Sprained Ankle Physical Therapy Charleston, SC

+ What Is A Sprained Ankle?

You have bands of strong tissue that connect the bones of your lower leg with your foot bones. These ligaments keep the bones of your foot in place and help prevent excessive and harmful foot movement. When you overly stretch or tear a ligament within the ankle joint, you have a sprained ankle.

+ What Are The Symptoms Of A Sprained Ankle?

A sprained ankle can cause several symptoms, including:

• Pain

• Swelling

• Bruising

• Ankle weakness and instability

• Stiffness and loss of range of motion

+ What Causes A Sprained Ankle?

Any movement that stretches your ankle excessively can stretch, partially tear, or completely tear an ankle ligament and result in an ankle sprain. The causes can include:

• Twisting your ankle while falling.

• Stepping on your foot the wrong way when walking or running.

• Landing awkwardly after jumping.

• Stepping on another person’s foot while playing sports.

• Moving on an uneven surface.

• Changing direction suddenly when walking or running.

+ How Is A Sprained Ankle Diagnosed?

When you injure an ankle, it is important to exclude a broken bone or other serious injuries, such as a torn Achilles tendon, from the diagnosis. An accurate diagnosis may include one or several of the following:

• Physical exam that includes moving your foot and assessing the range of motion.

• Examining the Achilles tendon which runs along the back of your ankle.

• X-rays

• MRI

• Ultrasound

+ How Can I Prevent An Ankle Sprain?

You can take several measures to reduce your risk of a sprained ankle, including:

• Do exercises that strengthen your ankles.

• Warm up adequately before playing sports.

• Wear proper shoes for your activity that support your ankle sufficiently.

• Use special precautions when running or walking on uneven surfaces.

• Maintain ankle flexibility.

+ What Are The Complications Of A Sprained Ankle?

If you don’t properly treat a sprained ankle or exert yourself too much before complete healing, you can develop complications, such as:

• Chronic pain

• Joint instability

• Arthritis

• Injury to your other ankle due to changes in your gait

• Ankle stiffness

• Swelling

• Difficulty standing for extended periods

+ How Can Physical Therapy Help?

Our physical therapists can help you recover more quickly from an ankle sprain. We use exercises that target the problems caused by a sprained ankle to restore strength and range of motion to this important joint. Your individualized treatment plan can include:

• Strength training

• Stretching exercises

• Therapeutic activities and exercises

• Functional training

• Balance training