Our Vancouver Foot Doctors Explain What to Expect From Severe Ankle Sprain Recovery
The short answer: it often takes a few weeks for a severely sprained ankle to heal. The long answer: many factors affect the length and progress of your ankle sprain recovery, starting with prompt medical treatment from a qualified podiatrist. Our skilled medical team at Clover Podiatry is ready to provide you with the right diagnoses, education, and treatment plan to get you back on your feet in no time and make sure your post-recovery ankle is as good as new. Here’s what you need to know.
Common Causes of Ankle Sprains
A strain is different from a sprain. While they’re both soft tissue injuries, a strain affects muscles and tendons, and a sprain impacts ligaments connecting to a joint. You can sprain your ankle as a result of various actions and conditions, including:
- Rolling or twisting the ankle joint
- Experiencing a direct blow to your ankle whether from a fall or collision
- Landing on your foot at an awkward ankle
- Weak ankle muscles
- Poor balance resulting in unstable foot placement
- Improperly fitted or unsupportive footwear
Symptoms of a Sprained Ankle
If something doesn’t feel quite right, look for:
- Swelling
- Bruising
- Pain, especially when pressing the affected area
- Redness and warmth
- Instability
- Difficulty walking.
If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, schedule an appointment with our office right away so we can evaluate the nature of your injury and recommend next steps.
How the Foot Doctors at Clover Podiatry Diagnose Your Ankle Sprain Recovery Time
First, we’ll conduct a physical examination, evaluating range of motion, ligament responsiveness, and pain sensitivity. To rule out other serious conditions, we might also do an imaging test, like an X-ray, to make sure you’re not suffering from a fracture.
Ankle sprain severity falls into three categories:
- Grade 1. An ankle ligament tears or stretches slightly, and the outer part of your ankle exhibits mild tenderness, swelling, and stiffness. Generally, you can still walk with minimal ankle pain. Grade 1 sprains require 3–5 weeks for full recovery.
- Grade 2. These sprains are more severe, but the ligament tear is incomplete. You might notice moderate swelling, bruising, and pain, and walking is painful, even if your ankle feels somewhat stable. Grade 2 sprains require 4–6 weeks for full recovery.
- Grade 3. The ligament is completely torn, and your ankle exhibits severe swelling and bruising. The joint is unstable and your ankle often “gives out” while walking. Many people have considerable pain with this stage of injury. Grade 3 sprains require 3–6 months for full recovery.
Factors Impacting Sprain Recovery Time
In addition to the severity of your ankle injury, your overall recovery time is affected by:
- How much you rest your ankle so the ligament heals properly.
- Whether or not you seek help from a physical therapist to help balance resting and exercises to heal and then re-strengthen the ankle.
- If you suffer from chronic ankle instability and need more advanced treatment to prevent constant recurrence.
If you want to recover quickly, it’s important to follow your doctor’s orders in terms of rest, modified activities, and other therapies.
Sprained Ankle Treatment We Provide in Our Vancouver Office
Although treatment solutions vary somewhat depending on the severity of your condition, certain elements remain the same. Immediately after spraining your ankle, most podiatrists suggest using RICE therapy for the first 24–48 hours, which stands for:
- Rest. Give the ankle time to rest without putting excess weight on it.
- Ice. Spend 20 minutes, 3–4 times a day, icing the ankle.
- Compression. Use a wrap to compress the ankle, providing essential support.
- Elevation. Elevate the foot above the level of the heart to reduce swelling.
Then, we might recommend modified movement, anti-inflammatory medication, wrapping, and specialized exercises to help improve mobility and flexibility. Severe ankle sprains may require a brace rather than a wrap, more extensive rest, and physical therapy to strengthen the ankle. If you’re suffering repeated ankle sprains because of chronic instability, we might also advise surgical procedures to repair or reconstruct ankle ligaments.