Suffer from a pain in the ankle, and want to know the recovery time for high ankle sprain? A sprain on the leg or foot is the worse as it makes getting around difficult. What’s more, sprains have a tendency to be worse than injuries to the bone as the muscle ligament does not always heal completely. The pain can come back again and again for years if not treated correctly. Luckily, herbal remedies can take the place of harsh medicines. But first, let us know the scientific anatomy of the ankle joint so that we can treat it scientifically
Anatomy of the Ankle
In essence the anatomy of the ankle is made up of four bones that are as under:
- Tibia: (Shin bone) is larger and stronger of the 2 bones within the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the alternative being the fibula), and it connects the knee with the gliding joint bones. The shinbone is found next to the calf bone on the medial aspect of the leg, nearer to center line. The tibia is conjointly referred to as a leg bone. It’s normally recognized as the strongest weight bearing bone of the body.
- Fibula: The fibula is the outer and diluent of the 2 long bones of the lower leg. It’s a lot of narrower than the opposite bone (the shin), to that it runs parallel and to that it’s connected at each ends by ligaments. The higher end of the leg bone doesn’t reach the knee, however the lower end descends below the shin and forms a part of the mortise joint. Its main function is to supply attachment for muscles.
- Talus: It forms the bottom of the foot. It is very essential for balancing of the body.
- Calcaneus: It is the bone in the knee. It is the largest bone of the foot.
Location of High Ankle Sprain
A high ankle sprain occurs when the lower leg and the foot twist out. This makes it different from other ankle sprains, which are caused by an inward twisting. A sprain is an injury to the ligament – the tissue that connects one bone to another. In the case of a high ankle sprain, the torn ligament is the ligament that connects the tibia to the fibula, and is marked by pain above the ankle. There may be swelling, as well, which is caused by blood accumulating in the torn area and fluids getting in the way of circulation and blood flow.
In this day and age, consumers are constantly pushed to use the newest drug on the market to treat medical conditions, but people have lived long before the days of laboratory produced medicines.
Use of Ointments To Reduce The Recovery Time For High Ankle Sprain
For centuries, warriors like the Shaolin fighting monks depended on herbal cures for their ailments. As their profession was battling on a day to day basis, these Chinese warriors needed to get back out onto the battle field fast. When treating injuries like a high ankle sprain, they used liniments to aid in the healing process and get them back on their feet faster.
These topical ointments would be used directly on the site of injury, stopping pain, reducing inflammation and swelling, as well as increasing circulation, which break up the accumulation of fluids. This also aided in tissue regeneration. All of this ensured a quick recovery.
Other countries have long been using these herbs and benefiting from the liniments restorative properties. Unfortunately, herbal liniments such as these are not widely known in the United States, and can be hard to find in stores. Fortunately, this product can be found at Sinew Therapeutics. Sinew Therapeutics is a wonderful source for herbal liniments that can not only relieve pain, but aid in the healing process.
A high ankle sprain is just what it sounds like – an injury to the upper part of the ankle as you can see in the pic. Specifically, it is an injury to the large ligament that holds the ankle to the two bones of the lower leg. It is easy to see how this kind of injury can be so disabling and painful. It affects one of the most used parts of the leg. A person with it has trouble exercising and engaging in day-to-day activities such as walking. This injury is often called a syndesmotic ankle sprain because the formal name for the ankle injured is the syndesmotic ligament.
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What Causes High Ankle Sprains?
The usual cause of a high ankle sprain is the twisting out of the ankle, which often occurs in very physical sports such as wrestling, soccer and football. They also occur in running and sometimes in baseball, especially when batters are running for home plate.
Even though these sprains are most common in athletes, anybody can get one. Average people sometimes get them when they engage in running or other physical movement. Persons who are normally physically inactive, but suddenly get active can be very vulnerable to this kind of injury. A big problem is that people with high ankle sprains often underestimate the injury.
Many athletes destroy their careers because they keep playing with such an injury. Average people often cripple themselves because they return to normal everyday activities such as walking and driving a car and injure themselves even more seriously.
Diagnosis
Even many physicians can have a hard time diagnosing this kind of injury. Persons who think that they might have one should go to a sports medicine doctor, a physical therapist, a chiropractor or an orthopedic surgeon. In addition to professional diagnosis, a CT (computed tomography) scan is often needed for a proper diagnosis of this kind of injury.
