Sprained Ankle remedies

[RedEdge77]

Well the other night my mom sprained her ankle . She is in a lot of pain and i was wondering if you guys/girls have any particular advice as to what she should do?

thanks

 

[jackknife]

Ice.

Take the ice and use either a ice bag, or make an ice bag with a large ziploc and ice down the area.

A four tablet dose of ibuprofen (200gr tablets) is the motrin dose. You can do this twice a day. Or use asprin. You want to use an anti-inflamitant.

Or she can do what I do- pour a large amount of whatever your drink is, and enjoy. Won't help the sprain, but you won't care either.

 

[tortoise]

A well wrapped ace-bandage usually offers a lot of relief.

My ankles are like glass. I've heard, "You know, you would've been better off breaking it." from doctors so many times I've lost count.

Once it's done the acronym is

Rest
Ice
Compression
Elevation

And oh yeah, like jackknife said, suggest Mom hit the anti-inflammatories hard.

 

[java]

Rest
Ice
Compression - (don't apply the ACE wrap so tight it cuts of ciculation - leave the toes exposed and check their color often)
Elevation.........is the best advice.

And along with that Motrin: There is a synergistic effect between Vitamin C and ibuprofen (Motrin) that researchers haven't quite figured out. Vitamin C is essential to maintain the body's connective tissues and reduces plasma C reactive protein levels in the blood. Plasma C reactive proteins are an indicator of inflammation. A good 100 - 250 mg of vitamin C along with the Motrin helps the recovery process. But ditch the alcohol as alcohol negates the benefits of vitamin C.

If the swelling and pain persist or there is severe discoloration, get Mom to the Doc for more conclusive x-rays or imaging tests.


Hope she feels better and is up running around soon.


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[RedEdge77]

Alright thanks for the help. The reason i asked was because when she went to the doctor the doctor didn't really tell her to do anything except ice it once in awhile.

Thanks for all the advice

 

[Ming65]

My ankles are like glass. .......

QUOTE]

Mine too - I tape them whenever I go bush nowdays, just to avoid getting stuck out there.

Yep the advice stated so far is sound. RICE and some anti inflams (nice tip about the vitamin C by the way)

My regime after a sprain is to:

1) Tape it up well. If the swelling causes too much pressure inside the tape then you aren't icing (or resting/elevating) it enough.

2) Ice for 20 minutes every hour for the first 24-48 hours. I use a bucket of water filled with iceblocks for this.

3) Ice and Heat for the next 3-4 days. One bucket with water and iceblocks, another bucket with warm to hot water, 2-minutes in each, alternating for 20 minutes every 3-4 hours. This stimulates blood flow and healing.

4) After 2 days - gentle mobility exercises. Pointing the toes away and then towards you (dorsi and plantar flexion) as well as side to side (inverting and everting the ankle).

5) After another 2 days - The same exercises but holding a towel around the base of the foot to privide some resistance to the movements and to begin engaging the muscles.

6) Once you can walk without a limp - practice proprioception exercises for the next few weeks, otherwise you will do it again. The body uses stretch sensors in the ankle tendons as part of it's balance feedback loop so when these are damaged or relocated with an ankle sprain it becomes very easy to go over on it again (and again). Te exercises are;

- Balancing on one leg
- Balancing on one leg with eyes closed
- Balancing on the leg while throwing and catching a tennis ball against the wall
- Standing on a wobble board

Good luck

 

[tortoise]

That's BIG! Thank you. You know, I've never thought about that and no one has ever pointed it out to me, but it makes perfect sense and probably explains why I've done it so many times in the last twenty years.

Until just now I couldn't spell "proprioception" but I can surely start doing it.

 

[java]

My ankles are like glass. .......

QUOTE]

6) Once you can walk without a limp - practice proprioception exercises for the next few weeks, otherwise you will do it again. The body uses stretch sensors in the ankle tendons as part of it's balance feedback loop so when these are damaged or relocated with an ankle sprain it becomes very easy to go over on it again (and again). The exercises are;

- Balancing on one leg
- Balancing on one leg with eyes closed
- Balancing on the leg while throwing and catching a tennis ball against the wall
- Standing on a wobble board

Good luck

Proprioception???

No one just wanders in here and casually mentions proprioception - then walks away without a discussion of the physiological and morphological ramifications of the said system!!! Are you into medical research or something???? Do you feel it is an entirely stochastic system or are there definite feedback and correction cycles??? Research shows that without proper inputs from proprioreceptors, classic mal de mer ( :barf: ) will develop. This has created problems for both NASA astronauts and, to a lessor degree, from overstimulation, denizens among the Cove on long missions ere we regain our bloody sea legs.

Avast ye hearty! Thanks for bringing up this point along with the balance exercises. Makes perfect sense to retune your balance after suffering a sprain or two.

Still can't believe RedEdge77's Mom's doctor basically blew her off without guidance on treatment. In some ways I'm glad he came here for a second opinion because he sure got a lot of good information.

(Plus it gave me an opportunity to see if the rant smilie worked)



.

 

[Ming65]

No one just wanders in here and casually mentions proprioception.........

Who was that masked man and his expansive medical vobabulary?


Ummmm atostachsic I think - I reckon there is definite feedback and correction cycles.

Proprioception? That's nothing. My favourite was proprioceptive nueromuscular facilitation..........

In my footy career I absorbed some sports physiology by osmosis.

 

[tortoise]

It doesn't surprise me a bit. One time I was sent, literally, hopping out of an emergency room. Not a crutch, not an ace bandage, not a tylenol, nothing. They shot an x-ray, told me that I would have been better off breaking it and said, "Take care."

Several years later I ended up in the same E.R. after rolling an ankle on duty (not the next sprain mind you, just the next one that landed me in that hospital.) That time they did do a much better job. Hit or miss I suppose.

 

[java]

No one just wanders in here and casually mentions proprioception.........

Who was that masked man and his expansive medical vobabulary?


Ummmm atostachsic I think - I reckon there is definite feedback and correction cycles.

Read an article a few months back on the propriorecptor system being a stochastic system that is random in its inputs and corrections. Kind of a chaos theory of human balance. I had helped with some research on motion sickness when I was at the Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB. Our main premise was that proprioception was often the antagonist to visual and vestibullar inputs that caused the familar dizziness and ill feelings of motion sickness. Long term lack of proprioceptor inputs, like when you're in zero gravity for a while, was a serious problem to NASA and we had several projects with the "Vomit Comet" testing physical and "pharmacuetical" coping methods. It was fun - better than any ride at Six Flags - but messy at times.

Proprioception? That's nothing. My favourite was proprioceptive nueromuscular facilitation..........

Almost sounds like a good massage.....could easily be my favorite too if applied by a couple of buxom young Scandinavians I have in mind.

In my footy career I absorbed some sports physiology by osmosis.

Aussie football rules! Gutsy play and serious mayhem. Glad you were able to survive and pick up some good knowlege. :thumbup:


Tortise,

In these cases, it's wise to seek a second opinion and be persistent. It helps having a medical background and I will confront and question a doctor's treatment until I'm satisfied. Some doctors view sprains as minor and not worthy of more than a cursory view.


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