Ankle Sprain

I recently got a pretty bad ankle sprain. No, I didn't fight;) I was playing football and for a moment I thought I was in the World Cup and I jumped and I landed and 'snap' and that's how I got injured.

But back to the point, an ankle sprain is one of the most common injuries in sports be it martial arts, football, basketball and there are a few things we can do to help in case of an ankle sprain.

The most common is the RICE thing (not the rice we eat).

R - Rest
I - Ice
C - Compression
E - Elevation

Resting the injured ankle initially is only common sense. Reintroduce slight movement to the ankle after a day or two when it gets better to prevent loss of muscle strength.

Swelling can develop soon after depending on the severity of the injury. Applying ice to the injured area immediately can help reduce swelling and inflammation and to speed up recovery. Don't apply ice directly to the skin as it can cause 'frostbite'. You can use an ice pack or ice wrapped in a towel.

Compress the ankle with a bandage to decrease swelling. Bandaging also provides support and prevents too much movement to your ankle. Do not apply them too tightly however.

Elevate the ankle above your heart level to reduce the level of blood flow to the injured area.

You see, at the end of the day, what we want to do it to reduce swelling and inflammation because that's what cause most of the pain and slows down the healing process. We want to counteract the increased blood flow to the injured area and prevent build up of fluid.

I'm not going to talk about the mechanics of the ankle or how ruptured blood vessels cause swelling here. But straight to the point, RICE is the most common and no-frills treatment out there.

However, if you feel the injury is severe or if it doesn't show sign of healing in a few days, go see a doctor, chiropractor, podiatrist, orthopedic, get professional help.