How to Recover from a Twisted Ankle

Twisted ankles, or sprained ankles, occur when the ligaments in the ankle are stretched or twisted the wrong way. It happens by falling, slipping, landing wrong or tripping. Usually the outside ligaments are damaged. Inside ligament damage is rare. Swelling causes much of the pain. Sprained ankles vary in severity. A mild sprain heals in a week, but a bad one might take a month or more. Before administering any care, check for breaks. Broken bones need a physician attention immediately.

Things You'll Need

• Elastic bandage
• Metal bandage clips
• Two ice packs
• Chair

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Instructions

• 1

  Take weight off the injured ankle. Remove sock and shoe. Wrap a frozen ice pack around the swollen ankle, and put the other ice pack in the freeze for later.

• 2

  Wrap the bandage tight enough to hold the ice pack securely, but not tight enough to cut off circulation. Use the clips to fasten the bandage into place. Compression reduces swelling and offers support.

• 3

  Set the sprained ankle on a chair. Elevating the ankle helps reduce swelling.

• 4

  Continue until the swelling is down. Change ice packs every three to four hours. After the swelling is down, the bandage might be needed for support.

• 5

  To start walking, gently put weight on the ankle. If it hurts, stop and continue treatment.