Redwood Orthopaedic Surgery Associates | Santa Rosa, CA

How to treat repeated ankle sprains?

When you sprain your ankle, you stretch or tear the ligaments or connective tissues in your ankle. Repeated ankle sprains can lead to chronic ankle instability. With each sprain, the ligaments are stretched and weakened even more, which could lead to further problems in the ankle.

What are the symptoms of a sprained ankle?

If you’ve suffered a sprained ankle, you will likely have trouble walking and experience mild-to-severe pain that doesn’t go away. Other symptoms include swelling, bruising, discoloration around the ankle and on the foot, difficulty bending and rotating your foot, and instability or loose feeling in your ankle.

How do you treat a sprained ankle?

The PRICE method is important to keep your sprained ankle from becoming worse. It consists of protection, rest, ice, compression, and elevation of your ankle. Protection prevents further injury, rest allows for healing, ice consists of cold compresses to reduce swelling and decrease pain, compression minimizes swelling and provides support, and elevation reduces the pooling of fluid in the injured area.

What causes repeated sprains?

Falling, twisting your ankle, or experiencing trauma to the joint are the most common causes of ankle sprains. If an ankle sprain doesn’t heal adequately or rehabilitated completely, you could have chronic ankle instability.

What is ankle ligament reconstruction?

If you have ankle instability or repeated strains, your doctor may recommend ankle ligament reconstruction to tighten loosened ligaments and improve the overall stability of the joint.

An outpatient procedure under general anesthesia, the ankle ligament reconstruction procedure consists of one of two techniques. The two ligaments may be reattached, or part of a lateral tendon around the ankle may be used to repair the torn ligament. After a thorough evaluation, your doctor will determine which approach is best for you.

If you’ve suffered from a sprained ankle or you suffer from repeated strains, it’s important to get seen by a doctor to determine the best way to care for and treat your injury. To learn more about your treatment options, call us at 707.544.3400 to make an appointment.

Posted in: Foot & Ankle, Sprained Ankle

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