Sprained ankle...what can I do?

dkeener_81

Just got back from a week vacation and sprained my ankle. I don't want to just lay here. What can I do in the mean time?

Alisonswim46

RICE. Rest. Ice. Compression. Elevation. Let your body heal.

livingleanlivingclean

Train your upper body?

MobyCarp

See a podiatrist. Ask what you can do to get the ankle better, and follow the advice. If there is something specific you would like to do - run, power walk, whatever - be sure to tell the podiatrist that your goal includes getting back to doing your activity of choice.

There are a lot of moving parts to an ankle. I typically learn the name of one of the moving parts when I hurt it, and then learn what it does, what the implications of the hurt part being weak are, what kind of support I might need while it's healing, and what kinds of rehabilitative exercises I can do to facilitate it getting better. In some cases, the podiatrist might refer me to a physical therapist.

RICE is good. For soft tissue damage, sometimes anti-inflammatories are helpful; it's good to have a medical opinion on that one. (For stress fractures, anti-inflammatories are contra-indicated.) But if you're serious about getting better and getting back to the activity you enjoy, the process starts with seeking appropriate medical advice for your specific injury. Do the exercises for a different injury than you actually have, and you are at best wasting your time.

zilkah

Rest it or do upper body stuff. I had a sprained wrist I rushed to do stuff with and turns out it went from sprain to bruised bones/hairline fracture and now I need complete immobilization for two months because I kept trying to use it when it wasn't fully healed. Extreme example but rest when you need to !

michellesz

I feel for ya. I was running from getting caught in the rain and found out after going to the doctor I had a baker cyst behind the knee from trauma from the uneven wet sandy ground. I went from 3 workouts a day: morning aerobics, afternoon walks & p.m. strength training to anti-inflammatory (dr. suggested aleve twice a day), elevating, icing, sports brace, muscle cream & hardest of all rest for it. I have been rotating other body parts: chest, shoulders, back exercises and lots of floor stretching and abs/core. Give it a few days & if not better, see the doctor. Be well~