What to do if you twist your ankle

Ankle injuries are quite common and affect many people. Unsuccessful movement, falling, hitting are the main causes of sprains and ankle injuries. This is explained by the fact that the ankle joint is one of the most vulnerable in the human body. Twisted your leg - this is when you get up unsuccessfully or fall and then symptoms such as swelling, redness, pain, and partial loss of mobility of the damaged area appear. Help for a sprained leg must be provided immediately, otherwise the condition will worsen. Treatment can only be prescribed by a doctor - after examining the patient and making a diagnosis.17

Possible consequences of dislocation

As you know, in the ankle joint the bones of the lower leg are connected to the foot, representing the joint that is the most mobile, but at the same time fragile, and therefore the most vulnerable.
The bones that form the joint are small in size, but at the same time they form a complex system, which is subject to powerful pressure from the weight of the entire body. This pressure increases when a person walks faster, runs, or simply moves actively, for example, while dancing or quickly climbing stairs. And the ligaments act as a shock absorber in this fragile system: they are the ones that experience the maximum stress and most often suffer when the leg is twisted. What to do if you twist your ankle? Understand that a real injury has been received, and it requires treatment. Most often, victims are given one of the following diagnoses:

Sprain of the ligaments, which is expressed in their slight damage. This creates tiny tears. It is because of them that for some time (until complete healing) pain is felt in the injured area at the slightest movement.
A tear when the connective tissue is severely damaged. At the moment of injury, a click is heard. Then, when interviewed, the patient usually says that he twisted his leg with a crunch. The pain in this case is much stronger than with a sprain.
Dislocation or fracture. In the first case, the patient is found to have a displaced ankle. In the second case, you need to understand that even a small crack in the bone is already a fracture that requires rigid fixation for several weeks. At the moment when such damage occurs, a crunching sound is heard and the person feels severe pain. In this state, it is impossible to step on the injured leg.

The first of these diagnoses is the most common. When a ligament is sprained, the ankle swells and causes pain when walking. Bruises sometimes form at the site of injury, and the skin may become red or swollen. The leg may turn blue either immediately after a person twists it, or even after 2-3 days if there was a deep hemorrhage.

Procedure for an ankle injury

The first thing you need to do if you twist your ankle badly is to concentrate on your own feelings, listen to yourself. If everything is in order, the pain goes away on its own within 20–30 seconds. After the condition has returned to normal, you can continue moving.

What to do if you twist your ankle, but it hurts a lot, and there is no relief? Continue observation. If a limb aches, it needs rest for at least one hour. If, after twisting your leg, you feel severe pain when touched, bruising or swelling occurs, it is advisable to contact a medical facility. All of these could be signs of serious problems. What other symptoms of a sprained leg indicate that a doctor’s help is needed:

atypical joint mobility;
ankle instability, when the foot involuntarily changes its position when running or walking;
visible bone deformation;
persistence of pain during the first day;
inability to stand on the injured limb even several days after the incident;
ankle swelling;
the appearance of bumps;
loss of sensation in the foot (complete or partial, when, for example, the fingers or at least one of them go numb).

The traumatologist collects anamnesis, performs a visual examination and palpation. If this is not enough to clarify the diagnosis, the doctor will refer you for an X-ray, CT scan or MRI. Additional studies should exclude more complex injuries: fractures, dislocations. Self-treatment, much less realignment of a joint or bone, is unacceptable.

