What should I do if I have a sprained ankle?

Many friends who love sports will often encounter this problem, because sprained ankle is a very common thing, but most friends still don’t know about some of the ways to deal with sprained ankle. When you sprain your ankle, swelling usually occurs. If it is not handled properly, it may lead to increased pain or slower recovery. Generally, if you sprain your ankle, you can apply ice to the foot first, and then apply heat after the pain disappears after 24 hours. The purpose of ice compress is to control the progression of the injury and to stop bleeding. Hot compress can help dissipate the surrounding blood stasis because it promotes blood circulation.

1. Distinguish the severity of the injury

A mild ankle sprain only causes soft tissue injury, while a slightly more serious case may be a fracture of the lateral malleolus or the base of the fifth metatarsal. Even more serious cases may be bilateral ankle fractures of the medial and lateral malleolus, or even trimalleolar fractures. Mild cases can be handled by yourself, but severe cases require going to the hospital for doctor diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, it is very important to distinguish the severity of the injury.

Generally speaking, if you don't feel severe pain when moving your ankle, you can still stand and walk with ease.

If the pain is not in the bones but in the muscles, it is mostly a sprain and can be treated by yourself.

If you feel severe pain when moving your ankle, cannot stand or move steadily, the pain is on the bone, or you feel a sound inside the foot when you sprain it, and swelling appears quickly after the injury, especially the tenderness point is on the outer ankle or the high protruding bone in the middle of the outer foot, then it is a sign of a serious injury and you should go to the hospital for diagnosis and treatment immediately.

If you cannot go to the hospital for the time being, you can temporarily try other methods and then go to the hospital for diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible.

2. Use hot and cold compresses correctly

Hot compress and cold compress are both physical therapies, but their effects are completely different.

Blood becomes active when it is hot and coagulates when it is cold. Therefore, when the ruptured blood vessels are still bleeding, apply cold compresses to control the progression of the injury. Hot compress can be applied only after the bleeding stops to dissipate the blood stasis around the injury.

Careful readers must be asking, how can we know whether the bleeding has stopped? In principle, the boundary is 24 hours after the injury, and you can also refer to the following points.

First, the pain and swelling stabilize and no longer worsen.

Second, there is little difference in the feeling of swelling when raising and lowering the affected foot.

Third, the temperature of the injured skin changes from being slightly higher than the normal part to being quite similar, which can be used as a basis for stopping bleeding.

3. Appropriate activities

When swelling and pain develop progressively after an injury, do not stand or walk with your body weight supported. It is best to elevate the affected limb and limit any activity. When the condition becomes stable, the affected limb can be raised to perform active movements of the foot and ankle, but activities that may cause severe pain are prohibited. Wait until the swelling and pain gradually subside before you can walk around. Walk for a short time at first and then increase the amount of time gradually after you get used to it.