Get rid of swollen ankles

General about sprained ankles

When one or more ligaments are torn, a condition named sprained ankle appears. This is also known as the ankle sprain, rolled ankle, ankle injury and ankle ligament injury. A swelling that is caused by torn ligaments occurs due to the accumulation of excess fluid in tissues, and the swelling can appear on the whole body in which case it is generalized, or it can affect only one part of the body or an organ. The inflammation is usually followed by swelling, pain, heat, redness and loss of function. There are some other conditions that can have swelling as a symptom, and they include low fluid circulation.

Treatment of Swollen Ankles

The first step in the sprained ankle treatment consists of podiatrist or an orthopedic doctor visit. After the visit, one should strictly respect the PRICE protocol so that he/she could recover, and the PRICE protocol consists of protection, rest, ice, compression and elevation. During the first 24-48 hours after the injury, it is recommended to use crutches, since the injury is still fresh and this is a critical treatment period. If you think and feel that you can walk with a stick, then discontinue with the crutch use. Support braces are used in the cases in which patients are liable to ankle injury. Ice should be used for the first 48 hours in the intervals of 3-4 hours and ice packs should be placed on a sprained ankle for 20 minutes. It isn’t advised to leave ice for more than 20 minutes, because it can do more harm than good. You can use frozen packs of corn, beans or frozen cups filled with water. Compression is used for elevation of the ankle sprain at the beginning of the treatment and it is advised to keep your ankle higher than your heart, as frequently as you can. You can achieve that during night by placing your books under the foot. Heat is used for chronic conditions and the purpose of heat is relaxation and loosening of the tissue.

If these techniques don’t give you any results even after two or three weeks, then it is time to visit a doctor, because the cause of that swollen ankle can be some other underlying condition. One can prevent from spraining ankles by regular physical conditioning, avoidance of alcohol, smoking and bad life style, as well as with the help of a lot of water intake. During some pregnancies, ankles have a tendency to swell, causing a lot of discomfort to a future mother. Pregnant women who have these issues should drink a lot of water (12-15 cups of water per day), they should also have a proper posture, use cushions and massages so that they could transit through the pregnancy with no worries and expect the delivery of their newborn.