Sports teams keep professional trainers on the payroll in order to diagnose this kind of injury. If you live in the United States, your health insurance company should pay for physical therapy and a sports medicine doctor. You should be able to find these professionals in most large cities.
A special X-ray or MRI called a stress fracture is often done to tell how serious the problem is. Stress fractures are necessary because surgery could be needed in extreme cases.
Don’t be afraid to get a second opinion when you’re dealing with this kind of injury. Even if your regular doctor or somebody at the emergency room tells you it will be alright, it might be a good idea to consult an orthopedic surgeon or sports medicine doctor about it. You should definitely get a second opinion if the injury doesn’t go away or starts getting worse.
You should also demand to see a specialist such as an orthopedic surgeon or a podiatrist if you have this kind of injury. Most doctors will give you a referral to one if you ask.
Classification of High Ankle Pain
High ankle pain can be graded into 3 levels depending upon the pain.
Grade 1:The pain is very minimal. The syndesmotic ligament is very less stretched. There will be less difficulty in walking. The ligament tear is less in this case.
Grade 2: The pain in this case is slightly greater than the previous case.There will be more swelling, causing you difficulty in walking, keeping foot on the floor. There will be also problem in moving your foot due to stiffness in the ankle. Ankle would also be bruised. This kind of ankle sprain disturbs the body balance.
Grade 3: The pain in this case is most severe. Severe pain, severe bruising, severe swelling are some of the symptoms of this grade.
Two kinds of high ankle sprain
- A stable high ankle sprain is fairly easy to treat and will heal.
- An unstable high ankle sprain will usually require professional medical treatment, including physical therapy and sometimes surgery.
High sprains are very serious injuries that may require several months or longer to recover from. They should always be taken seriously because such sprains can lead to permanent disability.
Symptoms of High Ankle Sprain
The symptoms of high ankle sprain are almost similar with the ordinary sprain that most people encounter. However, the pain is so intense that you cannot even step your foot on the floor. High ankle sprain is a type of ligament injury. The ligaments that join the bones together have been torn. It is due to the sudden twisting of the ankle that happens during athletic activities. Football players and basketball players are very susceptible to this type of orthopedic injury.
Diagnosis of high ankle sprain is done by visualizing the affected area using different imaging techniques. They include the use of special x-ray procedures, MRI and CT scan. Although quite expensive, these techniques are capable of showing the extent of damage to the ligaments. This will give your doctor the idea about the type of treatment needed for you.
The symptoms of high ankle sprain depend on the severity of the damage.
Doctors classify them in different grades. Grade I is the minor type and involves limited swelling and pain. You may still walk even without crutches. In Grade II, significant swelling is seen in the area with possibility of bleeding under the skin. Walking can be difficult at this stage, but you can still take a few steps. Grade III is the most severe type and involves complete tearing of the ligaments. Walking becomes impossible and instability is also reported.
If you compare the high ankle sprain with the ordinary sprain, the pain moves up to the lower leg. When the calf is compressed, significant pain is felt in the area. This is one of the initial tests done by doctors to diagnose the condition.
The pain and swelling of the affected area persist for several days. If you notice the symptoms of a high ankle sprain, the best thing to do is to see your doctor or contact us to provide you best doctors. Timely intervention is crucial to ensure better and complete recovery from high ankle sprain.
Usually, doctors recommend that you temporarily immobilize the area to promote healing. You may also need rehabilitation to bring back the normal activities of your ankle. If your condition is severe, surgery is the option of doctors.
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Treatment of High Ankle Sprain
There are mainly three phases in the treatment of high ankle sprain to reduce the recovery time:
Phase 1: The initial phase is very important. It includes rest, reducing swelling, and protecting the ankle. The aim at first phase is to rest as much as possible and reduce the swelling while protecting the ankle. The first phase takes about one week time in which the swelling is reduces to a great extent.
Phase 2: It includes restoring the patient movement, flexibility and strength. The aim here is that the patient should be able to walk easily and rotate the foot in any direction without any pain. This phase takes about two weeks.
Phase 3: The third phase focuses at retrieving the patient normal life. The last phase lasts for about a month or two, depending upon the severity of the pain.
