Sprained Ankle Care at Home

A rolled ankle sends most people looking for quick steps. Here are two short directions for readers in Wayne, one from the NHS and one from NIAMS.

For a wider view of pain care, start with a general pain management resource.

What the NHS asks you to do with ice

The NHS gives the ice step in exact terms. Ice – apply an ice pack (or a bag of frozen vegetables wrapped in a tea towel) to the injury for up to 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hours.

Turn that into a rule. Wrap the cold pack in a towel. Keep each session to 20 minutes or less. Leave 2 to 3 hours between sessions.

Who is at risk of an ankle sprain

NIAMS names who is at risk. People who play sports in which there is a lot of pivoting, such as volleyball and basketball, are at risk of an ankle sprain.

Ask yourself if your sport involves pivoting. If it does, you fall in the group NIAMS names. That is a statement about risk. It is not a diagnosis. The wider topic of sports injuries has its own reference.

Home care, healing time and when to be seen

Ask your clinician about the other steps of home care, when to be seen, and how long healing takes.

Joint pain that is not a sprain

Joint pain that is not a sprain deserves its own reading. Use the NIAMS reference on gout to tell the two topics apart.

What to track

Note when the ankle hurts and what you were doing. Note how the ankle responds after each ice session. Keep the notes short and dated.

Your next step

Follow the ice rule above. Bring your notes to a clinician in the Wayne area. For a body that works on pain medicine, see a pain medicine academy.

This is general information, not medical advice. Your clinician knows your case best.