Ankle sprains

[sufcintheprem]

Basically sprained it about four weeks back and was wondering if it should still be a bit stiff.

At the time, i felt as though I may have sprained it in two places both on the side of the ankle and the top of the foot. The lateral movement seems to be fine apart from the very occasinonal twinge but the top is still a little bit swollen and hurts when I spring off of it on the top of my foot.

Obviously I've carried on playing on it in spite of that but I'm just wondering if anyone has any magic tricks for regaining flexibility in your ankle or whether, just maybe, this is one thing I might do well to go and see a doctor/physio about?

 

[Pubey]

as you say, if there is some swelling still in the joint then it will be stiff and sore and unless you do some proper exercises then it can stay for quite a while. 4 weeks since doing it, a lot of the swelling should have gone down but depending on how bad a sprain it is, it will still be sore and stiff. when i broke and dislocated my ankle (2006 boxing day leigh road match!), it was sore and stiff for nearly 6 months... the best exercises i had were hopping on the spot and hopping around the house on it. also balancing on it whilst eyes shut, and just doing thinks like washing up, brushing your teeth whilst on one foot. hopping should help get rid of the swelling and improve flexibility and balancing on it should help rebuild it's strength... worked for me anyway!

 

[Billy Bests boot laces]

Basically sprained it about four weeks back and was wondering if it should still be a bit stiff.

At the time, i felt as though I may have sprained it in two places both on the side of the ankle and the top of the foot. The lateral movement seems to be fine apart from the very occasinonal twinge but the top is still a little bit swollen and hurts when I spring off of it on the top of my foot.

Obviously I've carried on playing on it in spite of that but I'm just wondering if anyone has any magic tricks for regaining flexibility in your ankle or whether, just maybe, this is one thing I might do well to go and see a doctor/physio about?

I'd try the ice pack treatment for a couple of days and if it is still swollen after that then i would definately visit a physio. Forget about a doctor, he will give you anti imflammatories and tell you to rest for 2 weeks without getting to the crux of the problem. ( i know what im talking about as i've been a runner for 30 years)

 

[MrB]

I thought I'd sprained my ankle once and turned out I'd torn my ligaments heavily and was out for about 3 months. With all the hassle I've had with my ankle over the years I'd definitely recommend getting it looked at just in case.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Where's Tinkerbell when you need her?

 

[sufcintheprem]

Wow, in the time it took to write my response to the religion thread, 4 responses.

I think you're firming my resolve to go to a physio but I have literally no idea where to find one, sign up to one or how much it will cost.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Wow, in the time it took to write my response to the religion thread, 4 responses.

I think you're firming my resolve to go to a physio but I have literally no idea where to find one, sign up to one or how much it will cost.

Referrals are always good. It also depends if it's private or NHS and whereabouts you are. I know a really good physio for sports related injuries, who's in the Kiln Road area, but he is a private physio.

 

[BrettieAngell]

Wow, in the time it took to write my response to the religion thread, 4 responses.

I think you're firming my resolve to go to a physio but I have literally no idea where to find one, sign up to one or how much it will cost.

Private costs £44 for half an hour at Wellesley Hospital, if you health insurance you can claim it back.

 

[Shrimpersarmy]

Basically sprained it about four weeks back and was wondering if it should still be a bit stiff.

At the time, i felt as though I may have sprained it in two places both on the side of the ankle and the top of the foot. The lateral movement seems to be fine apart from the very occasinonal twinge but the top is still a little bit swollen and hurts when I spring off of it on the top of my foot.

Obviously I've carried on playing on it in spite of that but I'm just wondering if anyone has any magic tricks for regaining flexibility in your ankle or whether, just maybe, this is one thing I might do well to go and see a doctor/physio about?

Used to have this problem a lot back in the day and the one thing i would honestly recommend is going swimming.

 

[ozzy-shrimper]

Got one of those mini trampolines? If your up to it hop on that on the dodgy ankle on the trampoline.

 

[* ORM *]

Did someone say injury ? That's my middle name ! As Mr B says this smells like ligament damage to me. Not the easiest of injuries to treat if that ends up being the diagnosis and mine was/were still sore for up to 2 years after doing it/them. One of them used to give way for months afterwards when walking innocuously down the street. Was still playing footie reasonably quickly and to this day I still wear supports on both ankles.

Well worth getting it checked properly.

 

[londonblue]

Basically sprained it about four weeks back and was wondering if it should still be a bit stiff.

At the time, i felt as though I may have sprained it in two places both on the side of the ankle and the top of the foot. The lateral movement seems to be fine apart from the very occasinonal twinge but the top is still a little bit swollen and hurts when I spring off of it on the top of my foot.

Obviously I've carried on playing on it in spite of that but I'm just wondering if anyone has any magic tricks for regaining flexibility in your ankle or whether, just maybe, this is one thing I might do well to go and see a doctor/physio about?

I sprained my ankle about 7-8 years ago now, and can tell you from experience that without physio it won't get better properly. I was lucky enough to be working for a bank in Canary Wharf at the time, and we had a physio on site so I had proper treatment on it for many weeks.

Most of the treatment was actually stretching exercises. After a sprain the ligaments contract, so to re-gain movement you need to stretch them back again. If you don't, you will never have full use of the ankle again, depending on how bad the sprain was of course.