The usual treatment of a high ankle sprain is something called RICE. This is an acronym that stands for:
- Rest
- Ice
- Compression
- Elevation
This is used for the most common injuries and some of these you can do yourself.
First: The Rest
The first thing you should do if you have an ankle sprain is to get plenty of rest. Stop your normal exercise routine and limit the amount that you walk. Cease activities such as gardening and housework that could put a lot of strain upon it. You should also limit your driving or switch to driving a vehicle with an automatic transmission to ease strain.
Try working at home if it is possible when you have such an injury. Don’t become too sedentary but get plenty of rest. Make sure you ask your doctor or physical therapy for a list of exercises that you can do while you are recovering to keep yourself in shape.
Yoga and meditation are two excellent means of dealing with this kind of problem. Switching to a low impact workout is a great way to cope with this kind of injury.
Second: Ice Massage
The second part involves the use of an ice pack. Try keeping one on the injury for several hours every day. A good time to do this is when you’re relaxing with a book, playing video games, working at the computer or watching TV. Ice is important because it eases inflammation and speeds healing.
Don’t stop ice therapy when you feel better. Keep it up for several days or weeks after the pain and swelling ends. Remember that there is a good chance that swelling is continuing inside. Stopping the ice too early can cause swelling to come back.
Third: Compression
Compression involves the use of a splint or cast. This should only be done by a doctor or physical therapist. Using a splint or cast without such a professional’s guidance can cause further injuries and make the problem worse.
Fourth: Elevation
Elevation means putting your foot up. This is sometimes required when a person is seriously injured. Always ask your doctor or physical therapist about this before taking the step.
What are the Options available To treat High Ankle Sprain?
Non-operative
The treatment for high ankle sprain depends on the severity of the condition. Your doctor may recommend physical therapy to manage the condition. This will include scientific Ice Massage, electric stimulation and exercises to repair the damaged range of motion, strengthen your lower muscle and improve your overall coordination. This form of treatment will require several sessions with a licensed physical therapist. Thus, you need patience if your doctor prescribes this mode of treatment.
Another possibility that you will encounter is the need to wear crutches or brace for a few weeks. This will relieve the ankle from its usual role. You may also need to take anti-inflammatory drugs for your pain and inflammation. They are used to reduce your discomfort while recuperating from the injury.
Operative
If your injury cannot be treated using the usual methods, you need to take the more invasive option which is surgery. Your surgeon will have to correct the injured ligaments as well as the location of the two lower bones of the body. Since this is an invasive procedure, this will take more months to heal. Plus, rehabilitation is always needed after the procedure.
High ankle injury is a serious problem. If you want to reduce your problem, you should do something about it the moment you experience the injury.
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How to Tape a High Ankle Sprain
When you suffer the high ankle sprain, the first thing to do is to follow the RICE protocol (Rest, Ice, Compress and elevate). The compression part is done by learning the steps on how to tape a high ankle sprain. This is important to reduce the swelling in the area and limit the range of motion of the ankle. The idea of wrapping the injured part started more than 60 years ago. Since then, the technique has continued to be a part of the management of most types of sprain.
The basic thing on how to tape a high ankle sprain involves the figure of eight pattern. Wrap the injured part snugly using a pre-wrap tape like Leukowrap. Cover the foot, the lower leg and around your heel. The bandage should go over the end of the two bones affected or the bones of your ankle. Once the ankle has completely immobilized, check whether there is pain or numbness. If there is, this is an indication of incorrect taping. Repeat the wrapping if needed.
Benefits of Taping for High Ankle Sprain
Knowing on how to tape a high ankle sprain is your first line of support to the damaged ligament. It prevents unnecessary, painful and unstable movements while the ligament is still recovering from the injury. You may also complement the taping with the use of braces. Together, they can prevent further injury to your ankle.
The recovery time for the high ankle sprain ranges from 3 months to 9 months. The major factor to consider will be your compliance to the prescription of your orthopedic physiotherapist. By using braces and learning on how to tape a high ankle sprain, you can improve your recovery time for high ankle sprain. Although there are controversies as to which one is more effective, both procedures remain to be mainstays in the management of the high ankle sprain.
