“What happens if you leave a sprained ankle untreated?”
I am a 39 year old female and I sprained my ankle. What happens if you leave a sprained ankle untreated?
11 Answers
Dr. Shanti Balkissoon-Castillo
Podiatrist (Foot and Ankle Specialist) | Primary Podiatric Medicine
Albuquerque, NM
It can heal weakened and then cause long term instability.
Depends on the severity of ankle sprain. Most ankle sprains are minor and will heal rapidly and will do fine even if you don’t do any specific treatments. Serious ankle sprains however may need immobilization in a walking boot and sometimes surgery is required
This depends on the severity of the sprain. A mild sprain will likely fully resolve in 2-4 weeks and cause no long term issues with treating the symptoms(icing, Tylenol/Advil/Aleve). A moderate to severe sprain means more significant injury to the Ankle Ligaments and require some temporary bracing and physical therapy to re-strengthen the Ankle, relieve all of the symptoms, and minimize risk of future injury. Time does not re-tighten the ligaments.
Leaving an ankle sprain untreated, depending on the severity of the sprain, can result in other problems.
A sprain by definition is an injury to the stabilizing ligaments of the joint. The ligaments are either stretched (Grade 1), partially torn (Grade 2) or completely torn or ruptured (Grade 3).
Thus, if you have a Grade 2 or 3 sprain (evidenced by more severe bruising, swelling, pain and the inability to bear weight) it should cause an appropriate level of concern.
Grade 2 or 3 sprains untreated can lead to two main problems. The first is that you could develop chronic ankle instability. Chronic ankle instability is a condition where the ligaments no longer provide the necessary stability, your muscles/tendons around your ankle have not been rehabed/retrained appropriately and thus you will repeatedly roll your ankle. This will often happen when you step on a small rock, tree root, child's toy, etc., or when walking on uneven ground. If a brace does not control this problem reconstructive ligament surgery is necessary.
The second problem that can develop is call synovial impingement of the ankle. This happens when a large amount of scar tissue forms in the front of your ankle because it hasn't been mobilized adequately. The scar tissue then repeatedly becomes "squeezed" or traumatized, as if you bit your lip every day. The tissue therefore becomes inflamed and swollen all the time. This will cause pain in the front of your ankle, especially when you run, navigate stairs, stoop down or do squats. When this occurs a steroid injection will offer relief much of the time. However, sometimes arthroscopic surgery is necessary in some cases to remove the inflamed scar tissue.
So, as you can see don't take an ankle sprain lightly.
However, you can coordinate appropriate treatment for an ankle sprain on your own if you are comfortable doing such.
With bad sprains (severe swelling, bruising, pain, limp while walking or inability to walk) an orthopedic walking boot (easily purchased online) is recommended for the first 10-14 days. This provides rigid immobilization and support to the ankle, facilitating decreased swelling and pain, and allowing the patient to walk. If the sprain is not as bad, or after the boot, a medical grade brace that can be worn with a shoe is recommended, such as an ASO brace (again available online). This provides support and compression but is less cumbersome than the boot. This is typically worn for about 6-8 weeks.
In addition, during the first 2-3 weeks of a sprain the body is generating an inflammatory reaction around the ankle joint in response to the injury. To address this one should consider the use of an over the counter anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen, motrin or aleve. Take an appropriate dose 2-3 times per day. Obviously consult with your primary care doc if there are any concerns about taking this if you have other medical conditions.
Lastly, the #1 reason to have long lasting issues after an ankle sprain is the lack of appropriate rehabilitation. Meaning, physical therapy is important. So, at a minimum one should work with a physical therapist for at least 2-3 visits to be taught an extensive home exercise program and be educated on the equipment needed to do this (theraband & BAPS board, both available online).
If after 10-12 weeks significant pain or instability (ankle rolling frequently even with brace) persist then seek evaluation with a foot and ankle trained orthopedic surgeon.
A sprain by definition is an injury to the stabilizing ligaments of the joint. The ligaments are either stretched (Grade 1), partially torn (Grade 2) or completely torn or ruptured (Grade 3).
Thus, if you have a Grade 2 or 3 sprain (evidenced by more severe bruising, swelling, pain and the inability to bear weight) it should cause an appropriate level of concern.
