Ankle Sprain Step 2: Regain Muscle Control

Ankle sprains are very common in sports. It has been reported that 26,000 ankle sprains happen every day in the US, accounting for 1/3 of sports injuries. That is a staggering number, but it doesn't stop there.

Most of these injuries will have a positive trend to improvement for the first 3-5 months. But the improvement seems to plateau and ongoing symptoms and disability are common. Sound familiar? Good recovery initially, followed by limited, if any, progress?

20% will re-sprain their ankle within 3 years. Furthermore, only 55-85% make a full recovery. That is a crazy stat to think of! Only half of ankle sprains make a full recovery? That's not good.

Why is this number so high? Probably because ankle sprains are so common that we just assume that it is a normal part of sport, so we just ignore it!

If you have had an ankle injury before, you know how persistent and recurring this injury can be. You absolutely need to attack this problem quickly and correctly. 

We at NorCal Physio have developed a step by step process to not only decrease the pain of an ankle sprain, but also recover the muscle strength, foot control, and associated deconditioning of the hip and spine. We don't just stop when the pain is gone, because we know that pain is only a small part of the story. 

This series of posts discusses our process. If you missed step #1, find it here: Ankle Sprain? Start Here.

That first part focused on decreasing the irritation and introducing movement. This part, the second in the series, will focus on regaining active control of the muscles associated with ankle stability. Two types of muscle contraction will be used - Isometric (holding the joint still against pressure) and Eccentric (slowly controlling the loading of the muscle).

Next steps to heal your ankle sprain

The video goes through part of our treatment, but it does not review our evaluation and assessment. This is the most important part. We need to know exactly what we are treating before we jump into treatment. For a thorough evaluation, schedule a Physio Eval or fill out a contact form.