Ankle injury- best 5 tips from a physiotherapist
- Ice the ankle injury for the first 3 days to reduce pain and limit swelling.
- Elevate the ankle regularly for 10-15 minutes at a time.
- Walk with supportive footwear within the limits of pain and increase the levels as you feel able.
- Move the ankle every few hours to maintain the range of movement.
- See a physiotherapist after 4 days for an assessment and a rehabilitation program.
Why see a physiotherapist for an ankle injury?
After 4 days our objective tests are more reliable and we can guide your rehabilitation. Unfortunately many patients are either told they do not need to see or would not benefit from seeing a physiotherapist (unfortunately other healthcare professionals are unaware of the recurrent nature of ankle injury) and when the science tells us a rehabilitation program is key to a full recovery, most patients never receive the correct treatment.
What’s involved in a rehabilitation program?
- Regain full range of movement at the ankle (chronic problems tend to indicate to us that patients do not fully recover certain movements and leave themselves at more risk of other injuries)
- Recover full strength in the key muscle groups which support and protect the ankle
- Retrain your ankles ability to balance effectively (the pain and swelling may go away but many patients fail to recover full functional balance ability)
The physiotherapists at Physis can assess, treat and rehabilitate your ankle injury. Just book online or give us a call on 0131 478 4646.
