Treating a Rolled Ankle or Sprain

Your ankle is under immense weight bearing pressure every day. Find out how you can treat and prevent a rolled ankle or sprain to give yourself the best chance of successful recovery.

A rolled ankle or ankle sprain is one of the most common ankle injuries.

When you roll your ankle you stretch or tear one or more of the ligaments around your ankle. Ankle sprains range from mild to extreme severity. Sometimes you might simply lose your balance, lightly roll your ankle and only experience minimal pain that subsides quickly. On another occasion, you might hear a loud pop following by swelling and severe pain.

Regardless of the level of pain you experience, it’s important to consult a qualified physician as soon as possible. If not treated properly, a sprained ankle can increase your risk of re-injury as much as 40-70%.

Treating an ankle injury – how you can help

Treating a rolled ankle aims to keep inflammation, swelling, and ankle pain to a minimum. You want to resume using your ankle joint normally as quickly as possible.

Before you consult a qualified physician you can follow and apply the RICER protocol (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation, Referral) for initial pain relief and to prevent any further damage.

When you consult a qualified physician, they may advise some of the following treatments for your ankle sprain³:

Wear an ankle support. like the Elastoplast Adjustable Ankle Neoprene Support until your symptoms have gone. A product like this will support to your ankle joint while it heals, but will still allow the ankle to move so it doesn’t become stiff.
Physiotherapy. For more severe sprains a physiotherapist can advise you on exercises you can do to promote healing as well as other more direct treatments including ultrasound, massage and heat treatment.
Surgery. If your ligaments are very badly torn or if your ankle the joint is extremely unstable, your physician might suggest you have surgery but, it isn’t necessary in most cases.

Preventing an ankle injury – how to best prepare yourself

Strapping your ankle with adhesive tape is crucial for the prevention of ankle injuries.

You can also use strapping tape to help you recover from an ankle sprain and help prevent further injury, like when you land awkwardly during sport or running. So, it’s not surprising that elite athletes, professionals and informed players routinely tape their ankles prior to playing or training to help reduce the chance of injury.

Follow this simple taping method to prevent an ankle injury:

Using, Elastoplast Sport Rigid Strapping Tape 38mm, attach anchors (A) first and then 3 stirrup straps (B)
Apply two figure-six’s around the foot, starting from the inside to the outside, returning to the inside after crossing the front of the foot (C)
Apply a half-heel lock to provide further support to the rear ankle area. Begin on the inside of the lower leg (D) and move down and across the outside of the ankle towards the front of the heel. Pass the tape under the foot and across the inside of the heel at a 45 degree angle (E). Pass the tape back to the outside of the ankle to finish on the inside of the lower leg where you started.
Overwrap the tape with Elastoplast Sport Elastic Adhesive Bandage 5cm to provide mild compression and to further secure the taped area. Using the figure-8 formation and a spiral, completely cover the rigid tape.

Treating a Rolled Ankle or Sprain – Your ankle is under immense weight bearing pressure every day. Find out how you can treat and prevent a rolled ankle or sprain to give yourself the best chance of successful recovery.