Tens of thousands of Americans sprain their ankle every day, and a fair amount of them make a full recovery by following some sensible treatment methods. However, for some people, their sprain never truly seems to heal, leaving them with pain or instability in their foot. When this happens, what’s the best course of action? In today’s blog, we take a closer look at what you should do if your sprained ankle just isn’t healing like you hoped it would.
When Ankle Sprains Don’t Heal
If you’re dealing with a lingering sprain or a sprain that just won’t fully heal, here are some steps to consider:
Connect With A Specialist – It may sound obvious, but we’re going to start with the best advice for overcoming a sprain that just won’t fully heal. It’s time to call in the big dogs and let a professional get you the help you need. They can take a closer look at the injury in person or with the help of imaging techniques and then provide some recommendations based on your individuals needs. Let a professional help get you back to full health.
Try A New Conservative Treatment Plan – If you’re set on avoiding surgery, consider diving into a different conservative treatment plan for your ankle. Rest alone isn’t the best method of treatment, so if you’ve just been taking anti-inflammatory medications and trying to protect the ankle from activity, it’s time to dive into some more active treatments, like physical therapy, controlled exercise and targeted stretching.
Re-Evaluate Your Current Choices – Sometimes an ankle sprain won’t heal simply because people put too much pressure on it too soon before it can completely recover. This is especially true in athletes who are trying to get back on the field to rejoin their teammates. Don’t settle for good enough and then prolong the injury because you didn’t let healing fully run its course. Re-evaluate if your activity levels or any other factors that could be causing pain to linger.
Recognize Ankle Instability – Some minor sprains heal fine with a little activity avoidance, but it’s important to note that more moderate or severe sprains can damage the supportive ankle ligaments and lead to ankle instability. Even if pain is gone, you may not be fully recovered because your ankle now feels weaker or more prone to another injury due to this instability. Recognize that pain isn’t the only sign of an unaddressed ankle sprain. If your ankle feels unstable, know that you’re not fully recovered and more targeted treatment is in your best interest.