Sprained Ankle

[jdileo]

Hi All,

I sprained my ankle (pretty bad , heard a loud pop) almost 2 months ago and it's still not completely healed (I now play matches about once a week and let my partner do most of the running) though there were no fractures . A coach said that sprained ankles take about 6 months to heal. So, I'd appreciate it if you'd share your similar experience, in particular, to the following questions:

1. How long did it take for your sprained ankle(s) to heal?

2. What remedies/trement helped the healing?

3. Did you continue to play badminton? If so, how often? Did it aggravate the ankle?

Thanks!

[abb]

Ive sprained my ankle a few times in badminton. I cant take any of the normal painkilling stuff cus its usually got aspirin derivatives in em, and Im asthmatic. My Dad's a doc, he usually bandages the joint up, immobilising it. I go about the usual routine, avoiding putting weight on it as much as I can. I try not to walk a lot, obviously. It takes around 4-5 days before the tenderness goes and I stop wearing a bandage and start playing badminton again. The first couple of times are hard, but then you get back to the normal level of movement.
Your injury sounds much worse than anything Ive experienced, so Im not entirely sure if anything Ive said applies. The best thing to do in any case is to seek qualified medical attention, preferably a specialist. If your injury is serious, you should check with a doctor before you try anything that people like me suggest.
I hope your ankle starts improving soon

[Winex West Can]

I sprained my ankle last summer (early August). Took me almost the whole month to actually be able to walk without any tenderness. As for playing, you gotta be kidding!

Immediately ice the ankle after to reduce the swelling. Try not to put any weight, if possible. When sleeping/lying down, elevate the ankle. I also apply some chinese herbal lotion to help with the tenderness. Bandage up the ankle or use an ankle brace.

It took me about 8 weeks or so before the ankle felt good enough to play and it was tough the first few sessions. The ankle would feel sore the day after and I would walked with a noticeable limb. This eventually goes away but I find that if I had a pretty intense session, the soreness would come back the next day.

[jdileo]

Thanks for the comments! Fortunately, I did ice the ankle immediately and do wear a brace as often as I can stand. I also found the Biofreeze gel helps the pain a lot. It's just frustrating that the ankle is still weak and a little swollen after 2 months. :confused:

[seanrachy]

I too went over on my ankle just last week ......not as bad as yours sounded.

I immediately iced it off/on over the next 36 hours, then applied heat thereafter for the next 4 days. I also elevated it right from the minute I got home and also kept an ankle bandage on it, along with anti-inflammatory cream (applied 3 times a day) over the following 5 days.

It certainly improved a lot over day 3 to day 6, and so I am planning on having a gentle run-around tonight.

One thing you need to do is right from the 3rd day, start to massage it with something like moisturing cream.

I plan on wearing a ankle support for a while and also do some ankle specific exercises to help strengthen it up ......wobble board, specific foot rotations, standing on toes and gentle hops.

I suggest you do things like this which will stress it .... but dont over do it.

Sean

[Mag]

With sprains, immobility will actually lengthen the healing process. Apart from early bandaging and applying ice to keep the swelling down, the key is to use the joint as much as you can, but rest if it if the swelling increases. If your physio says "rest", he or she probably needs an update on rehabilitaion issues...

The loud pop could indicate that you tore a ligament. This could require surgical treatment. Did you not see a doctor about this?

[jdileo]

From Mag:
With sprains, immobility will actually lengthen the healing process. Apart from early bandaging and applying ice to keep the swelling down, the key is to use the joint as much as you can, but rest if it if the swelling increases. If your physio says "rest", he or she probably needs an update on rehabilitaion issues...

The loud pop could indicate that you tore a ligament. This could require surgical treatment. Did you not see a doctor about this?