It is important that you remember that both bracing and taping are not substitutes for the rehabilitation exercises. They should be used in conjunction with the other management procedures to help you to decrease recovery time for high ankle sprain.
Preventing High Ankle Sprain
Obviously, the best way to deal with this problem and decrease recovery time for high ankle sprain is not to get one in the first place. Fortunately, there are a number of steps that you can take to prevent one. These include:
- Performing strengthening exercises such as weight lifting to preserve muscle and make such an injury less likely. People who engage in seasonal sports such as rugby, soccer and skiing should be really careful about this. Keep up your training even in the off season.
- Making sure that you wear the right shoes for your sport. Don’t play football or soccer in your tennis shoes!
- Using tape or a brace can protect your ankles.
- Trying to avoid running or playing sports on broken or uneven surfaces and really slippery surfaces such as wet grass.
- Being careful when you are walking off road or in areas with a lot of holes or loose dirt.
- Not exercising or playing when you are feeling tired or sick. You’re more likely to get injured them.
- Getting plenty of rest and sleep when you’re playing sports.
- Never exercising or playing sports when you’re hung over or under the effects of drugs such as pain relievers; you’ll be more likely to get injured.
- Being careful on icy and snow covered roads and sidewalks during the winter. You can get a high ankle sprain from falling there.
- Strengthening your bones and skin by eating a high energy diet, such as a raw food diet. Make sure you get a lot of protein, omega-3 fatty acids, calcium and vitamin B-12 in your diet. Try eating a lot of dark leafy greens, beans and other foods rich in these things.
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Consulting a nutritionist to see what supplements you should be taking and foods you should be eating.
- Stopping playing or exercising as soon as you feel an ankle pain.
- Always consulting a trainer, physical therapist or sports medicine doctor when you suffer an ankle injury that doesn’t go away.
- Resting and avoiding strain if you get an ankle injury.
- Always treating ankle injuries with ice to limit inflammation.
High ankle sprains can be painful injuries that can end careers and destroy lives, but they can also be avoided. A little common sense should help most citizens avoid them.
Recovery Time For High Ankle Sprain
A high ankle sprain can take anywhere from six weeks to three months to heal, and sometimes even longer. The amount of time it takes to recover depends on how seriously you harmed the soft tissues and whether there was any bone damage.
Your physical therapist will test your ability to walk and bear weight to decide if your ankle has recovered sufficiently to enable you to return to sporting activity. They may even request that you leap on that foot. To assess whether healing is complete, an X-ray or other diagnostic pictures may be required.
If the tibia and fibula are too far apart, for example, the doctor may propose correction surgery. If this is the case, you will need to wear a cast.
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3 Best Exercises For Decreasing The Recovery Time For High Ankle Sprain
Alphabet ankles:
This is a very good exercise one of my personal favorites I perform when my ankle hurts. This is a very simple exercise in which you simply need to move the hurt foot in air in such a way that you are making alphabets. Seriously, like you are making A,B,C in the air. Initially you might not get it perfect due to more pain in the sprained ankle. So make the alphabets imperfect in the air. Gradually you will observe the alphabets to be perfectly made in the air.
How does Alphabet Ankles benefit?
It simply helps in movement of each and every muscle in the leg and foot.
Calf raises
- To do calf raises find some edgy surface.
- Start pulling down and up.
- Repeat it.
Just take care of the balance while doing it. The better choice would be to close your eyes and concentrate on your balance. What this exercise does is put heavy load on ankle flexion and keeps your ankle safe.
Tip Toe Farmer’s Walk
- Just hold some weight in your hands might be a dumbbell or anything heavy at your home.
- Start walking on your tips.
- And it also applies more pressure on the ankle.
- Therefore, it will help you regain your balance.
This exercise is very effective as it helps you in rehabilitation of the ankle.
The above exercises are an alternative to treat ankle sprain rather than choosing the RICE treatment method.
Take away
High ankle sprains are a more complicated injury than typical ankle sprains, which occur on the bottom and outside of the ankle.
They can take longer to heal and sometimes take more than three months to resolve with treatments such as splinting, wearing a boot or cast, and physical therapy.
With proper treatment, however, a high ankle sprain can heal completely. If you are an athlete (or even if you are not), you may need to continue bracing or tying your ankle to prevent the injury from recurring.
