All About Ankle Sprains: Risk Factors, Symptoms, and Treatment Options

You can treat most ankle sprains at home, but severe injuries may require an orthopedic surgeon. Here’s how to tell if your ankle injury requires a doctor or can be treated at home.

Nearly 2 million ankle sprains are reported annually in the United States, with ankle sprains being one of the most common reasons people visit the emergency department or primary care. Individuals participating in sports and other physical activities are more at risk of getting ankle sprains. The experienced orthopedic specialists at Nevada Orthopedic & Spine Center in Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada, offer the following information about who's at risk of spraining their ankle, sprained ankle symptoms, and how the injury is treated.

Risk Factors

Factors that increase your risk of a sprained ankle include:

Participating in sports

You risk spraining your ankle if you play a contact sport or run regularly, and the same goes for those who dance or do gymnastics. And if you play a sport that requires jumping or rolling/twisting your feet, you're more at risk of spraining your ankle.

Uneven surfaces

You may also risk spraining your ankle if you're frequently walking over uneven surfaces.

Previous ankle injury

If you've had any ankle injury before, you could be more prone to spraining your ankle afterward.

Lack of exercise

If you don't exercise regularly and don't stretch before doing physical activity, you may sprain your ankle when you put too much pressure on it or suddenly twist it.

Ill-fitting footwear

Ill-fitting footwear can cause you to slip, fall, and sprain your ankle. If you're wearing high heels, for example, and the heel suddenly snaps off, the risk of your ankle being injured goes up dramatically.

Ankle sprain symptoms

The severity of ankle sprain symptoms depends on the severity of the injury. You may experience some or all of these symptoms if you sprain your ankle:

Pain when putting weight on the ankle
Tenderness around the ankle
Swelling
Limited range of motion
Bruising
Inability to stand up straight
A popping sound was heard when the injury occurred

Ankle sprain treatments

After you sprain your ankle, you should focus on healing the ligament and restoring function to the ankle. If your injury is severe, it may require an operation by an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation, like the team at Nevada Orthopedic.

You can treat minor ankle sprains at home. Do the following for two to three days immediately after the injury occurs:

Rest
Ice your ankle
Keep your ankle compressed
Keep your ankle elevated

Doing all these things should help your ankle properly heal quickly, but if the injury is severe or isn’t healing after a few days, you should schedule an appointment with us.

What to Do When You Think You've Sprained Your Ankle

Think you've sprained your ankle? Call the ankle experts at Nevada Orthopedic & Spine to set up a same-day appointment. In a comfortable and fully-equipped environment, our team will thoroughly examine your ankle and determine the best treatment plan. You can also schedule an appointment online.