You step during exercise or when walking down the stairs, causing your ankle to sprain. The foot turns inward, as it were, after which the full weight of the body ends up incorrectly on the foot. This obviously has consequences for the ankle ligaments, because cracks occur. Blood vessels also usually rupture during a sprain. This will cause the ankle to swell quickly, creating a round bruise on the outside of the ankle. This can cause a lot of pain. What is the best way to treat a sprained ankle and how to promote recovery?

Sprained ankle

• How is it caused?
• What are the symptoms?
• What brings relief?
• Severe pain
• Sprained ankle recovery

How is it caused?

A sprained ankle often occurs because someone makes a wrong movement or mistakes the number of steps on the stairs. The foot folds inwards, causing the muscles on the outside to come under high tension. Here and there, tissue is damaged by tears, causing the ankle to feel thick and painful. Usually it almost never happens that the ankle ligaments completely tear off. Athletes certainly have an increased risk of contracting the condition because they are constantly moving intensively and come into contact with other fellow players.

What are the symptoms?

You get a painful stitch on the outside of the ankle when you step. The most extreme pain will quickly subside and you may be able to walk again. It will take a while before enough pain subsides to allow you to stand on it. A side effect is that the ankle will swell, causing the ankle to turn blue due to a bruise. As soon as the swelling decreases over time, the blood flows further into the feet due to gravity, so that blue discolorations can also occur on the toes. Immediately after a sprain it is often unclear whether there is a sprain or whether the muscles have been torn. If you are practically unable to walk, a bone fracture may be possible.

What brings relief?

If you have sprained your ankle, it is important to elevate the ankle and keep it well cooled. By elevating the ankle, blood can flow more easily from the leg, and the ice cools the ankle so that swelling is limited. Once the pain and swelling have decreased slightly, it is necessary to continue walking. Exercise ensures that blood is pumped in the legs and this promotes recovery. Naturally, you must exercise appropriate caution. You can also rotate your ankle while sitting, imitating a stepping movement.

Severe pain

If you can barely walk after the ankle has cooled down even though you are being helped, there may be more going on than a simple sprain. The ankle ligament may be partially or completely torn, which must be surgically fixed. There may also be a bone fracture that also needs sufficient time to recover. You can use paracetamol to combat the pain of a normal sprained ankle. You can take paracetamol four times a day for a long period of time. If your ankle continues to bother you for a long time, please ask your doctor about other painkillers.

Sprained ankle recovery

The pain will be worst during the days after the sprain. It is important to start exercising carefully again, so that the muscles do not become additionally acidic. Walk or do ankle movements. The pain and swelling will gradually decrease, after which the condition will recover quickly. However, it is important to avoid intensive sports for a few months to give the ankle sufficient rest and to prevent the ankle from spraining again. The muscles still need to recover. Additionally, drink nettle tea, because it accelerates the removal of acidification and toxins so that the swelling can recover better.

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