Hi Mag,

I saw a doctor right after the sprain and X-Rays of my ankle/foot were taken. The doc said there were no broken bones or fractures. Her remedy was bandage and RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation). I did try to stretch the injured ankle slightly (mainly to see if there's still pain). There's definitely improvement but it's slow. Maybe my badminton, hiking, and biking activities are slowing down the complete healing.:cool:

[adelina76]

I agree with Mag regarding the 'rest' thingy. In the past, people always think it's good to rest whatever that you've injured. However, with sprained ankle, as soon as you can, start walking on it as this will allow the blood circulation to flow actively through your ankle, and this in turn will quicken your healing process and also blood flow will help tissue repairing better too.

Also try this..get Anicca cream..I swear by it (some ppl take the anicca pills but I like the cream better)..especially straight after you've twisted your ankle..apply the cream straight on to your ankle and massage it. Then ice it (10 minutes on, 3 minutes off) for a few times, and then apply anicca cream on it again. This is a very good cream, kinda like anti-inflamatory cream, but it also works wonders on swelling and bruises and well, it feels like your healing process is quickened by it :)

And hehe, if you are a girl..I find (depending on how you twist your ankle) generally that a day or so after you twist your ankle, or as soon as u can walk, wear high heels! Apparently, walking on high heels seem to reduce pain on my ankle and walking on it just made it better faster..(odd I know..but it worked for me! ) :)

[Winex West Can]

[i]Originally posted by adelina76

And hehe, if you are a girl..I find (depending on how you twist your ankle) generally that a day or so after you twist your ankle, or as soon as u can walk, wear high heels! Apparently, walking on high heels seem to reduce pain on my ankle and walking on it just made it better faster..(odd I know..but it worked for me! ) :)

Hmmm... wearing high heels to serve will give you a height advantae, wouldn't it? But would be a killer on the floor. :D :D

[Mag]

Originally posted by jdileo

Hi Mag,
I saw a doctor right after the sprain and X-Rays of my ankle/foot were taken. The doc said there were no broken bones or fractures. Her remedy was bandage and RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation). I did try to stretch the injured ankle slightly (mainly to see if there's still pain). There's definitely improvement but it's slow. Maybe my badminton, hiking, and biking activities are slowing down the complete healing.:cool:

It's good that you saw a doctor, but normal X-rays doesn't show a ruptured ligament (Cheung, can you verify this?). Did your doctor give you a rehabilitation excercise program, and if so, have you been sticking to it? Your recovery time does sound unusually long.

[andymcg]

I've got dodgy ankles and if I sprain my ankle, I won't go to see a doctor unless its REALLY bad. From previous experience, the doctor has just told me to bandage it and rest it, which was probably not the answer I was looking for! My advice would be to go to a physiotherapist or sports injury clinic. They will be able to tell you exactly what you've done, and give you exercises to help with the rehabilitation.

I now have a wobble board at home, similar to the sort of thing they might have in a physiotherapist's. Its a flat board with a semi-spherical bottom that you use to improve your balance. They can help a lot in rehabilitation I think, and also they can help to prevent future injury. I use mine every week. See the attachment for a wobble board picture.

I've also found this: http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/front/ankle/anklerehab.htm

which is a rehab program for a sprained ankle. It shouldn't be a substitute for seeing a specialist about your ankle though!

[Cheung]

Originally posted by Mag


It's good that you saw a doctor, but normal X-rays doesn't show a ruptured ligament (Cheung, can you verify this?). Did your doctor give you a rehabilitation excercise program, and if so, have you been sticking to it? Your recovery time does sound unusually long.

True, diffiuclt to see a ruptured ligament just by X-ray. A sprained ankle means a ligament has probably been torn (partially). There are 3 ligaments for the ankle on the outside part.

My sprained ankle to ages to heal. stupid me wearing tennis shoes at the time and trying to play badminton (hey, I was young then).

I'd probably be inclined to go to a physio or a doctor with an interest in sports medicine ( and therefore understands the psychology of sports people). they usually are active in sports. As opposed to an ordinary family practitioner.

[sporty]

This is what i get from my PE teacher...

First, you must not massage it straight away!!! will get worse...
First thing u must do is ICE is first.. 3 to 5 minutes... 3 sets of it...

You must do it everyday until it is around 70 percent healed.. then u can start massaging.... Hope it works.. Get well soon!!

