ankle sprain question?

Question

I sprained my ankle 2 1/2 months ago, and it was a second degree sprain with bruising all over my foot. it took about a week before i could walk again. since then i still don't feel like my ankle is as strong as it was before, though.

i occassionally roll my ankle still, too, and it scares me b/c i dont want to sprain it again. like today, i was running barefoot in my backyard, and i was running up a hill, and so my foot and leg were kind of in a large V shape while i was running, and then my ankle was really sore after i was running and it has been sore all day. how long will it be before my ankle feels back to the way it was? should i still keep up with the "ankle strengthening" exercises my doctor gave me to do while the ankle was sprained?

Answer 1

It's going to take your ankle a very long, long, long time to heal.

Trust me on this. I did the same thing. If you can go to physio therapy do so. They will help you a lot.

Do wear a tensor bandage on your foot for support, especially when you are out and playing or running, etc. Wear running shoes to prevent your foot from twisting. It's going to take 6 months to a year for your foot to heal properly.

In the meantime, continue to do hot and cold compresses to your foot 1 minute hot, 1 cold...this will help it heal. Point your toes then pull your foot back in.

Very gently "draw" the letters of the alphabet with your toes...this will exercise your ankle...GENTLY though...that is the key. And rest your foot and raise it often.

You probably tore ligaments too so your ankle will never be strong like it was and exercises when it is healed is really what will support the ankle now. Keep a good list handy and do those exercises but if there is pain you've pushed yourself too hard.

Good luck.

Answer 2

Keep up the exercise! It's very important to strengthen the ankle again. When you sprain something you stretch all the ligaments and tendons, this takes time to heal, sometimes 6 months or more, depending on how much you work at strengthening it and not re-injuring it during recovery. It gets frustrating because what took seconds to injury takes months to heal, but don't give up. Keep at it. By the way, running barefoot is a bad idea, especially after an injury. Shoes help support the feet and ankles and will work to prevent the ankle from twisting again.

Answer 3

When you sprain your ankle, the ligaments get stretched. When they stretch, they bleed inside, this is what caused the bruising that you described.
You can expect your ankle to feel "loose', making it more likely to roll over. When you roll it, the ligaments stretch a bit and the looseness continues.
With time, your ligaments will come back to almost the same "tightness" as before the injury.
You should continue to do the "ankle strengthening" exercises the doctor gave you to do while the ankle was sprained?
You may want to wear a tie-up ankle brace, when you are doing very strenuous sports and activities. For photo, go to:
www.MedSupports.com

Answer 4

Keep up the ankle strengthening exercises. I had a severe sprain once, and my doctor said it could take a year or more for it to be completely healed. Also, when you do activities such as running, jumping, etc... you should wrap your ankle with an ace bandage or wear an ankle support to give it added protection.

Answer 5

I badly sprained my ankle about 3 weeks ago. I was in a hurry going down the stairs, lost my balance and landed on a bad side of my left foot, causing my left ankle to be stretched going on the inside. The first 48 hours were excruciating and the pain was un-believable. I've never had a serious ankle injury before.

So I immediately treated it using the RICE method. The following day, the bruising and swelling were so horrible. I found out that I got a second degree sprain and immediately panicked after that. I had a football game on that week and it been looking forward to it because I've been training for rt. I had teammates that had similar injuries and it took them months to fully recover, some of them stopped playing altogether. So I kinda had a short-term depression because I can't imagine myself not being able to run and play sports anymore.

Because I was so desperate to recover again, I contacted a lot of people that I know who do sports and asked them if they had similar injuries. One friend of mine, from the boy's football team in my university, told me about H.E.M. Ankle Rehab. I got a copy 4 days after I got injured. I immediately read and followed what was instructed and felt improvement on the first day. I was able to walk a bit, but I was in pain.

A couple of days after that, the swelling and bruising were subsid-ing significantly and on the fourth day, I was walking comfortably again. Although I've had felt a bit of stiffness, I continued doing what was instructed. My sister was surprised that I have recovered this fast. I told her about this book and was shocked on how effective the procedures were. I'm just so happy that this book was shared to me and how effective it is.

Heal your ankle fully & fast?

Answer 6

When I sprained my wrist and sprained my foot it took many months to feel completely heeled. In fact, it took about 2 years to not feel occasional pain in the area.

Answer 7

Yes, keep up with the exercises, and let your doctor know what's going on, and ask if there's something else you should be doing, including having it checked out again.

I resprained mine because I didn't do what I'm suggesting to you. I REALLY don't want anyone else to go through that pain!
Good luck!

Answer 8

stop running, rest, ice, compress (wrap with ace bandage) and elevate. follow your md advice and continue with the ankle strengthening exercise

Answer 9

yes.. you have to rebuild the muscles in your ankle... keep exercising it.... other wise you are at a higher risk of spraining or breaking it...