…in an ice hockey game the other night. I can put weight on it and can walk (with a pretty bad limp), but I cant lean foward or back on it nor can I rotate my foot. My question is this. What is the fastest way to heal a sprain. Should I work it lightly by walking and moving around on it or should I just keep ice on it and let it rest until it feels better? I dont to miss any more games than I need to.
One of the best ways to cure a sprained ankle is to work it and use it. Not necessarily walk on it too much, but when you’re sitting down, rotate it and manipulate it. This should align the bones in the foot again and take the pain away.
This is the fastest way I know of.
Another way I know of, but have never tried, is to massage your foot with your fingers which may work, but I really don’t know.
SilentKnight
Rub some butter on it or…
Ask a doctor.
Actually, I wouldn’t start stretching it out and using it until the swelling goes down. Until then, RICE it: Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation.
In my personal experience, a sprained ankle can take a looooong time to heal fully, and will be more prone to re-sprains. I twisted mine 1 1/2 years ago, and still have to be careful with it.
I agree with LT, though. It’s a good idea to see a doctor.
I’m assuming that you are young, mojopitch, since you’re still up and playing hockey! It is wise to check out a sports medicine clinic, if you have one close by you. I sprained my ankle in February and am still nursing it, but I’m old and that accounts for some of the delay. I would switch back and forth between a heating pad and an ice pack.
I also kept my ankle wrapped at night so that I wasn’t prone to kicking the wall (active sleeper) and reinjuring the ankle. You might want to give some of the suggestions a try to see if you find at least some relief from the pain. If it is still hurting you, ibuprophen helps a bit better than aspirin.
Hope it is better soon.
I assume you have consulted a doctor and confirmed that you haven’t done anything more serious than a sprain.
Ice will not do a great deal after about 24 hours, apart from relieve residual pain. The initial use of ice is to restrict the extent of swelling by encouraging blood vessels to constrict in reaction to the cold and the compression bandage. Elevation helps to limit blood flow into the area. However, after 24 hours, any bleeding will have stopped, and the bruising (blood in tissue) that has developed will eventually coagulate.
To combat this, you need to encourage the clots to break down, allowing the excess fluid to drain away from the joint. Professional sports therapists employ ultrasound to generate heat into tissue (hence why they can achieve rapid results), but you could try using alternating hot and cold compresses to reduce the swelling, again in combination with the elevation.
Don’t expect miracles though. It still may take a week or two to get things back to normal.
This is a