[rlue]

Not sure if this question should be in the equip forum or here ...but here goes.

Having sprained an ankle recently, information regarding the prevention of such injuries would be helpful...

1) Any suggestions as to what one should look for in a badminton shoe to help prevent ankle injuries(twisting or spraining); a previous thread implied that badminton shoes could help....
Could someone state specifically what shoe charcateristics, pertinent to the prevention or minimization of such injuries, would be most desirableé

2) Any one know of helpful excercises which could help as a preventative measure

3) What movements have the potential to cause ankle sprains and why do es it happen.


Thanks

[Matt Ross]

Hi all,

A poping sound in the ankle? Hmmm, could be a few things, but what someone hasn't mentioned is the possibility of a tarsal coming loose and being dislodged from it's place (the ankle is made up of many tarsals). A tendon going usually makes a snapping sound, but a pop? Sounds like a possible tarsal injury, what do you recon Cheung? Possible?

Matt

[jdileo]

Hi all,

Thanks to all of your tips on ankles and injuries. My ankle is much much better now (almost the same as before the injury, though I sometimes feel some tightness in the Achilles tendon) and I credit the recovery to the following:

1. R.I.C.E. (rest, ice, compression, elevation)
2. Massaging the ankle with a potent muscle and joint oil that my friend has recommended (available at http://www.edelweissbotanicals.com). This massage oil has also helped prevent several near-sprains by pre-application before matches.
3. Some ankle and leg rehab exercises (but I wasn't very consistent in doing them).

As far as shoes are concerned, please see my previous thread, http://www.badmintonforum.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6556&highlight=shoe+survey

Hope this helps.

[rlue]

Thanks very much...I will check out the feedback info

[coops241180]

Hey guys happy new year and all that - thought i'd shed some light and experience on this situation - i've sprained both my ankles in the past and done completely different things, one was playing badminton when i was 16 and the other time was simply going over on it when i was getting down off a chair.

When i was 16 i immediately stopped playing and had it iced and elevated - it swelled up like a balloon as you would expect - i was in a&e the next day with my mum - the doc x rayed it and there were no fractures and he gave me a support and told me to stay of it for a couple of days. NOTE - no exercise regime or anything. FYI - this ankle has never felt the same, it twinges from time to time and sometimes stops me playing completely so i have to rest again until the pain is gone

More recently when i went over on my other ankle, i forced myself to walk immediately - got some ice on it for a bit and then walked on it for two weeks - when it still hurt i finally went to the hospital and he gave me plenty of strapping and crutches, and an extensive set of exercises, i did all of these but kept most of the weight of it for 2 months at least - then i started leaning more weight thru it - which the doc had advised. Now about 6 months later it feels as if i never injured it. fantastic huh?

I think doctors think kids will bounce back from anything or that they are being a bit soft and it's not as bad as they are making out.

anybody else had similar experience

(well it did take three visits to the doctor to get refered to a physio for my back when i pulled it - but thats another story)

See y'all

Happy New Year

Neil

[rlue]

Thanks for the insights Neil...
I was walking on the ankle after the first day. Lots of ice about an hour after the occurence and after I had gotten home.

Now after about three days I can walk with some tenderness on the side of the ankle. I think I will continue to walk on it a bit more but with a bit of caution and maybe even try a relaxed game near the end of the week.
Pity as I like a good game to get the blood racing.



:)

[Gryp]

Well.. I had rolled my ankle like 3 times before.. as what ppl would call grade 1 sprains. Then on Sunday, I had a grade 2 sprain. I lunged for the birdy at front right of court (doubles game).. and instead of landing on my heel.. I landed on the side of my foot. Don't ask me how. Anyways.. I GOT BACK UP RIGHT AFTER. Thought it was just another roll. I iced it.. felt better and played a relaxed game.

On Monday, WOW, it ballooned. LOL more serious than I thought. Got an ankle brace to add some compression.. had some rest and more ice and elevation (RICE).

Today.. Tuesday. No swelling really. Just tenderness. I am now walking. This is kinda cool actually.

