Sprained Ankle Specialist

What causes a sprained ankle?

Your ankle joint is bound together by ligaments that keep it in place, while still allowing for flexibility and motion. With one awkward movement, trauma, or an ankle roll, though, you can quickly overstretch or even tear any of your ankle ligaments.

Sports injuries are common, although they’re not the only cause of ankle sprains. Some of the typical causes of a sprained ankle include:

• Sudden force while landing after a jump
• Missing a step on a flight of stairs
• Running on an uneven surface
• Twisting after someone steps on your foot
  
  

To make matters worse, if you’ve had a sprained ankle in the past, you’re more likely to suffer from one again in the future — especially if you didn’t get proper treatment.

Are there symptoms of an ankle sprain?

Yes, and your symptoms are going to vary depending on the severity of your sprain. Initially, you might just feel a little discomfort or pain. Over the following few hours as fluid starts accumulating around your injured ligaments, which is a normal part of your body’s healing response, you may experience:

• Swelling and tenderness
• Severe bruising
• Ankle instability
• Difficulty bearing weight on the ankle
  
  

Your symptoms might even continue to worsen for several days before you start noticing an improvement.

How is a sprained ankle treated?

Ankle sprains are graded based on their severity -- Grade I is minor, while Grades II and III are more severe. Your personalized sprained ankle treatment plan at South Denver Podiatry depends on the severity of your sprain. You may benefit from:

• Compression wraps, casting or bracing
• AmnioFix® stem cell injections
• Anti-inflammatory medications
• Cortisone injections
• Physical therapy
  
  

If you have a Grade III ankle sprain, you have a high risk of permanent ankle instability. In this case, if conservative therapies haven’t been enough, Dr. Varnay may suggest surgery. Sprained ankle surgery involves repairing or tightening damaged ligaments.

Even in the case of a workplace injury, you can feel confident that the team at South Denver Podiatry can treat your sprained ankle. As a Level 1 Certified Workers’ Compensation provider, Dr. Varnay can help with all of your essential workers’ compensation paperwork.

Get started on your sprained ankle treatment at South Denver Podiatry before your injury worsens. Book your exam online or over the phone.