Potential sprained ankle recovery times in Walker, MI

A sprained ankle often happens when people roll or twist their ankle awkwardly. These types of awkward movements often occur when going down stairs or playing sports, and they tend to cause the ligaments that hold your ankle together to stretch or tear. One factor that typically determines how long your sprained ankle recovery time will be in Walker, Michigan, is the severity of the sprain. Medical professionals tend to break the severity of this injury down into three categories. 

1.   Mild sprains

Mild or grade 1 sprains are the least severe level of ankle sprain. Often, there is little or no ligament tearing with a mild sprain, and the patient has simply overstretched the ankle ligament. Common symptoms of a grade 1 sprain include slight ankle swelling, difficulty balancing while walking and soreness in the ankle. These symptoms usually take between two and four weeks to go away completely. 

2.   Moderate sprains

Moderate or grade 2 sprains cause more severe symptoms than grade 1 sprains; consequently, they typically take longer to heal. A grade 2 sprain will often cause partial tearing of an ankle ligament. This means that such sprains can lead to bruising in the ankle, and they can also lead to a higher level of pain and difficulty keeping your balance. In many cases, moderate ankle sprains take six to eight weeks to heal. 

3.   Severe sprains

Grade 3 or severe ankle sprains are those in which an ankle ligament is completely or almost completely torn. Sprains with this level of damage cause the highest level of pain, and most patients with a grade 3 sprain will require crutches to get around initially. Often, doctors will also use a special boot to immobilize the ankle so it can heal. In some cases, severe ankle sprains may also require surgery. If your grade 3 sprain doesn’t require surgery, it can still take a minimum of three months to heal, and a severe sprain can take as long as six months to heal if it needs surgery. 

Find ways to speed up your sprained ankle recovery time at Advent Physical Therapy in Walker, MI

No matter how serious your ankle sprain is, you’ll want it to recover as quickly as possible. Our team at Advent Physical Therapy in Walker can help your ankle recover faster. We offer free screenings that we can use to determine how severe your sprain is. Our team can then create a personalized treatment plan for you, and this plan can help speed your recovery by using therapy methods like: 

• Kinesiology taping
• Manual therapy
• Cupping
• Instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM)

Take the next step toward faster ankle rehab. Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.