How valuable is doing physical therapy for a sprained ankle?

Our feet and ankles work together to provide us with effective foot movement throughout the day. You probably don’t pay much attention to your ankles while walking around. But if you sprain an ankle, you realize how important pain-free mobility is for your quality of life. 

Have you sprained your ankle? Physical therapy is an effective treatment option that can help you get you back on your feet. 

What is an ankle sprain? 

An ankle sprain usually occurs when you twist or turn your ankle beyond its normal range of motion. This tears the ligaments that surround your ankle, which are there to hold your bones in place. Tearing these ligaments can commonly occur from slipping and falling. It can also occur from participating in sports or other physical activities. Even just jogging and rolling your ankle can result in an ankle sprain. Depending on the severity of the ligament tear, a sprain can take weeks or months to fully heal. 

How physical therapy can help your sprained ankle

If you’re wondering how effective physical therapy is for a sprained ankle, it’s important to understand the desired outcome of the techniques. The techniques used in physical therapy help manage your pain or discomfort, and they can also help hasten your recovery. Here are some of the treatments your physical therapist may recommend:

• Therapeutic exercise — Your physical therapist can show you the best exercises for strengthening the muscles around your ankle without irritating the injury further. The stronger muscles can help support the ankle, which may reduce the stress on the torn ligaments. Stretching can also help prevent the ankle and foot from becoming stiff while you’re recovering. 

• Manual therapy — This is a hands-on technique. Your physical therapist will manipulate the soft tissue around your ankle and mobilize your ankle joint. Manual therapy may help improve the range of motion of your ankle while it’s recovering. It can also reduce your pain from the ankle sprain by stimulating the nerves and increasing blood flow to the injured area, which may reduce inflammation. 

• Balance training — If you’ve sprained your ankle because of a fall, then consider balance training as a way to help you regain your footing. The goal of balance training is to decrease the chances of falling again in the future, as well as to retrain your nerves to identify where your foot is in place. This helps to prevent future rolling or missteps. A physical therapist will perform an evaluation and suggest exercises to strengthen the muscles that are crucial for walking. 

Suffering from a sprained ankle? Advent Physical Therapy is ready to help 

​​If you’ve sprained your ankle and want to manage your pain and hasten your recovery, physical therapy can help. Our team at Advent Physical Therapy is prepared to treat your sprained ankle. We can develop a personalized treatment plan to meet your goals for recovery and help you regain your confidence on your feet. 

Contact our team today for more information about physical therapy for sprained ankles or to schedule an initial appointment.