Rehab

Ankle Rehabilitation

The talo fibula ligament is the most common damage done in a sprained ankle. If the sprain in the ankle is too bad, there might be chance of damage to the fibula ligament which is further back towards the back of the heel. Additionally, with the ligament damage, there may be damage to bone, tendons and other joint tissues.

Depending on the severity, a sprained ankle is classified into three different categories.

First degree ankle sprain:

Little or no joint instability.
Some sort of stretching or tearing of the lateral ankle ligaments.
Mild pain
Some joint stiffness or difficulty walking or running.
Little or no swelling

Second degree ankle sprain:

Moderate instability of the joint.
Some tearing of the ligament fibers.
Swelling and stiffness in the ankle joint.
Moderate to severe pain and difficulty walking.

Third degree:

Severe pain initially followed by no pain
Gross instability of the joint.
Severe swelling
Total rupture of a ligament.

If you are having pain due to damaged ankle you have to go for various treatments of sprained ankle which are provided by many rehabilitation centers. The goal of the rehabilitation of an ankle is

to decrease initial pain and swelling.
to improve the strength of the joint.
to improve mobility and flexibility.
to re-establish neural control and co-ordination.
to return to full fitness.

After the pain lessens and swelling stops increasing, the phase of rehabilitation begins. This means the ligament has reached in the healing process and it cannot get re-injured from the mild stress.

Improve mobility and flexibility
The rehabilitation program offers different types of treatments to improve the mobility and flexibility of an ankle. It offers manual joint mobilization in anterior posterior direction and seated wobble board exercises which are best for the ankle which has reduced mobility.

Strengthening the ankle joint
To strengthen the ankle start strengthening exercises and continue to apply cold therapy to joint regularly. Also you can maintain the fitness by swimming and cycling if pain allows. Strapping and tapping may be beneficial for the joint pain.

Re-establish co-ordination
To avoid recurrent ankle sprains proprioception exercises are very important. Early weight bearing is though to help proprioception loss. Try to balance your whole body on one leg by closing eyes. This will improve coordination and proprioception.

Return to full fitness
When you can comfortably do all of the above then you are ready to start your return to activity.

Ankle strenthening Exercise