Advice for sprained ankle?

[Nicky Tasker]

Hi. Has anyone got advice for a sprained ankle? I appear to have a minor sprain that happened 4 weeks ago but isn't improving. It's fine when I walk or run on it but then aches and stiffens afterwards. No sharps pains. I've been resting it and putting ice on, but no change. Does any of this sound familiar? Really frustrating. How did you fix yours and how long did it take?

Thanks
Nicky

[BARRY BLYTH]

Hi Nicky,
might be worth your while getting some Physio advice. It may be that yu have simply tried to do too much too soon. I've had bad ankle sprains and didn't run after 1 such occasion for 8 weeks. Instead I went to the gym where I used bikes/steppers to exercise without the impact. I also used a wobble board (you can borrow it if you want) to strengthen those small muscles in the ankle. Good luck.

Barry

[Colin Ardron]

I've had ankle problems on left foot for over 10 yrs and I thought originally it was just a sprain and would heal up fairly quickly. It didn't. So to the physio and referred to podiatrist who examined gait etc and diagnosed posterior tibialis tendinopathy (nice mouthful) which basically is a problem with the tendon that supports the arch of your foot. Treatment was custom built orthotics which I wear in all running and walking shoes (you can transfer from one pair shoes to another). It's not perfect (still aches and the ankle is unstable) but it allows me to keep running. As Barry says it's worth getting it looked at espec. if not responding to normal treatment. Probably not a good idea to run on it until you know what the problem is. Gym work to keep your basic fitness.

[Nicky Tasker]

Thank you for the advice. Wobble board is a good idea, we do have one somewhere so I will dig it out. I did have problems with the posterior tibial tendon last year, but it's fine now and this is on the other side of my ankle. Worth bearing in mind though in case it's related. Think I need to be a bit more patient with it!

[Neil Gunn]

If your ankle can stand it (no pun intended) then another good exercise is to stand on one leg whilst doing things like cleaning teeth, washing up etc ... obviously alternate legs!
Judith Cooper at Honey's swears by it!

[BARRY BLYTH]

Flamingos swear by it!