Your ankles are a relatively small part of your body, but they have enormous responsibilities. They support most of your body weight and must remain flexible enough so you can walk, run and jump. When one of the ligaments, muscles, tendons, bones or joints in the ankle gets hurt, you’ll find yourself staying off your feet for a bit of time.
One of the most common ankle injuries is a sprained ankle; it’s estimated that every day, more than 23,000 Americans develop an ankle sprain. Luckily, a physical therapist can help you find highly effective treatment for your ankle sprain.
What is a sprained ankle?
A sprain is an injury to the ligaments in your ankle. When you put weight on your foot in an awkward position, the ligaments can stretch or tear. There are many scenarios in which this can happen, such as stepping in a hole while running.
Not every sprained ankle is the same. There are varying degrees of ankle sprains that require different treatment and recovery periods:
- Grade one ankle sprains — A grade one sprain is a mild stretch of the ligament that requires about one or three weeks for recovery.
- Grade two ankle sprains — A grade two sprain is a more severe stretch to the ligament that may need three to six weeks for recovery.
- Grade three ankle sprains — A grade three sprain is a major stretch or tear to the ligament that could take six to 12 weeks for recovery.
Treating ankle sprains
Treatments for ankle sprains vary depending on the severity of the injury. Many grade one sprains require little more than some rest and pain medication. More severe sprains will require professional assistance. Some extreme cases may require surgery for treatment, but most people can get by with physical therapy.
Physical therapists are skilled in methods that can help reduce ankle pain and promote a better recovery. Some of the methods your physical therapist could use to treat an ankle sprain include:
- Manual therapy — This is a category of physical therapy that includes techniques like joint mobilization. It involves your physical therapist using their hands to mobilize soft tissue and manipulate joints. A study on manual therapy for ankle sprains reports that it helped reduce ankle pain by about 70% in just four weeks. Additionally, this technique led to an 87% improvement in patients’ ability to do normal daily tasks after four weeks.
- Astym® therapy — This form of physical therapy is performed using specially designed metal tools. Your physical therapist uses these tools to apply therapeutic pressure to the injured area. Researchers from one study on Astym therapy reveal that a patient recovering from a severe ankle sprain was able to run without pain for 40 minutes after five sessions.
Excel Sports & Physical Therapy offers top-notch sprained ankle treatment
Whether you have a grade one sprain or a grade three sprain, our team is ready to help you get ankle pain treatment that can get you back on your feet again. We offer free screenings that can help reveal how serious your ankle sprain is. In addition, our physical therapists are highly experienced at building individualized therapy plans designed to reduce ankle pain and improve ankle function.
Stuck at home because of your ankle sprain? No problem! Our therapy team offers physical therapy techniques that you can use without even leaving home, including virtual therapy and at-home care appointments.
Contact our team today for more information about how we can help with your ankle sprain or to schedule a free screening.
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