Our Vancouver Podiatrists Explain What to Do When That Ankle Sprain Just Won’t Heal
Many of us have experienced the frustration of being unable to return to our normal activities because of chronic ankle instability and pain. It can be tempting to jump back into physical activity—or even just move around the house more—as soon as your pain lessens even a little bit, but it’s important not to rush the healing process. If you do, you may risk incomplete healing, ankle instability, and possibly recurring sprains.
At Clover Podiatry, our foot doctors have decades of experience treating ankle injuries. We’ll help you determine when it’s the right time to finally get back on your feet so your ankle stays strong and healthy.
Why Does My Ankle Still Hurt After Recovering From a Sprain?
It’s important to know the difference between a sprain and a strain:
- A sprain affects your ankle joint and ligaments, the connective tissues surrounding it.
- If you suffer a strain, it’s often because of injury to the muscles and tendons supporting the ankle.
The most common cause of lingering pain after an ankle sprain is not allowing the joint to fully heal before using it again. Depending on the severity of your condition, sprained ligaments often take six weeks or longer to heal completely. While you’re eager to get back to your regular life, you risk suffering chronic pain and other long-lasting effects.
Other causes include:
- A buildup of scar tissue
- A compressed or pinched nerve
- An injury that was actually a fracture or another more serious issue that required medical attention from the beginning
When you sprain your ankle, your ligaments are stretched or torn, which affects your balance and requires rehabilitation to strengthen the muscles around the ankle and retrain the ligaments. Most often, patients experience ankle instability if they don’t allow their ankle to heal completely or don’t follow their physical therapy instructions for complete rehabilitation.
What’s worse, ankle instability can lead to repeated ankle sprains because the ligaments are constantly stretched and weakened.
Ankle Instability Symptoms
An unstable ankle often feels “wobbly”— like it can’t remain sturdy while holding your weight. Other symptoms you might notice include:
- Chronic discomfort and swelling
- Lingering pain or tenderness
- Repeated ankle turns or twists, especially when walking on uneven surfaces or playing sports
Ankle Instability Treatment Options We Often Recommend at Clover Podiatry
If you feel lingering pain or instability after an ankle sprain, it’s important to consult one of our Vancouver foot doctors at Clover Podiatry. We’ll conduct a thorough physical examination and medical history intake to evaluate the cause of your ankle instability, including X-rays or other imaging to rule out unresolved conditions such as fractures or arthritis.
Generally, ankle sprains are graded on the following scale of severity:
- Grade 1. Minor damage to ligament fibers and slight stretching.
- Grade 2. A partial ligament tear, usually determined by excessive looseness in the ankle joint.
- Grade 3. Complete ligament tear.
Our goal is to recommend various conservative methods as a first line of treatment, and surgical methods for persistent ankle instability or chronic ankle sprains. Here’s what we often suggest.
Conservative Treatment
Remember, patience is key with conservative approaches. You’re committing to at least six weeks of dedicated rest and focused care. Our strategies for non-surgical treatments include:
- Physical therapy. In physical therapy (PT), you’ll practice targeted exercises and stretches to strengthen your ankle, retrain your ligaments, tendons, and muscles, and increase your range of motion. These techniques help reinforce the mechanics surrounding the ankle joint and improve your balance, too. If you practice a specific sport or activity, your physical therapist may also provide more training to help prevent further injury.
- Braces. To help support and strengthen your ankle during recovery, we might fit you with a brace. Models can be off-the-shelf or customized to your needs.
- Medication. We might also suggest nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen or naproxen to reduce pain and inflammation.
Surgical Treatment
If conservative treatments don’t heal the ligaments and eliminate chronic ankle instability or sprains, surgical options include:
- Repair of the lateral ankle ligaments. This involves stabilizing the ankle by cutting the stretched-out ligaments on the outside of the ankle and repairing them in a tightened position.
- Lateral ankle ligament reconstruction. This is a more complex procedure and involves reinforcement of the stretched-out ligaments by weaving a tendon graft through the bones on the outside of the ankle, providing additional support to the area.
Ankle reconstruction surgery has high success rates for resolving instability, but if you pursue high-risk activities, you may still re-sprain your ankle.
Preventing Chronic Ankle Sprains
A few thoughtful approaches help you maintain mobility and avoid future injury.
Proper Ankle Sprain Treatment
It’s essential to take appropriate measures to heal a sprain right away. Recovery time for healing depends on what grade of sprain your doctor identifies in their diagnosis, but the treatment strategies remain much the same, involving the RICE method:
- Rest: Avoid walking on your ankle until you can do so comfortably. (You may require a boot or brace).
- Ice: Apply ice to the area (through a cloth) for 20 minutes each session several times a day to reduce swelling and pain.
- Compress: Use bandages or braces to compress and immobilize your ankle to help manage swelling and provide support.
- Elevate: Lift your ankle above the level of your heart for 48 hours to lessen swelling.
Lifestyle Adjustments
There are a few ways you can adjust your lifestyle to prevent frequent ankle sprains, including:
- Wear proper footwear. Ensure your shoes offer the proper level of support. If you hike, wear boots that offer full ankle support.
- Build lower-body strength. If your feet, leg, hip, and core muscles can’t fully support your upper body, you face a higher risk of ankle sprains.
- Improve your balance. Sometimes ankle sprains happen when you can’t correct an imbalance quickly enough. Exercises such as yoga, tai chi, and other daily targeted exercises help improve balance.
- Improve your flexibility. By increasing your range of motion, you can prevent overstretching of ankle ligaments.
- Assess and adjust your walking technique. Many people don’t realize when they have an imbalance in their gait, which can lead to injury. Consult with our staff for a full evaluation.
Maybe you think an occasional ankle twist isn’t a big deal but remember: the more often you sprain your ankle, the more likely you are to suffer chronic instability. This might lead to other more serious conditions, such as ankle arthritis, which may require ankle replacement or ankle fusion later in life. There’s always a reason for foot pain. Let the professionals at Clover Podiatry determine the real issue and help you get back on your feet with dedicated care and solutions.