An ankle sprain is a common injury to the lower leg, especially among athletes. It results when damage to the ligaments that support the ankle joint. A sprain can affect one or both ankles and is characterized by inflammation, swelling, and pain. The ankle sprain can be categorized into acute (sudden) and chronic (ongoing). Symptoms may include swelling, pain, redness, and stiffness in the ankle and foot. Acute injuries typically occur in athletes participating in high-impact sports such as soccer, basketball, and football. Chronic wounds are more common in runners and dancers.
The most common treatment for an ankle sprain is resting the injured area. Ice packs may also be applied to reduce swelling and inflammation. Medical care may sometimes be required to relieve pain or reduce swelling. Resting the injured ankle will allow the bone to heal naturally without additional pressure from weight-bearing or walking. For chronic injuries, medical care may include cortisone injections to reduce inflammation, rest from weight-bearing activities, physical therapy to increase range of motion or other conservative treatments such as icing or elevation of the foot.
There are a few things you need to remember when it comes to sprains:
- They’re painful and can be very serious.
- They’re not always easy to recover from.
- Recovery is vital to avoid long-term issues like arthritis and joint damage.
This means you need proper exercises to help your body heal properly. The good news is that there are plenty of ways to help yourself recover from an ankle sprain.
First off, you must get lots of rest. You should also make sure to ice your ankle regularly. This will help reduce the swelling and pain. It’s also a good idea to keep an eye on your ankle at all times to ensure it doesn’t swell any further or become infected.
Matt Ferguson Interview
Great interview for you on ankle sprain exercises.
It is with Matt Ferguson.
Matt is part of a group that has developed a more effective device for strengthening the ankle and foot.
In the interview, he talks about the importance of ankle strengthening. Plus highlights how the AFX is more effective than traditional methods of strengthening the ankle and foot.
(To listen to the interview, scroll down to the bottom of this page and click the play button. If you do not have time to listen to it, just click the “download” button and download it to your computer. Then you can listen to it on your computer when you like or subscribe to the iTunes podcast. Enjoy!)
This is what Matt goes through:
- Importance of ankle strengthening
- Matt and the rest of his team’s background
- Where the idea of the importance of ankle strengthening came from
- How the feet are the foundation of human movement
- Why traditional ways of foot strengthening are not effective
- Problems with using tubing for ankle strengthening
- What is more effective at strengthening the ankle and foot
- The number one activity-related injury is ankle sprains
- Sample ankle sprain exercises
- How it works and the benefit of the AFX (Ankle Foot Maximizer) device
- Highlighting research that demonstrates the importance of ankle strengthening exercises
To learn more about Matt Ferguson of Progressive Health Innovations and the AFX, you can visit him here http://www.progressivehealth.ca/.
I hope you enjoyed the interview. Let me know what you think, or email me and let me know if there is someone I should interview.
Rick Kaselj, MS
P.S. – Other resources that may benefit you on ankle sprain exercises are:
- An Ankle Sprain Exercise You Can Do Anywhere
- Ankle Injury Exercises with Jimmy Smith
- Why Your Ankle Exercise Rehab Program is Not Helping Your Clients
Here is an example of an effective ankle sprain exercise that may help you:
This is a little video on how to download the interview to your computer:
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