“Is it ok to walk on a sprained ankle?”
I am a 38 year old female. I want to know if it is ok to walk on a sprained ankle?
4 Answers
You may walk on a sprained ankle for short periods, but it is best to do this wearing a splint, and then icing your ankle in- between! Also keeping ankle elevated periodically throughout the day will help with the healing process which usually takes 3-4 weeks for a low ankle sprain, and 6-8 weeks for a high ankle sprain
Depending on how bad the sprain is, no, I would not recommend walking on it without using a boot or a brace of some sort. Without Immobilizing the ankle joint, it will never heal naturally.
It is okay to walk on it, but best if wrapped to prevent further injury.
Dr. K
Dr. K
Yes, it is ok to walk on a sprained ankle. The more you walk on it the less swollen and painful it may be. If you cannot put weight on it yet, just take it easy and slowly little by little start to put weight on it. You can keep it wrapped up with a compression bandage such as an ACE wrap or other type of brace for sprained ankles to provide extra support while walking on it. When not walking on it, elevating it, and icing it will also help.
