Accidental injuries often occur in life, and ankle sprains – in people’s daily lives – are a frequent occurrence. It is especially likely to happen in rainy weather, when the roads are muddy or on snowy days in winter when the roads are slippery.
After an ankle sprain occurs, what many people do is get up and move their ankle, not caring if there is no pain or if there is a slight pain. Get up and continue to run around and be busy. Only when the pain is unbearable or the ankle swells up immediately and you can’t walk, do you draw attention to it, and only then do you remember to go to the hospital. But even when you get to the hospital, it is routine for the doctor to ask for an X-ray and if no fracture is found on the X-ray. The doctor will tell the patient to “brake and receive further treatment”, but many patients think to themselves that there is no fracture anyway, so there is no need to make a fuss, I happen to have a lot of things to do! There is no fracture and it does not affect my activities. So, after a short rest, they endure the pain and go on their way again.
I did not know that the above practice is very unwise, and can also be said to be a wrong practice. The above diagram shows the changes after the ankle sprain. Although no fracture was found on the film, we can see from the diagram that the lateral ligament of the ankle has been torn and elongated to a certain extent, and if effective fixation and braking are not taken at the time of injury, the damaged ligament will be repaired in an abnormal position. In the future, ankle sprains are particularly likely to occur during activities. In addition, long-term instability of the ankle joint can cause uneven stress on the medial and lateral sides of the ankle joint, resulting in tilting of the ankle joint surface, which can also lead to ankle sprains. We often see this kind of patients in our clinic, and some of them claim that they have several sprains a year, which is called “habitual ankle sprain”. Many people also suffer from ankle pain, which may be in the early stages due to torn ligaments and in the later stages due to abnormal stress on the ankle joint, leading to traumatic arthritis. Therefore, the correct approach should be to immobilize the ankle in a functional position for 2-3 weeks at the time of injury, even if there is no fracture, so that the injured ligaments can be repaired and healed in a normal position.
There are several other misconceptions that should be taken into account.
1. that I can move around and there can be no fracture.
2. a small trauma, for which prompt treatment is not necessary.
3. with an ankle, hot compresses are given immediately.
4.Wrapping with soft bandage is enough.
When the ankle sprain, it is best to go to the hospital immediately to see a doctor, if you can not do timely medical treatment, the correct approach should be.
1. rest and braking.
2.Cold compress, use an ice pack on the affected area.
3.Appropriate pressure bandage can reduce swelling and prevent blistering.
4.Elevate the affected limb to facilitate the swelling to subside.
5.When combined with skin injury, make sure to go to the hospital for formal treatment, do not treat it by yourself.
Preventive measures for ankle sprain.
1. Do moderate exercise often to maintain muscle strength and flexibility.
2.Avoid over-exercise.
3.Walk carefully on slippery ground or ice.
4.Proper warm-up preparation before exercise.
5.When moving on uneven surfaces, try to wear some high-top shoes or boots, which have a protective effect on the ankle joint.
6.Do not wear shoes whose soles are worn unevenly.
7.Ankle sprains are easy to happen in the dark, so it is recommended to turn on the lights in time for indoor activities.