When Can I Start Walking on a Sprianed Ankle Again

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Earlier y'all starting time walking with a sprained ankle, brand certain y'all get your physician'south permission so you lot don't cause any more harm. Ideally, you should only walk on a sprain that's balmy, and you should periodically strengthen your ankle through practice so it gets stronger as you go. If you always feel whatever hurting, stop immediately and see your doc for medical help.

1. 1

   Apply ice to your ankle as soon as you can after you lot sprain it. Every bit soon as you can, rest your ankle and put an ice pack on it to decrease the swelling. Keep the ice on your talocrural joint for ten-15 minutes at a time two-three times per 24-hour interval to assistance alleviate some of the pain. As you start to feel more comfortable, ice your talocrural joint simply once or twice a twenty-four hour period, or whenever it feels bloated.

2. two

   Take an anti-inflammatory medication to salve pain and swelling. Opt for ibuprofen or naproxen, and take the recommended dose for your historic period as it is written on the packaging. All the same, if y'all haven't seen a doctor nevertheless, practise that as presently equally possible, since your doctor may prescribe a higher dose or more specific medication.

   • A typical over-the-counter dose of ibuprofen for an adult is 400 mg, three times per 24-hour interval. A md may prescribe a much higher dose depending on the severity of your injury and your size.
   • The doctor may too prescribe narcotic pain relievers for you if the hurting is astringent. Always check with your pharmacist or medico before taking any medication in improver to a prescription. Side furnishings may include constipation, drowsiness, and addiction if taken for too long a menses.
   • Acetaminophen can reduce pain, but does non reduce swelling.^[1]

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3. three

   Protect your talocrural joint with a compression bandage, caryatid, splint, or high-top shoes. If the sprain is astringent, the doctor will prescribe a walking boot or a splint for yous. If not, try to wrap a compression bandage or caryatid around your ankle for ane-3 weeks. Wear boots or high-acme shoes that can be laced upwardly tight around your ankles for added back up.^[ii]

   • Wearing high heels with a sprained ankle could lead to further injury. If you lot have to wearable dress shoes, cull flats over heels.
   • In improver to using pinch bandages, be sure to residue, ice, and elevate your ankle to help alleviate the pain.

4. 4

   Check your surround for uneven ground or stairs before walking effectually. Be aware of where you are going to be walking so that you are not caught off-baby-sit by loose rocks or potholes in a path or sidewalk. If your path looks rough or rocky, try to find a smoother alternative route, or inquire a friend for assistance. Remember your ankle's at present very tender, weak, and painful, and then take good care of information technology to not cause farther injury.

5. 5

   Walk slowly and take small steps. Look out for spills, things on your path that you tin can trip over, or anything else in your way that might crusade further injury. If you lot try to walk too quickly, you might miss potential hazards in your fashion.

   • Concentrating on your walking will aid you lot to not only stay safe and prevent injury but will also brand you very enlightened of your hurting level and your healing progress.
   • Whenever possible, hold on to railings or ask a friend if yous can lean on them for added back up.

6. 6

   Pause when needed and shift your weight to your uninjured human foot. Listen to your body. If the hurting is besides intense to keep going, take a break and relieve your injured ankle of force per unit area by shifting your body'south weight to the other foot.^[3]

   • Some pain is unavoidable, just if you cannot maintain a conversation or lose breath every bit y'all walk because of the pain, then you should pause and residual.

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1. 1

   Stretch the ligaments in your ankle with an exercise ring or rolled towel. To do this exercise, wrap a resistance band or a large rolled-upwardly towel around the ball of your injured pes and straighten your leg. Then, betoken your toes up, down, left, and right. For all-time results, repeat the cycle of motions 10 times and practise the practice 3 times per day.^[4]

   • You do not need to wear shoes or supportive braces for this practise.

2. two

   Balance yourself on your injured ankle to increase your stability. Make sure you're standing on a difficult, flat surface before you stand on your injured foot. Try not to hold on to anything as y'all remainder, simply brand sure there's a railing or wall nearby so you tin take hold of yourself if yous need to. As y'all work to maintain your balance, your talocrural joint will shift dorsum and along, stretching out and strengthening the ligaments and muscles.^[five]

   • You should wear shoes for this exercise to give your foot some traction and prevent a fall.
   • Brand this exercise more challenging by using a balance board instead of a flat surface.^[six] The tipping motion of the board will force your ankle to act against the movements, increasing its strength and stability.^[7]

3. iii

   Draw the alphabet on the flooring using your injured foot. Sit in a comfortable chair with both anxiety resting flat on the floor. Then, with your injured foot, use your big toe to slowly trace the unabridged alphabet on the floor, one letter at a time. Drawing messages encourages talocrural joint move in every management.^[8]

   • Repeat up to three times for maximum stretching and strengthening.
   • You practice non need to wearable shoes for this exercise since y'all are sitting and practice non need the actress support or traction.
   • If you cannot reach the floor, you can describe the letters in the air for a like upshot.^[9]

4. 4

   Swing your knees from side to side to stretch and strengthen your ankle. Equally you sit in a comfortable chair with your feet flat on the flooring, slowly swing your knees equally far as y'all tin from side to side. Proceed your foot pressed apartment to the floor and continue for iii minutes.^[10]

   • If yous want to wear shoes while doing this do, opt for low-profile shoes that volition non limit your talocrural joint's range of motility.

