Publication date Sep 06, 2007
A sprained ankle can be painful and swollen at first. You may find it hard to walk. But you will usually be able to get back to normal quite soon.
When you sprain your ankle you damage the bands of tissue (known as ligaments) that connect your bones together at the ankle joint.
You can also get an injury known as a strain. This is different to a sprain. A strain happens when you stretch or pull a muscle rather than a ligament.
Your sprained ankle will be painful, swollen, probably bruised and may feel warm to touch. You might find it hard to move your foot, walk or even stand at first.
You might have felt a pop or tear when you twisted your ankle. This could mean you've completely torn or ruptured the ligaments. This type of sprain is the most serious.
You should go to see a doctor if your ankle is very swollen and you find it hard to stand. Your doctor may gently feel how tender your bone is and see if you can walk four steps. This is to decide if you need an X-ray to check whether you've fractured a bone.
The first thing you need to do is called RICE. This stands for rest, ice, compression and elevation. It helps to bring down the swelling and reduce pain. But when the worst of the pain and swelling have gone, you should start getting up and about.
To move about more easily you may also need to support your ankle with an elastic bandage. Getting moving early should reduce swelling and help you get back to normal faster. It is better to do this than to rest without moving for too long. Moving early can also help to protect your ankle from giving way again in future.
You might also want to take something for the pain, such as aspirin, ibuprofen or paracetamol. Aspirin and ibuprofen reduce inflammation as well as pain so you might want to try one of these first.
If you take ibuprofen or aspirin regularly, they can irritate your stomach or cause stomach ulcers. But this shouldn't be a problem if you're only taking them for three or four days.
Physiotherapists sometimes use diathermy to 'deep heat' your swollen ankle with electromagnetic energy. But there's no evidence that this treatment really reduces swelling. Also, there's little evidence that rubbing a homeopathic cream into your ankle, or having ultrasound on your ankle (a treatment sometimes used by physiotherapists) helps a sprained ankle.
It's rare to need surgery for a sprained ankle. But some people still have a weak and painful ankle some time after their injury, especially after a bad sprain. If you are in pain and your ankle keeps giving way after six months, surgery to repair the torn ligaments can usually help.
But most people with a sprained ankle don't need an operation.
Surgery has risks. There's a chance the nerves in your foot could get damaged. There's also a risk of an infection, bleeding or osteoarthritis (brittle bones).
You're likely to make a good recovery even if the sprain is severe. But your ankle will take longer to get better if your injury is more serious.
It's important not to sprain your ankle again, particularly in the first six weeks after your injury. You need to strap up your ankle so it can't twist, especially when you're doing sport.
This information does not replace medical advice. If you are concerned you might have a medical problem please ask your Boots pharmacy team in your local Boots store, or see your doctor.
© BMJ Publishing Group Limited ("BMJ Group") 2007. All rights reserved
This information does not replace medical advice.
If you are concerned you might have a medical problem please ask your Boots pharmacy team in your local Boots store, or see your doctor.