The last part to RICE is actually RICEr. Small r for rehabilitation. Which is essential if I don't want it to happen again. Preventative exercises are good. Right now my exercise is walking to put a balanced weight on both feet. I also have been massaging with deep heat rub to get more blood flowing, but walking does the same thing.

I'm thinking of playing on Friday. Heheh not too hardcore of course.. but yeah.. I hope I don't do it again. You know how they say if you do it once, you're more prone to do it again. Hopefully not.

Cheers to all those who've gone through this! Hope you've recovered :)

Calvin

P.S: Yes I wear Asics court shoes with a new real comfy insole. But I think my right ankle was already weak. I've decided to wear an ankle brace as a reminder to be careful with my right foot and to add some support. I'm sure consistent ankle strengthening exercises will help too :)

[bigredlemon]

Originally posted by jdileo
Hi All,
I sprained my ankle (pretty bad , heard a loud pop)

How does one know if he or she springs his or her ankle? I'm asking because sometimes I land on my feet in an akward position and hear the loud "pop" like when you crack your knuckles as well as feel a sharp pain. I presumed it wasn't a sprained ankle because I just kept on playing and it stopped hurting after a few minutes, whereas most people with sprained ankles tend to have no choice but the limp off the court.

[coops241180]

Well here i am again, still injured. My new nick name is rag doll. My left ankle went again while running for a bus at the end of march (i missed my footing on a kerb) and the right ankle has decided that it's finally given up.

so at the moment i'm on anti-inflammatory's and awaiting my first physio session for my ankles. The terrifying thing is that my right ankle doesn't rotate all the way round like the other and i get the sensation that the physio may make it do that, either that or i'll need an op which scares me just as much.

Hope i'm fit for the new season

Neil

[tarepanda]

What I usually do when I screw up one of my joint's on my body is go to a chinese doctor. Ask a chinese person and they will know what you are talking about. But what they usually do is position back the part into the correct position, like I broke my arm once way back and they PULLED it back into position. But in your case, they will put some watery chinese stuff on your ankle and rub it. Usually has a minty smell then they will apply a paste that is supposed to heal it but it takes a couple visits. The paste smells too!

Tare Panda

[kwun]

well, ok, it finally happened to me today. i twisted my ankle pretty badly.

i think it is probably grade 1 or grade 2, normally when i twist it, there are no injuries so to speak, i can walk around for a few steps, and go back to game.

today, i twisted and fell on the ground, took me around 30 secs of pain to stand back up. it was not severe pain. after i stood up, i could limp along and walk around that way, but ankle was weak. after may be 5-10 mins, i can play again, but the ankle feels tender, and if i try to rotate it, it felt like i am missing some support. but aside from that, i was able to play for the rest of the day and i didn't notice much pain.

after i got home today, 11-12 hours after the twist, i am seeing the swelling on the lower leg. cover 1/4 of a "ring" around 3" above the ankle.

i haven't applied any ice yet, and it doesn't really feel much of a pain so far. from what i can read it, it will swell up even more tomorrow.

anyhow, so how did i managed to twist it? stupidity. i got a new pair of shoes today. and since it was tighter than the old shoes, i loosen the laces a little bit and i was moving around during warm up. as these are new shoes with a different sole, i wasn't use to it and that's it. i twisted it. i think i was lucky as i twisted it during warm up and the intensity is low. if i had twisted it during a big jump in a game, i will be flying back home on crutches.

so here is the advice, if you are wearing new shoes and are not used to it, at least make sure it is tightly tied around your feet.

[mnanchala]

Lesson for all those ppl who play with sneaker laces undone and the shoe 'tongue' sticking out as an apparent fashion statement.

[Tammy]

Originally posted by kwun
normally when i twist it, there are no injuries so to speak, i can walk around for a few steps, and go back to game.



Does that mean you twist your ankle(s) often without injuries? That's amazing. Are you doing any strength training for the ankles?