How to understand what the reason is

A doctor should carry out the diagnosis, so if you have pain or discomfort in your foot, you should not put off visiting a specialist. But already at the initial stage you can independently navigate the symptoms:

With arthritis, the joint becomes inflamed suddenly, without provoking factors such as injury. The pain occurs mainly at night and disappears when walking.
When the ankle bones are fractured, the bone structures of the ankle are also damaged. Swelling is visible, you experience pain at the slightest step on the foot.
With tunnel syndrome, compression of the walls of blood vessels and nerve roots occurs (for example, this happens with diabetes, after an injury, or against the background of arthrosis). Extensive edema forms, a cooling of the limb is observed, which is replaced by a local increase in temperature.
With tendinitis, the tendons become inflamed and swelling occurs. Pain occurs when putting weight on the leg. If left untreated, there is a risk of infection and rupture of tendon fibers.
With gout, severe pain occurs mainly during sleep. The pain is acute, spreads to the entire foot and radiates to the big toe. Gout and salt deposition have nothing in common with arthrosis in nature, with the exception of pain.
When the heel bone is fractured, extensive swelling, hematomas are noticeable, the foot hurts, and motor activity decreases. This problem is relevant for runners and can lead to chronic pain.
With partial or complete dislocation, the bone tissue of the ankle thickens and the heel turns inward. The joint becomes deformed, causing extensive swelling and prolonged pain.

Unlike problems of a traumatic nature, arthrosis does not have such pronounced symptoms. With degenerative changes in the cartilage, the ankle hurts and is somewhat limited in mobility. Symptoms are often vague, so a person does not rush to consult an orthopedist, but experiments with gels, ointments, local remedies, traditional medicine and wastes precious time.

With arthrosis, there are no visible signs - swelling, hematomas

Rehabilitation period

What can you do in the first 2-3 days if a person has sprained his leg? Rest, ensuring the rest of the injured limb. But, if there is no dislocation or fracture, it is advisable to start loading it on the third day. This will make the healing process faster. In difficult cases, full recovery takes up to three months, and then it may make sense to use crutches at first.

Soreness is relieved with a cold compress. You can use a towel soaked in ice water, or ice in a heating pad wrapped in thick cloth. On the first day, the compress is applied every 3 hours and kept for 15–20 minutes. During the procedure, it is necessary to monitor so that frostbite does not set in. If the skin turns white, the cold is immediately removed and the leg is warmed until blood circulation is completely restored.

To prevent the ankle from swelling after a sprained leg, it is advisable to provide moderate compression. You can wear special pressure socks (stockings). An elastic bandage will also work. They wrap part of the lower leg (10–15 cm upward) and the foot (to the base of the toes). Excessive pressure should not be allowed, otherwise problems with blood supply will begin.

During the rest period, the leg is slightly raised, placing a small soft cushion (pillow) under it. This reduces the risk of developing swelling. In the absence of contraindications, painkillers and anti-inflammatory ointments containing paracetamol and ibuprofen are used to alleviate the condition. Troxevasin and heparin ointment help with hematomas and edema. The doctor will give more precise recommendations on how and what to treat the injury after twisting the foot.

After an injury, you should not take hot baths or massage. In this case, if you twisted your leg the day before, it will become very swollen due to the flow of blood to the site of injury. This can subsequently cause inflammation. Naturally, you can’t play sports.

Folk remedies

If a person twists his leg and the ankle is swollen, but there is no serious injury to the ankle, you can get by with folk recipes. They are based on the use of plant decoctions, compresses and baths.

Baths with salt and aromatic oils will help relieve swelling and relax your leg. This is not only useful, but also a pleasant procedure.

It is necessary to collect warm water in a suitable container (basin). Dissolve regular salt in it in the proportion of 4 tablespoons of salt per 2 liters of water. Add a few drops of eucalyptus, pine or spruce oil, mint. Lower your legs into the basin for 15 minutes in the evening. Then dry your feet with a towel, apply gel or cream and leave the injured foot at rest.

This procedure is best done at night. Moreover, the saline solution can also be used for a compress. It will help quickly relieve swelling and reduce discomfort. So, if a person has twisted his ankle, he can be treated at home only for moderate pain that does not interfere with movement. If the pain is severe, you should go to the hospital to avoid complications.

