
5. Protect your ankle. Try not to walk on it if you can avoid it. Your doctor may want you to immobilize it with a splint or brace.

Many ankle injuries aren't panic-worthy. A lot of them can heal naturally over a short time -- and you can help things along with the above tips. However, if you have pain that persists or worsens, a lot of discoloration in the injured area (which could be a sign of a break), or if you're just worried, call your doctor. Get a professional to take a look so you'll know for sure what's wrong and how to fix it.

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Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover...

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