I got an inversion sprain a few months back (the first in my life) and it was bad. The pain came and went often until I went see a doctor. He told me to use a wobble board weekly to strengthen the ankles. Believe me, it REALLY works. My ankles are stronger and more stable. My wobble board cost me $80 CND, but it's worth every penny.

The wobble board can be made from a piece of wood and a baseball, but I'm not that handy. The instruction can be found on the Internet (using google for example).

[AKFT]

In any twists or sprains, one important sign to look for is deep bruising. Redness with swelling alone usually means it's pretty minor. If there is deep bruising, it usually means something is torn, or broken, resulting in bleeding deep under the tissues. If there is deep bruising, the area should be x-rayed or MRI'd to look for bone or soft tissue damage. One thing about the ankle x-ray is the joint has to be under stress while being x-rayed to visualize the joint laxity. That means the technician should be twisting your ankle while you are being x-rayed. If this was not done, then you were not x-rayed properly.

[kwun]

Tammy,

yes. i have twisted it a few times, but i usually recover from the twist pretty quickly. i used to bike a lot and have developed some muscles down in the calf area. i think those helped during the twists. last week one was particularly bad. however.

AKFT, thanks for letting me know, aside from swelling, i don't see any bruises. which is good i guess.

anyway, the swelling went down considerably the day after the injury, i had icing and i also compressed it overnight. however, even after 10 days, there is still a tiny bit of swell, i'd say less than 1/2 cm thick, forming a band.

i rested for nearly a week after the twist. and since then, i have played badminton a couple of times. both times i wore an elastic ankle support, i think the ankle support helps alot.

however, even with the support, i feel that the ankle area is weak, and esp when i do a lunge, i cannot exert too much force on the ankle area, a couple of times i exerted too much force, i felt pain coming from that area.

i was told that it will take at least a month for it to heal. i am just patiently waiting.

[jdileo]

Hi Kwun,

From what the sports doctors and other badminton players have told me, plus my own experience, it seems an injured ankle will take from several weeks to several months to recover. Of course, the progress will also depend on many factors such as the injury level and the player's physical condition. As a pretty serious and frequent player, I'm very conscious of potential injuries and always try to avoid it so I can remainn in the game. The remedy that I started using when I twisted my ankle is not only great in healing muscle/joint problems, it's also really helpful in averting some near sprains (I just apply the massage oil to my ankles and knees before and after each session, you can get the site link from my previous reply) Since you're not completely healed yet you might want to consider wearing a laced-up brace as well to help stablize your injured ankle.

BTW, I'm also in your area. Where do you go to play badminton?

[kwun]

jdileo,

thanks for your advice. after that twisted ankle accident, i have started using an ankle brace. not the laced up type, but the cloth/nylon elastic type. i have found that it does give extra support in the injured area. now i can engage in medium intensity games and doing drill is not a problem. however, when i do try to use extra strength like a big lunge, i feel that the ankle starts to hurt and seem to "give" a little support. i hope it will gain back more strength as times goes on.

another week has passed, and i do feel that the ankle is better than last week. i can do footwork drill pretty well, in fact, i sometimes find that now i have a weaker right ankle, i am relying less on the lunge and instead started focusing on getting better movement around the court instead. i find that vertical movement is not affected that much. lateral movement is ok as long as it doesn't require too much strength. however, rotational movement is very weak and it hurts a lot everytime i try to rotate the ankle.

i used to play in Gunn a lot. nowadays i only play in SJSU and Shoreline, and once in a while i visit Pleasanton.

[kwun]

another few weeks passed by and my ankle is slowly getting better.

in the first 2 weeks after the injury, the ankle feel very tender, and there is a noticable lack (0%) of support when i try to twist it. but i feel that the support is may be at 50% the original level now. it still hurts if i twist it at the wrong position.

i have increased back to my normal frequency of playing (3-4 times a week) but i am still unable to play as intensely as before. mostly during lunges, i would be more conservative and not try too hard, either that, or i will try to run instead of lunge. once or twice when i try to suddenly change direction and bend the ankle too much, it will complain with a really acute pain.

so definitely does affect my game and movement. but i am slowly getting better. i wonder if the rate of recovery is normal or not.

