Absolutely – ankle sprains are something that can be fully rehabilitated back to sport and activity, however…
Ankle sprains are a common injury both in sport and in the general population, and as they are so common they are often dismissed by both the general public and health care professionals, as pain and swelling will subside with time and some rest and the ankle feels ‘back to normal’. A sprain is an over stretch or tearing of a ligament and should be given as much time and thought as any other injury to rehabilitate. Unfortunately spraining your ankle once increases the likelihood of spraining your ankle again and when someone has a history of multiple ankle sprains, it then increases their chances of developing ankle osteoarthritis in later life, so rehabilitating your ankle to prevent it happening again is a priority.
Different sprains and different involved structures do need varying approaches to rehabilitation. One rule of thumb is the more swelling and bruising you have the more severe the sprain. A severe sprain may need a boot and crutches to begin with. However, if you are unable to walk immediately after injury, it’s time to go to A+E or urgent care for an x-ray.
A physio can assess your sprain, working out its severity and which structures are involved (this will depend on the motion which overstretched your ankle), provide advice and exercises (even in the really early stages) in order to make sure that your muscles are strong and your tendons can thrive with the load put on them, and they in turn can compensate for any stretched or torn ligaments. Exercise can also focus on proprioception (awareness of position in space) as this can be disrupted by spraining your ankle.
With the right rehabilitation there is no reason why you cannot return to your sport or activities with confidence!
If this resonates with you or someone you know, get in touch and let one of our physios help you with the best possible rehab to prevent unnecessary problems down the line.