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1. i

   Rest your sprained ankle subsequently walking to give it some time to heal. By exercising and walking on your sprained talocrural joint, y'all will be putting a lot of strain on the ligaments. Give them a interruption by taking the pressure off of them for at least an hour after walking, giving them time to rest and heal.

2. 2

   Ice your ankle to save hurting and swelling. Later walking on your injured ankle, it will probably be swollen and painful because of the stress information technology was nether. Elevate your foot and concord a cold ice pack wrapped in a towel on your ankle for 10-twenty minutes.

   • If your talocrural joint is really swollen, you tin can reapply the ice again after 10 minutes and continue the bike of 10-20 minutes on, x minutes off, until the swelling goes downwardly.
   • A great substitute for an ice pack is a frozen bag of peas because it is cold and easily molds to the trunk part that you are icing.
   • Wrapping the ice pack in a towel is of import because you can damage your peel past applying water ice directly to information technology.

3. three

   Compress your ankle using an rubberband sports bandage. Wrap your human foot from the base of your toes to about iii inches (seven.vi cm) to a higher place your ankle. Provide actress support by crisscrossing the cast from left to correct in a figure-viii motion around your ankle and heel. Secure it into identify with metallic fasteners or record.^[11]

   • You want the pinch bandage tight enough to give gentle pressure, but not so tight that restricts claret menstruum. If you have whatever tingling or discoloration in your toes, remove the cast and rewrap it looser.^[12]
   • It's not a good idea to sleep with a compression bandage on because it may reduce blood flow.^[13]

4. 4

   Elevate your ankle to speed up healing by reducing swelling. When you are sitting or laying down, go along your ankle elevated to reduce swelling by assuasive fluid to drain from the injured area. If possible, lay downward and keep your ankle elevated above your heart.^[14]

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Add New Question

• Question

  How tin I continue pressure off of my ankles?

  

  Dr. Neal Blitz is a Podiatrist and Pes & Ankle Surgeon who runs private practices in New York City and in Beverly Hills, California. Dr. Blitz is "The Bunion King®" and is the creator of the Bunionplasty® Procedure (plastic surgery for bunions) which has revolutionized bunion surgery. He has over 17 years of podiatric feel and specializes in minimally invasive foot and talocrural joint surgery. Dr. Blitz received his DPM from the New York College of Podiatric Medicine, so completed a residency focused on Elective & Reconstructive Foot & Ankle Surgery at the Swedish Medical Center, and was awarded an AO Trauma fellowship in Dresden, Frg, focused on trauma and reconstructive techniques. He is board certified in Foot Surgery and Reconstructive Rearfoot & Ankle Surgery and is besides a Diplomate of the American Lath of Human foot & Talocrural joint Surgery and a beau of the American Higher of Human foot & Talocrural joint Surgeons (FACFAS).

  

  Board Certified Podiatrist

  Expert Reply

• Question

  How do I walk comfortably if none of this is working?

  

  Luba Lee, FNP-BC is a board certified Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and educator in Tennessee with over a decade of clinical feel. Luba has certifications in Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Emergency Medicine, Avant-garde Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Squad Building, and Critical Care Nursing. She received her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from the University of Tennessee in 2006.

  

  Principal's Degree, Nursing, University of Tennessee Knoxville

  Expert Answer

  

  Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

  In case of a mild sprain, it is recommended to utilize a crutch for partial weight-bearing and gradually render to normal activities over two-iv weeks. If your injury is more severe, an orthopedic surgeon evaluation may exist necessary. For those with astringent sprains, treatment consists of immobilization with a rigid ankle splint or below the knee cast and no weight-bearing for two-3 weeks, followed by progressive return to weight -bearing.

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• You should only try these exercises and steps with a grade i sprained ankle. Grade 1 sprains are common sprains in which a ligament is stretched, but not torn. If you are in a lot of pain or your talocrural joint is very unstable when you effort to stand on it, see a medico before trying home treatments.^[15]

• Taking over-the-counter anti-inflammatories tin can crusade liver impairment or other health complications if used for a prolonged period of time. See your dr. for advice on managing pain if you feel you lot still need to medicate afterward a few days.

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