Western GTA Convergence Centre

Sprained Ankle Treatments

Sprained ankle can be felt when the joint is damaged. Ligaments are the tissues that connect every joint in your body and that is the part that causes you pain. We may hurt more in a sprain than having a broken bone but that depends on how serious the injury is. Ligaments can split partly, sometimes completely torn off, but no matter how, sprained ankle must be treated by a doctor. If the pain is unbearable, immediately visit the doctor because they usually require x-ray scanning and surgery.

For minor ankle injuries you can follow a method called RICE to help you recover faster. It stands for rest, ice treatment, compression and elevation and this method is consider to be the most well known treatment around the world. The first thing you have to know is to avoid using your ankle or even apply pressure to it. Helper or aid such as crutches are needed if you want to move around. Ice is useful in reducing pain for most swelling problem in any joint area. Apply it over a towel from time to time, especially in the first 48 hours to heal the ankle faster. Elastic bandage is use to compress and wrapped around the ankle in order to disallowed drastic movement. Also, simply raise your leg up will decrease the blood flow as well as pressure to the swelling point. But you might need to consult your doctor to practice this method effectively.

If the sprain interrupts your sleep, non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can be taken as a pain reliever. It will also help reduce swelling but for people that have health condition or were taking other medicine, you should ask doctor to prescribe one that suits your need. Counter irritant products can bring down the pain felt from a sprained ankle as well. It works by sending another pain signal to your brain which almost cancel out each other, therefore you'll feel less hurtful. To prevent side effects and other health problem when you're finding a sprained ankle treatment, the best idea it to consult a doctor beforehand.