Ankle Sprain Treatment Kansas City, MO

What are the Symptoms of a Sprained Ankle?

A sprained ankle can be quite painful, from mild discomfort to debilitating discomfort, depending on the severity of the injury. Some possible symptoms are:

• Discomfort when sitting, standing, and walking on it
• Swelling
• Bruising
• Tender and easily irritated
• A sensation of “giving out”, collapse, or instability

A major sprain that needs to be checked out by a doctor right away is one that involves a shattered bone and requires a lot of attention to detail. It is important that you see your orthopedic doctor as soon as possible after your injury.

Ankle Sprain Causes

People often say that twisting their foot or ankle hurts it. If the muscles tear, you may also hear or feel a pop. Surprise sprains can happen when doing many different things, like:

• Walking or exercising on a floor that isn’t even can be dangerous
• Falling down or tripping
• Participating in games that require you to cut, pivot, or jump, like trail running, basketball, tennis, football, and soccer

Ankle Sprain Treatment

Minor ankle sprains that only affect one place can almost always be fixed without surgery. Even a full ligament tear can heal without surgery if it is stabilized and handled right.

Treatments for ankle sprains that don’t involve surgery include, but are not limited to:

• RICE therapy – Rest, ice, compression, and elevation
• Medications – Medicines like aspirin can help with pain and stiffness. They help the body work better by lowering pain and swelling, so they are better for mild sprains
• Physical therapy – Rehab exercises are used in physical therapy to help improve balance, flexibility, and power Your physical therapist will give you range-of-motion exercises, strength exercises, and agility drills to keep you from getting stiff, build muscle, improve your balance, and make you stronger

If your sprain is bad enough, you may need surgery to fix your ankle. Surgery may involve:

• Ankle arthroscopy – Your doctor uses a small camera to look at your ankle joint. Small tools take out small pieces of bone, cartilage, or ligament from the joint
• Ankle repair or reconstruction – Your doctor may sew or stitch the ligament or use a tissue graft from other foot and ankle ligaments and tendons to replace the damaged ligament