[cooler]

recovery can be faster with physio.

[alan_usa]

Kwun, I had similar experience 3 weeks ago. I bought a new shoes and wore it loose. 2 minutes into the game, sprained my left ankle. I continued to play after taking few minutes break. Then sprained my right ankle, stopped for few minutes and continued to play. The interesting thing was the pain was not severe during the game but it became worse when I got home and rested. I ended up using crutches for few days and used my lightly injured right leg to support.

Normally I treated sprained ankles with chinese medicine. You can get it from the store. It smells like alcohol and you can treat it like a massage oil on your sprained ankle. The pain was greatest after a hard massage directly aimed at the injured point. But after about 24 hours, you begin to feel the pain is dramatically reduced and the healing process speeds up after that. This is working for me and it may not work for others. Please do not try it if you are not sure.

[kwun]

alan, that's pretty crazy. you should've read my postings beforehand! :)

expect it to take at least a month or two before you heal.

now, i think i am back to 90% of normal. i have played a few sessions without the ankle supports and i am no longer feeling any weakness in that area.

however, even so, if i had to suddenly change direction or stop abruptly, i will feel that pain. this usually happens once or twice every time i go to the gym.

otherwise, i just feel that the ankle area gets tired faster than usual.

but right now, i am not worried anymore and back to playing my normal badminton game.

[wunderbar]

If you have a local chinese ditda specialist I would recommend (if you feel comfortable with TCM - traditional chinese medicine) trying it out for sprains. Very useful and effective, your ankle will feel almost 90% pain free with 1 or 2 treatment (depends on the specialist's skills). Let the ankle heal for 1-2 weeks and then wear a ankle brace for 1-2 week to make sure it doesn't get sprained again. I go to a local one here for all of my sprains for over 20 years. I even had back treatment that physio didn't help with after 1 month of treatment.

http://www.hungkuen.net/tcm-ditda.htm

[fhchiang]

jdileo...

well..

actually don't need 6 months..

to fix your ankle..... western medical can't do it... only a Chinese(doctors that practices traditional methods-massage) doctor can put your ankle back in shape.. usually can cure in less than a week.


well... it's a little hard to look for such doctor in US.

Common countries where these doctors are is Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Malalysia.

Perhaps you can go to Chinatown and ask around.

[woop.]

I'd further like to praise the wobble board. I had many ankle injuries when I used to play football, infact they ended me playing footaball. After that I had physio and the wobble board was very important. I then took up badminton and about 8 months after starting went over on an ankle, straining it. Having invested in a wobble board it helped me recover and forms a regular part of my exercises to try and keep the stength and nerves up to scratch down there. It's really very useful.

[Tomsk]

I sprained my ankle last year, heard a 'crack' as I landed on it. Typically we (mixed doubles) were at match point but we had to concede as I couldn't play on (I did try). :(

Being a complete ignoramus with injuries I didn't do any RICE. I just put my boots on and went back to my mainly standing and walking (this probably helped with blood circulation :) ) job the next day. It took about 4 days before I was walking without a limp and I was playing badminton again normally after just 3 weeks.

[Kaffie]

Just sprained my ankle on wednesday, at first I thought it was a minor sprained cos I can still continue playing. Heck I even played with fourcas, hamz and loh on saturday. But on sunday I see blood clogs around my feet and toes, so I went to a doctor today and found out that the ligaments torn. :eek: And that's causing the blood clogs cos when I exert more str the blood oozes out from it.
Was told to rest for 3 weeks at least. :(

[Loh]

Sorry to note that your ankle became worse than expected. It must be Hamz who made you run too much during our game. We had to return most shots to you as Fourcas is too tall and menancing at the net!

Well 3 weeks is a very long time for a badminton fan like you to stay idle. But on the other hand, you may further aggravate your injured ankle if you decide against the doctor's orders.

Wishing you a speedy recovery!

[Kaffie]

Originally posted by Loh
Sorry to note that your ankle became worse than expected. It must be Hamz who made you run too much during our game. We had to return most shots to you as Fourcas is too tall and menancing at the net!

