How To Heal Your Ankle Sprain With Physical Therapy

Recover From Your Ankle Sprain

Most people don’t realize that physical therapy is the most important part of rehabilitating an ankle sprain. The golden rule for an ankle sprain is to prevent any further injury. At the beginning of a sprain, this means using crutches and always wearing an ankle brace but as the ankle heals, it’s weakness needs to be treated or a person take a mistep while walking and re-sprain their ankle.

Ankle sprains normally take six weeks to heal but still after this time, the ankle is extremely weak. Any little misstep can cause the ankle to roll again or twist and the individual will have to endure another six weeks of ankle recovery. At this point, while the ankle ca handle the constant stresses and pressures of walking, taking a misstep is still normal but with a weak ankle, you are much more likely to sustain an injury.

The answer is simple: physical therapy. By applying physical therapy to strengthen the ankle, you are guaranteeing that your ankle fully heals and you are drastically reducing the risks of suffering another injury. Our Howard Beach physical therapists have over two decades of experience helping their patients recover from sprains.

Here are a few examples of necessary exercises after an ankle sprain:

1. Balance on a Bosu Ball - A Bosu ball is an inflatable ball with a flat surface. During your visit, you will balance on this ball for one minute on each leg. This balancing act strengthens your ability to balance with your ankle during normal walking motion. This exercises is great for simultaneously regaining ankle strength and balance.
2. Calf Raises and Stretches - It is important to keep the surrounding muscles loose so that the ankle has more room to heal itself. Also, strengthening the calf (which also strengthens the ankle’s surrounding muscles and tendons) helps to ensure that the calf can handle any overcompensation due to a weak ankle.

It is important to undergo exercises under the guidance of one of our physical therapists at Cross Bay Physical Therapy. Our physical therapists will create an individualized treatment plan and guide you through each step on your road to recovery. While ankle physical therapy is important, many people skip out on it. They end up rolling there ankle and spending weeks again disabled.

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By Benjamin Bieber