Twisted Ankle Treatment

Almost everyone of us must have sprained our ankle sometimes in our life. The fact is, ankle sprains are common and can happen while coming down the stairs, walking faster on a rough surface, playing some games, etc. It is surprising that even a simple twist of the ankle can be a source of potential harm to the ankle and can lead to fracture or severe joint pain on further accidents or injuries. It is in the best interest of the person who has got his ankle sprained, that he should not ignore the initial symptoms of ankle pain and should visit a physiotherapist for check up, so that treatment is carried out in a timely manner. They are the commonest of athlete injuries, that can happen to sportspeople who are involved in a lot of physical activity that causes strain on the legs and ankle.

What is Twisted Ankle?
For the layman, it is nothing but some hurt or injury that causes pain while walking or running, however, to understand ankle sprain in medical terms, we need to consider the structure of the ankle. The ankle is a hinge joint (can move freely in one plane) that is composed of bones and ligaments. Basically, the ankle is a joint formed by the tibia and fibula, which are the bones above the ankle in the foreleg and the talus, that is the bone below the ankle joint. These bones are joined by thick fibrous tissues called ligaments. On the whole, the stability of the ankle joint is due to the unique structural arrangement of the bones and ligaments. The ligaments allow the motion of the ankle joint, but that is restricted only to certain degrees and range. Twisted ankle or ankle sprain occurs when the ligaments are stretched more than the normal, leading to the tearing of these connective tissues.

Symptoms
It is necessary to categorize the severity of the ankle sprain and that is decided by 3 grade divisions. There are three types of ankle sprains or twisted ankle, viz. grade 1 ankle sprain, grade 2 ankle sprain and grade 3 ankle sprain. A person with sprained ankle in grade 1 shows mild swelling and pain and the person can walk slowly, however, the person can't jump or hop as it will cause pain in the ankle. In the grade 2 ankle sprain, the person will experience pain and swelling in the ankle, with increased intensity. Bleeding can also occur, causing bruises under the skin. In the grade 3 ankle sprain, there will be complete tearing of the ankle ligaments, leading to extreme pain and it can be tough for the person to walk without crutches.

Remedy
The therapist will examine the ankle by touching specific areas for injuries, so that he can test the degree of instability in the ankle. The therapist will also ask the person to actively move the ankle so that he can check out the areas where the person is experiencing the pain while rotating the ankle. Besides these, there are various other methods, like resisted movements, anterior drawer test and functional tests that help in locating the exact area of pain.

Its care can be started by adopting the first aid methods known as RICE, which is an acronym for the ankle treatment methods - rest, ice, compression and elevation. To decrease the swelling in the ankle, it is of utmost importance that the person takes sufficient amount of rest. Resting the ankle will also ensure any further damage to it. 'I' stands for ice or cold therapy, that requires the ankle to be treated with ice packs for two hours in intervals of fifteen minutes. Ice therapy encourages blood flow after some time of the injury. Compression technique employs putting some bandage or support to the ankle injury. In elevation technique, the leg is lifted up so that the blood is moved away from the site of the injury. This helps in reducing the blood flow and hence the swelling in the legs.

In case of serious and advanced cases of twisted ankle, the patient will be required to follow a rehabilitative program under the supervision of an expert. In the rehabilitation phase, the physiotherapist will improve the condition of the ankle by following a strict regime and exercising plans for the ankle, starting from ankle mobility and flexibility to strengthening the ankle joint. The healing time depends on the severity of the case.