“Do ankle sprains ever fully heal?”
I am a 53 year old female. I want to know if ankle sprains ever fully heal?
16 Answers
Ankle sprains affect the soft tissues around the joint, which can fully heal from many injuries. However, once an ankle sprain occurs correct movement needs to be restored to strengthen the joint and prevent future sprains.
Ankle sprains will heal, however the healing may not include returning to your original position, movement, or function. An early visit to a chiropractor who includes working with extremeties, as not all do, should assist in proper functional healing.
You may have a weakness that persists after a sprain.
In order to answer this question, I would need to know how you sprained the ankle, if there was swelling, how long it has hurt, have you continued to walk and/or exercise on the ankle, your weight, and if you are wearing good supportive shoes. Generally, a low-grade ankle sprain can fully heal. If it is not healing within 2 weeks from the injury, it should be examined and imaging studies should be done such as an X-ray and/or an MRI.
Most ankle sprains heal with standard treatment. You should rest the ankle as much as possible, ice the ankle, compress and elevate as much as possible. After 12 weeks you should notice changes in pain intensity unless there's an aggravating factor
Ankle sprains do heal but there can be scar tissue that can cause issues later. If you start having pain or deficits with the ankle, it’s best to have it checked. You could just have some bones that have shifted and need to be realigned, or the scar tissue could be causing the issue. The combined care of chiropractic and massage therapy should help.
Yes and no.... The injury will heal, but when a ligament is injured or torn, the body tends to want to heal the affected area rather quickly so it can get you back to what you were made for: moving. So, in a sense, yes. But, no in the sense that you need to take some active measures to help this injury heal to its max ability. Ice the area every night, get you a tennis ball and, while sitting, put it under your foot and start rolling on it. This will increase your ROM and reduce your pain, etc. Always consult your medical provider for more info as well.
Hi,
When ankles are sprained, the ligaments are weakened and can take some time to heal. However, many report repeatedly injuring the same area. I have found that there is a sense called proprioception. This sense tells the joints where they are in space. As an example, if you close yours eyes and hold your arm forward, this sense allow you to know where the arm is. When an ankle is sprained, ankle proprioception is disturbed. This is what leads to repetitive injury. The solution is retraining the ankle on a wobble board. Wobble boards are available everywhere. When proprioception is restored, the ankle will fully heal.
All the best!
Rob Schwartz, D.C.
When ankles are sprained, the ligaments are weakened and can take some time to heal. However, many report repeatedly injuring the same area. I have found that there is a sense called proprioception. This sense tells the joints where they are in space. As an example, if you close yours eyes and hold your arm forward, this sense allow you to know where the arm is. When an ankle is sprained, ankle proprioception is disturbed. This is what leads to repetitive injury. The solution is retraining the ankle on a wobble board. Wobble boards are available everywhere. When proprioception is restored, the ankle will fully heal.
All the best!
Rob Schwartz, D.C.
Hello,
Most ankle sprains do heal on their own within about 6-8 weeks' time, depending on the severity and mechanism of the sprain. Some more severe sprains require treatment and rehabilitation and may not fully heal and may develop scar tissue and fibrosis, which causes pain, lack of mobility, and poor blood flow. Those types of chronic ankle sprains require more aggressive post-injury rehabilitation including mobilization, ultrasound, therapeutic exercise, and possible acupuncture not restore proper pain-free function.
Most ankle sprains do heal on their own within about 6-8 weeks' time, depending on the severity and mechanism of the sprain. Some more severe sprains require treatment and rehabilitation and may not fully heal and may develop scar tissue and fibrosis, which causes pain, lack of mobility, and poor blood flow. Those types of chronic ankle sprains require more aggressive post-injury rehabilitation including mobilization, ultrasound, therapeutic exercise, and possible acupuncture not restore proper pain-free function.
They can, but there are a few things to consider. One, if the sprain was severe, your ligaments and tendons may have been stretched causing a long-lasting instability that may make you vulnerable to future injuries or instability. And two, if you have a tight calf muscle that is constantly pulling hard on the heel, that too will make you vulnerable to future injury. Seeing a chiropractic kinesiologist will help you identify imbalances and help you maintain function and appropriate flexibility and stability of the ankle.
Yes they should! I would start off by getting your feet adjusted that way the biomechanics in your feet are functioning properly. Then follow with some ankle strengthening exercises using a band. This way you strengthen the ligaments in your ankle.
Yes they will fully heal although it may take time. 6-8 weeks.
Depending on the severity of the the sprain, your nutrition, your lifestyle, your age, and genetics ankle sprains may take a long time to heal. There are some things that help speed up the process, like nutritional supplements, rehab therapy, and other therapies.
Yes grade I and grade II ankle sprains will eventually fully heal with the appropriate treatment and rehabilitation. A grade III sprain (full ligament tear) will need surgical repair.
Yes, but it will take quite some time and you are more prone to do it again. Ligaments can take a year or more to heal.
All sprains and strains have degrees of tearing of tissue and the amount of tearing dictates short and long term healing. The amount of tearing dictates the treatment protocol instituted. Minor sprain and strains are 1 to 10 percent of tissue torn. Moderated are 10 to 25 percent. Major sprains or strains are 25 to 50 percent of tissue torn. I isn't classified as torn until more than 50 percent is torn. It is a complete tear and requires surgery if it is more than 75 percent of the tissue.