The stretching exercises were so painful that I was nearly in tears doing them, but they were so worth it in the long run.

I strongly suggest you invest the money in a decent physio, or get your GP to refer you to one.

 

[Tinks]

Have only just seen this. Was busy last night typing notes for work.

You need to dtermine whether the injury is a Sprain or a Strain (although the treament of both is similiar)

Sprain - is a stretch or torn ligament whereas a
Strain is a torn muscle or tendon

For both of these you need to:
R resting
I Ice
C compression
E elevation

Once the swelling has subsided do some LIGHT exercise.
When resting ensure the leg is raised higher than the heart (this decreases swelling)
Buy over the counter anti-inflammatory to help with pain/inflammation.

Then when swelling and pain has decreased start some gentle exercises to prevent stiffness and re-build strength and to regain functioning of the area.

Be careful in returning to full activity as this can increase the chance of re-injury and can lead to injury on a long term basis.

If there is no improvement after 3-4 weeks you need to get it investigated and it would certainly be cost effective for you to see a qualified physio especially if you want to continue playing football as any twist or turn on the area can cause re-injury.

If you would like I can talk to the physio I work with and get you the standard sheeet on recommended exercise.
Let me know.

 

[Napster]

I was misdiagnosed with a sprained ankle before I spent 4 weeks in hospital about 18 months ago, with a type of arthritis. Get it checked out.

 

[sufcintheprem]

It was actually a few weeks back that I did it so lets see how I did from this list :)

Have only just seen this. Was busy last night typing notes for work.

You need to dtermine whether the injury is a Sprain or a Strain (although the treament of both is similiar)

Sprain - is a stretch or torn ligament I think this is it although I suspect I had a slight strain as wellwhereas a
Strain is a torn muscle or tendon

For both of these you need to:
R resting Well, I sort of played the rest of the match albeit without really being able to run but did nothing for a week or two after
I Ice Check - stuck some frozen peas on it as soon as I got home
C compression Almost check - I bought an ankle support a day or two after and that seemed to help compress it
E elevation Check - to the chagrin of my flatmates, my ugly foot was elevated on the table in our living room every evening and usually on my computer at work

Once the swelling has subsided do some LIGHT exercise. Reasonably good about this but felt odd doing the cross trainer at the gym rather than running!
When resting ensure the leg is raised higher than the heart (this decreases swelling) Slightly impractical at work - not check
Buy over the counter anti-inflammatory to help with pain/inflammation. Check

Then when swelling and pain has decreased start some gentle exercises to prevent stiffness and re-build strength and to regain functioning of the area.
Have been going to the gym but only done one run of any note since it happened

Be careful in returning to full activity as this can increase the chance of re-injury and can lead to injury on a long term basis.

If there is no improvement after 3-4 weeks you need to get it investigated and it would certainly be cost effective for you to see a qualified physio especially if you want to continue playing football as any twist or turn on the area can cause re-injury. I played about 60 of 90 minutes in a friendly generally steering clear of 50/50s (SZFC players will tell you this isn't unusual) and the only times I even noticed anything were before warming up when I hit a scorching low drive in to the corner (SZFC players will tell you this isn't unusual) which unfortunately hurt like hell and then after warming up, only twice in the actual match when going from standing to sprint. Sprinting itself was fine but the accelerating was a problem

If you would like I can talk to the physio I work with and get you the standard sheeet on recommended exercise. If you can suggest any other stretches than the one below, ti would be appreciated.
Let me know.

The stretching exercises were so painful that I was nearly in tears doing them, but they were so worth it in the long run.

I have been reasonably good about this and tend to stretch it sat at work and at home. Basically trying to mirror what my left ankle is doing and this seems to have helped. It's just when I spring for very short bursts of pace (e.g. moving to find room for a throw in) that I seem to catch it out.

This stretch in particular seems to really isolate the only part that is occasinonally giving me grief.

It's not really causing me any grief but with I'm not playing as much football as I was before the injury and I have a half marathon coming up in October so I was really checking to see if this would be any concern. I think I may see a physio to be sure about it.

Lots of good stuff here - thanks!

 

[londonblue]

It was actually a few weeks back that I did it so lets see how I did from this list :)





I have been reasonably good about this and tend to stretch it sat at work and at home. Basically trying to mirror what my left ankle is doing and this seems to have helped. It's just when I spring for very short bursts of pace (e.g. moving to find room for a throw in) that I seem to catch it out.

This stretch in particular seems to really isolate the only part that is occasinonally giving me grief.

It's not really causing me any grief but with I'm not playing as much football as I was before the injury and I have a half marathon coming up in October so I was really checking to see if this would be any concern. I think I may see a physio to be sure about it.

Lots of good stuff here - thanks!

All that seems to be doing is stretching your muscles. You need to be stretching the ligaments, and moving the ankle to places you really don't think it should be going, and when it can't go any further, forcing it. The exercises I was given were very specific to the ankle. I argued with the physio that I couldn't even do them with my good ankle so she challenged me to try...and I could...easily with no pain. I learnt very quickly she knew more than me!

 

[Pubey]

Phil, I went here and they were excellent (http://www.benfleetphysiotherapy.co.uk/index.htm), Stu Campbell, who you might remember from school works there

 

[Perth Bambi]

I will drop you a PM Phil when i get the chance.
And ligament damage is the same thing as a sprain.