PHYSIO
Home > Blog > Sprained your ankle?
Ankle sprains are very common...so common that they are the #1 injury present at most accident and emergency departments in public and private hospitals.
In fact, most of us will have experienced an ankle sprain at some point in our lives unfortunately.
Most common type of ankle sprains affects the ligaments on the outer part of the ankle as they get over stretched when our ankle roll inwards. Of course, sometimes other tissues around the ankle can be injured at the same time too.
If you are fit, healthy, heal well and have no recurrent/previous history of ankle sprains, then your acute ankle sprain will typically heal within 6-8 weeks (that's about 1.5 to 2 months).
During this time, you will experience also
As you heal, the pain and instability feeling will improve.
In some cases, the pain and instability may last longer than 6-8 weeks from the original date of the ankle sprain, and there are multiple reasons for this. You will need an indepth assessment to determine the severity and if there are any other structures involved.
Here we discuss a few of the factors that can influence symptoms and why it is important to address these things early on:
1. Multiple Ligaments –
We need to have clarity on the the:
Not
all ankle sprains are the same - depending on the location, severity
and numbers of sprained ankle ligaments, they can have different
outcomes, pain and impact on the patient.
We have to test the ankle joint and ligaments in isolation to determine the damage and diagnosis, and this in turn will allow us to understand the problem in its entirety, set realistic goals, determine physiotherapy treatment plans.
Patients need to be patient to follow ankle sprain physiotherapy restrictions especially in the early stage as the early stage is the highest risk of re-injury.
2. Biomechanics & Positioning –
We'd need to determine:
Ankle sprain research shows that people who weight bears on the outer part of their foot are more at risk of injuring their ankle ligaments by rolling their ankle outwards...
...this happens because your ankle is already closer to the limit of where the ligament gets stretched and so rolling outwards on the ankle can occur easier.
Also, once you've sprained your ankle once, it jumbles up the proprioceptive feedback system that your ankle has (it functions to inform you/your brain where your ankle is, sort of like a GPS system for your ankle), so post ankle sprain, your ankle GPS isn't as strong as before.
This increases the risk of re-spraining your ankle
unfortunately...and is one of the core focus of our ankle physiotherapy
treatment in our clinic (because we can treat ankle sprains easily, but
we also need to ensure/decrease the ankle sprain rate that our patient
gets for full recovery).
3. Strengthening –
Very common after an ankle sprain injury, patients are given a set of ankle exercises to do that may include strengthening the ankle muscles to better support around the ankle ligaments (to behave like a natural muscle brace that we might wear)
This is good news.
However,
It is important that strengthening happen right into the movements that the ankle is most at risk in.
Eg
4. Stiffness –
Often after an ankle sprain injury, our injured ankle will naturally stiffen up
These are normal in the short term but must be addressed as your ankle heals to allow you to fully use of the ankle and full recovery. We will have to address stiffness (as soon as it's medically and orthopedically stable) by:
Some patients think that after an injury, their ankle shouldn't be touched as it needs to rest for 2 months or that stiffness is good but that isn't true - our ankle needs to be mobilized as soon as it's medically clear to to prevent over-tightness/over-stiffness which is a real risk and has its own set of problems.
5. Non-Compliance To Physiotherapy –
Research has looked at why some ankle sprains don’t get as good as they can be, and they found that one big risk factor that has been identified is non-compliance with the physiotherapy advice and exercises.
It might seem obvious but if you
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Phoenix Rehab Group works with specialist physiotherapists and rehab therapists who are highly trained, qualified, experienced and passionate to provide high level of expert care to our patients.
HAND THERAPY & CUSTOMIZED SPLINTING
Patients who sustained injuries to their elbows, forearms, hands, wrists (sprains and fractures) and fingers, usually will benefit / require Hand Therapy to
Commonly treated hand pain injuries includes
REFORMER CLINICAL PILATES & WELLNESS PILATES
Clinical Pilates is a form of physical exercise that focuses on posture, core stability, balance, control, strength, flexibility and breathing.
It is a system of safe and effective exercises, which meet specific individual needs, to treat a wide range of injuries and conditions.
You may do Pilates as matwork or with the reformer or both, and every session will be customized 100% to your fitness, injury and tolerance.
TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE (TCM)
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Sports and deep tissue release massage helps to increase nutrient-rich blood flow to tired, tight and tense muscles to accelerate recovery and shorten downtime / recovery period required.
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Read the benefits of regular deep tissue release therapy here.
ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES
All our allied health therapists and TCM physicians are fully insured and registered with Allied Health Professions Council (AHPC) and Traditional Chinese Medicine Board (TCMB).
See our entire team here with introductions and their specializations.
At the first session, our specialist physiotherapists will carry out a thorough assessment, helping them to select the most appropriate treatment to help you recover as well as provide treatment in the same session.
Follow up sessions are inline to provide expert treatment for your pain as well as prescribing specific exercises to reduce your risk of re-injury and giving you a long term solution.
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We prefer not to rely on advertising - instead, we prefer and appreciate the goodwill and positive reinforcement from patients. When you have the chance, please tell your family, friends and physicians about the positive results and experience you have had in our physio clinics.
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