Well 3 weeks is a very long time for a badminton fan like you to stay idle. But on the other hand, you may further aggravate your injured ankle if you decide against the doctor's orders.

Wishing you a speedy recovery!

Haha ya trying to take advantage of my aching ankle.

Not playing badminton now, just training fingers, wrist and arm power at home since they don't require any ankle movements. Ya 3 weeks is quite a long time especially since it's harder for ppl above 30 to get back into game after a break.

Hopefully by 3 weeks, it's fully recovered.

[kwun]

Kaffie, you certain don't like like you are over 30 from the pics you've posted!

3 weeks is a long time. i don't mean to discourage you, it sounds like you have a worse injury than mine and mine took at least a month to stop hurting and it has been a few months and i think my ankle area isn't as strong as before. nowadays i can't do as much jumping around and hard lunges as i used to be able to. i am not sure if it is psychological or physical though. i always have reserve nowadays when i need to reach for a far shot or rushing a shot. and when i do do it, i tend to do a run instead of hard stopping.

perhaps it is time to do some strength exercise to gain back confidence in footwork?

[jdileo]

Sign...sprained my ankle again during a match...this time the left one, which is swollen like a balloon. :( Doctor said there are no broken bones and he seemed pretty casual about it. But I know this sprain is much worse than the last one. And I wonder which school of thought is right: don't move it at all for the first 72 hours, or move it around to increase circulation and speed up recovery?

[coops241180]

Sign...sprained my ankle again during a match...this time the left one, which is swollen like a balloon. :( Doctor said there are no broken bones and he seemed pretty casual about it. But I know this sprain is much worse than the last one. And I wonder which school of thought is right: don't move it at all for the first 72 hours, or move it around to increase circulation and speed up recovery?
hmm, i find that taking the weight off it for 24 hours, and keeping it raised and iced, then getting back to walking as best i can on it is the best solution, so long as the ligaments aren't torn at all you need to do all you can to restrengthen them.

after a few days start doing the alphabet exercises and calf raises to get your ankle back to strength.. i'm sure it will be fine in 2 or 3 weeks.

hope this helps

Neil

[Gollum]

Sign...sprained my ankle again during a match...this time the left one, which is swollen like a balloon. :( Doctor said there are no broken bones and he seemed pretty casual about it. But I know this sprain is much worse than the last one. And I wonder which school of thought is right: don't move it at all for the first 72 hours, or move it around to increase circulation and speed up recovery?

There's only one school of thought for the first 72 hours: rest it. Use ice to reduce the swelling.

Afterwards, opinions differ. Some people advise you to rest it until completely recovered. I believe that gentle careful exercise (including badminton) will help the ankle recover (worked for me), but you mustn't play if the injury is unstable (i.e. if you are at risk of spraining it a second time).

[rise888]

Speaking of injuries, I've been taking a break from all sports due to a fracture in my heel bone!
It happened when I went up some bleachers to retrieve a shuttlecock and instead of climbing down, I jumped. I thought it wasn't very high, but as I quickly learned in mid-air that it was quite a fall. I landed on my feet and I think the pressure caused a stress fracture in my heel bone.
So the past 3 weeks I've been limping like a gimp.

So just as a warning to you "high fliers" take care of your feet!

[Aleik]

About three months ago, I had an accident involving a deep lunge onto a bit of wet floorboard. The lunge was deep enough, but the momentum and the slippiness of the floorboard made me go a bit further, and I wasn't prepared for it. It was a uni-directional slip forwards, which put a lot of strain on my achilles. The lucky thing is that I didn't give way in a sideways fashion, because I'm told that it could have been a lot worse if I had.

Anyway, I got up and tried to play on it, with no good results. I spent the last hour of the session limping around while others played. Over the following days, I noticed a swelling on the inside of my ankle, underneath the bone, which may suggest that I may have damaged something else as well as my achilles. I started putting ice on it, and gave it heat treatment, started stretching it too, and basically did anything I could to help heal it. In the ensuing weeks, I did what I now know is right; exercising it as much as I can. I played a little badminton every week, but this only seemed to ensure I sustained the injury, so I stopped for a while.