What is not recommended to do

If we are talking about how to minimize unpleasant consequences and prevent possible complications during treatment at home, then the following rules should not be neglected. For this it is important:

Refrain from hot baths at least in the first days after injury: hot water accelerates blood flow, which increases inflammation and swelling in the damaged area.
Reduce motor and physical activity, overcoming pain: this way you can cause even more harm to the diseased joint.
You should not massage the area next to the injury: this will increase blood circulation, which will result in swelling, and in some cases, bruising may occur.
Try to avoid too long rest or rest - for the first couple of days it is advisable to refrain from sudden movements and active movements, and already on the third day after a sprain or bruise, you can gradually increase the load (lean on the injured leg), but in the case of fractures or dislocations, the methods and timing of healing Only the attending physician can advise on injuries.

If you follow these simple rules, you can prevent negative consequences from injury, and for preventive purposes, when complete recovery occurs, doctors recommend using comfortable shoes with orthopedic insoles.

I sprained my ankle: what ointment helps?

The first goal in treating the consequences of an injury is to relieve the patient's pain. The requirements are easily met by analgesic ointments, which are successfully used on the recommendation of a doctor and with an individual choice of an analgesic. Immediately after an injury, it is possible to use only cooling pain-relieving ointments. Analgesics with a warming effect are only allowed several days after the dislocation, when the inflammation gradually subsides. Popular ointments of this effect are:

Viprosal;
Ibuprofen;
Ketonal;
Indomethacin ointment.

A short list of ointments for sprains:

Dolgit;
Ketonal;
Voltaren;
Bystrumgel;
Emulgel;
Deep Relief;
Fastum-gel;
Nise gel;
Diclofenac.

These products are easy to find at the pharmacy. They are based on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and are used for bruises. The medications are safe and hypoallergenic, suitable even for children of any age.

Adults should use hormonal mixtures with great caution. Such means accelerate recovery processes and help when other means are powerless, but often, along with their usefulness, can cause harm. You should trust your doctor - if the doctor has prescribed hormonal mixtures, use them strictly in the quantities specified in the prescription.

Prevention of an injured ankle

Ankle joint injuries are insidious - they will constantly remind you of themselves, once you sprain your ankle: a person is constantly at risk when playing sports, wearing the wrong shoes or making awkward movements. In order to prevent undesirable consequences, it is necessary to follow preventive measures:

Select and wear comfortable, high-quality shoes that match your foot size and are comfortable when walking (it is advisable for women to prefer low-heeled shoes, because stylish stiletto heels increase the risk of re-injury).
Strengthen the muscles of the ankle joint (this can be done with the help of special exercises).
When starting to play sports, it is important to warm up in order to warm up your muscles well before the upcoming load.

The main thing to remember is that staying alert and careful is the first rule to avoid sprains and/or serious ankle problems. After all, as follows from the complaints of victims, in most cases, ankle injuries occur precisely because of elementary inattention: people often do not look at their feet. It's corny, but true.

What types are there?

Taking into account the degree of displacement, origin, and size of the joint, dislocations can be classified. According to the degree of displacement, dislocations are complete, when the ends of the joints completely diverge, and incomplete, when partial contact of the surfaces of the joints occurs. The dislocated joint is the one that is located further away from the body. The exception is the vertebra, collarbone, shoulder.

Considering its origin, dislocation can be congenital or acquired. Congenital is one that arose due to disturbances in the development of the child who was in the womb. The most common pathology includes dysplasia and dislocation of the hip joint. Acquired dislocation is a consequence of injury or disease (arthritis, arthrosis, osteomyelitis, poliomyelitis, etc.).

In addition, dislocation can be open or closed. With a closed dislocation, the skin and tissue over the joint are not torn. During an open dislocation, a wound is formed. If we talk about complicated dislocation, then it damages muscles, blood vessels, bones, tendons, and nerves. Habitual dislocation means its reoccurrence under minor influence of external factors. This happens if a person receives poor quality treatment. The occurrence of pathological dislocation (in most cases affecting the hip and shoulder joints) is associated with the destruction of the articular surface. Paralytic dislocation is characterized by paralysis or paresis of the muscles surrounding the joint.