What Are the Signs of and Treatments for Sprained Ankles?

Sprained ankles are among the most common injuries that you can sustain. If you’re experiencing any of the following signs that you have a sprained ankle, it would be best to visit an ankle doctor in Huntsville, TX. These specialists will be able to work out a treatment plan that’s best suited to your needs. Here, you will learn about the signs of a sprained ankle as well as some simple treatments that can help. Of course, a doctor will be able to treat your injury is the best way possible to get you back in tip-top shape.

Sign: Pain

The clearest sign that something is wrong with your body is pain. Ankle sprains can be painful and interfere with your daily life. It can make moving around difficult, and the more you push yourself to use your injured ankle, the more it’s going to hurt and cause further damage.

Sign: Swelling and Stiffness

Swelling is a natural response that your body has for an injury. This is the body’s way of starting the healing process and trying to protect the injured area. The swelling, along with the pain, can cause you to feel stiffness when you try to move the ankle. You may notice that these symptoms get worse with a lack of treatment.

Sign: Redness and Bruising

If you’ve sprained your ankle, you may start to notice redness and warmth in the affected area. This is due to increased blood flow to the injury. You may also notice bruising in the injured ankle. In general, it will be fairly obvious that something is wrong with your ankle once you’ve sprained it.

Treatment: Rest and Medication

There are some simple things that you can do to help alleviate pain and get your ankle started on the healing process. The most important thing to do is to rest your ankle rather than put pressure on it. Elevate your ankle while resting it for a few hours each day, and you should notice the redness, bruising, and swelling start to decrease. If the pain is too much for you to deal with using the previous simple treatments, you can take a painkiller to help manage it. An over-the-counter pain reliever should help you reduce the pain and swelling in your ankle. A doctor can advise you further on what pain medication will help best.

Treatment: Ice and Compress

Placing an ice pack on the injured ankle for 10 minutes every couple of hours should help to reduce the pain and swelling in your ankle. You should never ice your ankle for more than 20 minutes at a time. You can also use a compression brace or bandage around your ankle to help reduce your pain levels as well. If you have blood circulation issues or diabetes, it’s best to consult an ankle specialist before icing or compressing your ankle.

Treatment: Visit a Doctor

These simple treatments are all great to help ease the pain and get your ankle started on the healing process, but they won’t do as much as you would like to get your ankle back to normal. Your best course of action is to make an appointment with a foot specialist in Huntsville to come up with a treatment plan specifically for you. The doctor will go over a treatment schedule as well as teach you exercises that you can do to get your ankle back in good condition.

Schedule an appointment for your sprained ankle with Ankle & Foot Specialists of Conroe, The Woodlands in Huntsville, TX, by calling 936-295-5936.