When I came back to play, the ache was still there, especially the next morning. Now and again I get these funny twinges up my achilles. In comparison with my left ankle, it's still swollen a bit.

I know I'm incredibly stupid not to have seen a doctor, and I may end up regretting it for a long time, but is there anything to be said for more rehab, or am I stuck with it? It doesn't hamper my game in the slightest, but I'm afraid it will catch up with me in later life. Should I carry on playing and hope it returns to 100% or is it not too late for something to be done?

Any suggestion would be a godsend.

P.S: that annica cream might not be available in the UK (I've never heard of it). Does anyone know an equivalent?

Thanks,

Aleik.

[coops241180]

About three months ago, I had an accident involving a deep lunge onto a bit of wet floorboard. The lunge was deep enough, but the momentum and the slippiness of the floorboard made me go a bit further, and I wasn't prepared for it. It was a uni-directional slip forwards, which put a lot of strain on my achilles. The lucky thing is that I didn't give way in a sideways fashion, because I'm told that it could have been a lot worse if I had.

Anyway, I got up and tried to play on it, with no good results. I spent the last hour of the session limping around while others played. Over the following days, I noticed a swelling on the inside of my ankle, underneath the bone, which may suggest that I may have damaged something else as well as my achilles. I started putting ice on it, and gave it heat treatment, started stretching it too, and basically did anything I could to help heal it. In the ensuing weeks, I did what I now know is right; exercising it as much as I can. I played a little badminton every week, but this only seemed to ensure I sustained the injury, so I stopped for a while.

When I came back to play, the ache was still there, especially the next morning. Now and again I get these funny twinges up my achilles. In comparison with my left ankle, it's still swollen a bit.

I know I'm incredibly stupid not to have seen a doctor, and I may end up regretting it for a long time, but is there anything to be said for more rehab, or am I stuck with it? It doesn't hamper my game in the slightest, but I'm afraid it will catch up with me in later life. Should I carry on playing and hope it returns to 100% or is it not too late for something to be done?

Any suggestion would be a godsend.

P.S: that annica cream might not be available in the UK (I've never heard of it). Does anyone know an equivalent?

Thanks,

Aleik.


sounds like your probably stuck with it.. do a little more research on the web for ankle injuries.. see if you can get specific ligament and muscle names and you might be able to find specific stretching and strengthening excercise.. my ankles hardly give me any trouble now apart fom achy stiffness, but i've long got over that during games.

arnica cream is definitely avalable in this country.. i've got some!
have a mooch round boots, specifically the pharmacy section, possibly in the alternative remedies aisle :)

superdrug might have it too..
dr. herb - tho there aren't many of those stores about..
Holland and Barrett might have it too..

hope this helps

Coops

[Double_Player]

I had a bad sprain about a year a go. I was playing futsal at the time. I think I torn something. It swell like crazy in the next couple days and all I can see is blue on the skins around it. I Didn;t see the doctor coz it didn;t look that bad in the beginning. It happend during college in the middle of the winter and I have no car, so I have to walk around to get from where I live to the college. what I do is wrap my on tensor bandage during the day to keep it undisturbed/stable. It provide somewhat lateral support to it. I iced it all the time at home and take off the tensor bandage while I sleep to give some blood circulation.

It heal pretty allright. I have no problem with just back and forward movement. but have problem with sideways movement. I can't lunge properly because it would hurt (like when you are doing your stretching properly). It took about 5 month to regain all the strength and range of movement and a lot of self-conducted physio.

So it just something to share...

[Aleik]

Interesting story, glad it healed! I suppose that gives me some hope, mine happened 3 months ago, so i suppose i might still be lucky. never thought I'd be permanently impaired by 20 years of age! but hey

Thanks Neil, I looked around the house and actually found some arnica cream! it's been there all along. just applied some to my knee which I walloped very hard against a wall, seems to be stopping the bruising.

Aleik.