Sprained Your Ankle? Try Physiotherapy!
If you’ve never sprained your ankle yourself, you almost certainly know someone who has: ankle sprains are one of the most common orthopedic injuries, accounting for 15% of all sports injuries. While most people see ankle sprains as minor injuries (think about all those movies where someone’s relieved an injury is an ankle sprain, not a broken bone), they still require care. Physiotherapy is essential in creating the right environment for your ankle to heal, which can facilitate the process and help prevent future injuries.
Today, we want to share the story of one of our patients, a lifelong athlete we’ll call Jason. Jason sprained his ankle on the football field and sought treatment at Peak To Shore to help him return to the game as quickly and safely as possible. Keep reading to learn more about Jason’s injury and what our physiotherapists did to help him. Or, if you’d like more personalized guidance, give us a call to speak to our friendly staff!
A Bad Fall and a Moderate Injury
Football players like Jason are at a high risk of ankle sprains because their sport requires them to run and quickly pivot across the field as they dodge opponents. Jason was in the middle of a scrimmage when he rolled his ankle, forcing the joint beyond its normal range of motion. Jason knew immediately that something was wrong. He felt an intense, throbbing pain in his ankle, and when he tried to stand up, his ankle felt weak and unstable. The athletic trainer dressed his injury, correctly identified it as a sprain, and suggested he visit a physiotherapist.
Jason came to see us a few days later. We determined that Jason had suffered a Grade 2 (moderate) sprain. Ankle sprains occur because the ligaments in the joint either overstretch or tear. The worse the damage to the ligaments, the worse the injury–and the longer the recovery time. A Grade 2 sprain like Jason’s typically takes up to 6-8 weeks to heal and can take another several weeks to fully rehabilitate. We got him started on the process immediately.
A Personalized Approach to Recovery
Because Jason’s injury was so recent, we started with guidance on how to protect his ankle while staying as active as possible. Physical activity and movement ensure good outcomes after an ankle sprain.
But as he started to improve, we began work on his rehabilitation, guiding him through the recovery process:
- Step 1: Pain Management and Mobility. We offer several all-natural alternatives to pain medication, including pain-relieving modalities and manual therapy. Manual therapy also helped Jason begin to work on his ankle’s mobility by gently guiding his ankle through its range of motion.
- Step 2: Active Mobility. Eventually, Jason graduated to more active mobility exercises. We showed him stretches and other exercises to restore his ankle’s range of motion. We also helped him stretch out his calf muscles.
- Step 3: Strength and Endurance. It was important for Jason to work on restoring and improving strength–not only in his ankle but throughout his leg.
- Step 4: Functional Training. It wasn’t enough for Jason to restore strength. He also needed to retrain in various functional movements, including his agility and sense of balance. We also worked with him on football-specific movements.
- Step 5: Return to Sport. Although Jason felt fully rehabilitated, he needed to ease back into football. We provided him with a personalized return-to-sport program that allowed him to start training in a way that would risk re-injury.
Jason’s treatment plan consisted of both in-clinic sessions guided by his physiotherapist and an at-home exercise program to help boost his recovery.
Our Patients Are Seeing Results
When It Comes to Ankle Sprains, Don’t Skip PT
Ankle sprains rarely require surgery–but physiotherapy is essential if you want to fully rehabilitate.
Why? Because someone who suffers one ankle sprain is likely to suffer another, and that’s especially true if they don’t go through rehabilitation. Because Jason took rehab seriously and worked hard to strengthen his ankle and leg muscles, he reduced his risk of future injuries. His efforts during rehab will help protect his ankle in the future. Call Peak To Shore to learn how we can help you with your sprained ankle.
Recipe of the Month: Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients:
- 4 bell peppers (any color)
- 3/4 lb. lean, ground turkey
- 1/2 medium onion (chopped)
- 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
- 14.5 oz. canned, no-salt-added, diced tomatoes
- 1 clove fresh, minced garlic (or 1 teaspoon garlic minced from jar)
- 1 tsp. reduced-sodium Italian seasoning (lowest sodium available)
- 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (for spiciness), (optional)
- 8 oz. canned, no-salt-added tomato sauce
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook rice to package instructions (omitting salt). While the rice is cooking, in skillet over medium heat, brown the turkey. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes more (until onion becomes translucent).
- Wash the bell peppers and remove the tops, seeds and membranes. Set peppers in a 9×9 baking dish or line them up in a loaf pan, so they stand upright.
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix turkey, rice, tomato, garlic, Italian seasoning, and pepper. Spoon into each pepper. Spoon tomato sauce evenly over the top of the 4 peppers. Bake 1 hour in the oven, until peppers are tender.
Stay in the Game, Skip the Pain!
Athletes often push their bodies to the limit to achieve their goals. This intense effort, or an unfortunate accident, can sometimes lead to injuries. Fortunately, with the right information and approach, many of these injuries can be avoided or effectively managed through physiotherapy. Here, we explore the most common sports injuries and how physiotherapy can be a pivotal player in preventing surgeries.
Common Sports Injuries
First, let’s discuss some of the most frequently encountered sports injuries. One of the main reasons for these injuries includes deceleration incidents, which put immense strain on muscles and ligaments, and sudden changes in direction, which can cause lower body sprains and strains.
In addition, inadequate or improper training methods, including insufficient warm-up and improper technique, elevate the risk of injuries. Overuse injuries (i.e., repetitive stress) frequently occur without proper rest, leading to complications such as tendonitis.
The top sports injuries are:
- Ankle Sprains: Ankle sprains are common in sports involving running and jumping when the ligaments surrounding the ankle are stretched or torn.
- Knee Injuries: Athletes are prone to knee injuries, which can involve damage to ligaments, cartilage, or other structures within the knee joint.
- Shoulder Injuries: These encompass a range of issues, including rotator cuff tears and dislocations, often seen in sports that involve overhead motions like swimming or baseball.
- Fractures: These involve breaks in the bones from a single, forceful incident or stress fractures (caused by repetitive stress).
Our physiotherapists can guide you through preventive strategies to reduce your risk of sports injuries and promote a safer athletic environment.
Seek the Right Guidance
Physiotherapy plays a significant role in helping athletes avoid surgeries and return to their optimal performance levels. Here’s how:
- Personalized Plans: Our therapists design individualized plans that focus on strengthening the muscles and improving mobility to help prevent future injuries.
- Education and Training: Our therapists educate athletes on the proper techniques, including tips on body mechanics, posture, movement patterns, and preventive measures to avoid injuries.
- Functional Restoration: Physiotherapy focuses on restoring the function of injured areas, enabling athletes to return to their sport with a minimized risk of re-injury or need for surgery.
By working closely with our skilled physiotherapists, athletes can return to their favorite sports and sidestep any potential surgeries! Call Peak to Shore to schedule a consultation with one of our sports therapists!
We have changes coming soon!
Effective May 1, 2025, our fee schedule will change. Please call the clinic or email manager@peaktoshorephysiotherapy if you have any questions.