Grade 2 or 3 sprains untreated can lead to two main problems. The first is that you could develop chronic ankle instability. Chronic ankle instability is a condition where the ligaments no longer provide the necessary stability, your muscles/tendons around your ankle have not been rehabed/retrained appropriately and thus you will repeatedly roll your ankle. This will often happen when you step on a small rock, tree root, child's toy, etc., or when walking on uneven ground. If a brace does not control this problem reconstructive ligament surgery is necessary.
The second problem that can develop is call synovial impingement of the ankle. This happens when a large amount of scar tissue forms in the front of your ankle because it hasn't been mobilized adequately. The scar tissue then repeatedly becomes "squeezed" or traumatized, as if you bit your lip every day. The tissue therefore becomes inflamed and swollen all the time. This will cause pain in the front of your ankle, especially when you run, navigate stairs, stoop down or do squats. When this occurs a steroid injection will offer relief much of the time. However, sometimes arthroscopic surgery is necessary in some cases to remove the inflamed scar tissue.
So, as you can see don't take an ankle sprain lightly.
However, you can coordinate appropriate treatment for an ankle sprain on your own if you are comfortable doing such.
With bad sprains (severe swelling, bruising, pain, limp while walking or inability to walk) an orthopedic walking boot (easily purchased online) is recommended for the first 10-14 days. This provides rigid immobilization and support to the ankle, facilitating decreased swelling and pain, and allowing the patient to walk. If the sprain is not as bad, or after the boot, a medical grade brace that can be worn with a shoe is recommended, such as an ASO brace (again available online). This provides support and compression but is less cumbersome than the boot. This is typically worn for about 6-8 weeks.
In addition, during the first 2-3 weeks of a sprain the body is generating an inflammatory reaction around the ankle joint in response to the injury. To address this one should consider the use of an over the counter anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen, motrin or aleve. Take an appropriate dose 2-3 times per day. Obviously consult with your primary care doc if there are any concerns about taking this if you have other medical conditions.
Lastly, the #1 reason to have long lasting issues after an ankle sprain is the lack of appropriate rehabilitation. Meaning, physical therapy is important. So, at a minimum one should work with a physical therapist for at least 2-3 visits to be taught an extensive home exercise program and be educated on the equipment needed to do this (theraband & BAPS board, both available online).
If after 10-12 weeks significant pain or instability (ankle rolling frequently even with brace) persist then seek evaluation with a foot and ankle trained orthopedic surgeon.
If you do not do the proper rehabilitation for a sprained ankle, you run the risk of repetitive injuries. The rehab aims to strengthen the supporting ligaments and muscles to prevent re-injuring it
Treatment for this is typically conservative. Occasionally immobilization and therapy. Rarely does this need surgical treatment.
When you sustained a sprained ankle without any treatment, especially physical therapy the pain of the right ankle will subside since the ligament usually heals by itself. However, when you ankle sprain, the peroneal muscle would stabilize her ankle is also injured. Without physical therapy the peroneal muscle would not regain its previous strength resulting in recurrent sprain of the ankle. Therefore to avoid repetitive sprain of the ankle I strongly recommended due to have physical therapy to strengthen the peroneal muscle. You can attend physical therapy only few sessions to learn to exercise at home.
Most likely, It will heal fine on its own. I had several untreated ankle sprains as a teenager. It will just take longer to heal than with treatment.
Hope it helps!
Dr. Bose
Hope it helps!
Dr. Bose
Good afternoon. The first thing to do is to confirm the diagnosis of an ankle sprain by an orthopedic doctor. Untreated ankle sprains can cause several problems. The most common are stiffness, weakness, irritation of the scar tissue that develops from the healing ligament and repeat injury. The higher the severity of the injury, the more likely these issues can occur. A simple physical therapy regiment will usually be able these issues.
Thank you,
Thank you,
In most cases sprained ankles heal on their own. They do get better faster with treatment and there are some cases that will never get better without treatment. In those cases surgery may be necessary.
Like any injury, not giving it the attention it needs can lead to longer periods of recovery. If the ankle bones aren't broken, the soft tissues (i.e. muscles, tendons, ligaments) will heal slower and have less stability and strength to do their job. This is especially true of ligaments that have a poorer blood supply than muscles and tendons.
