Lateral Ankle Sprain Protocol

Lateral ankle sprains occur on the side of the ankle. This is mainly after an inwards or outward  twist of the ankle.

 

Acute Phase: Days 1-3

Goals: Decrease pain and swelling, protect from further injury

• Pain and swelling management (Rest Ice Compress Elevate)
• Protection of injured ligaments (taping, splints, casting, walking boot etc.)
• Gait-Weight Bearing As Tolerated

Sub-Acute Phase: 2-4 days to 2 weeks

Goals: Decrease/eliminate pain, increase ROM, decrease swelling, increase strength

• Continue pain and swelling management
• Subtalar and talocrurcal joint mobilizations
• ROM with pain-free range: DF/PF/EV/IV AROM, calf stretching
• Increase weight bearing of affected extremity during gait
• Isometric strengthening

Rehabilitative Phase: 2-6 weeks

Goals: Regain ROM and strength, increase endurance and proprioception

• Continue joint mobilizations and stretching
• Progress to pain-free concentric and eccentric strengthening exercises (both open chain and closed chain)
• Proprioception exercises (balance board, BAPS board, single leg stance etc.)
• Gait training-promote equal weight beraing and weaning of assistive devices
• Endurance activities (stationary biking, swimming, walking, etc.)

Functional Phase: 6 weeks

Goals: Return to full activity and function

• Continue strengthening exercises
• Coordination and agility training-depends on patient's prior level of function, recreational activities, and goals 

LONG BOARDING: ANKLES ON THE LINE

After 5 minutes introduction of long boarding, I was convinced that I was more than ready to skate my way out of that mall basement. Talk of ego and logic conflicting. I mounted my right foot on it (I'm a goofy rider) and before I could even get the left foot on the board the thing flew past my feet leaving me to land on the floor with a double snap on my versed ankle. For someone who's never been injured before, that was the most terrible type of pain I have ever been through. I literally have a new kind of respect to these athletes who gets injured and keep on playing like it's nothing.

The ankle is moderately swollen on the lateral malleolus, I could not put pressure on it  at first my workmate had to carry me on her shoulder to a resting point. After trying to aggressively ice and elevate it the pain was still overwhelming for the first 30 minutes. I got worried, wanted to rush to emergency care but thank God for those millions of insurance calls I felt better while in the process of calling the hospital and crosschecking if I can be covered with my Orient insurance.

Since it was on a work day I had two clients who were to come later on during the day so that got me worried because I would never want miscellaneous issues go between me and my clients. I work with really considerate colleagues and the really helped me get through with icing, anti-inflammatory gel and re-scheduling one of my clients. The other client is quite a case, it's a couple and they have been waiting to get our services for a while so who am I to deny them a 40 minute session and that means I just have to be easy with the ankle for forty minutes, standing and doing bouts of walking so that's not rocket science. I'm actually excited to see how that session will go.

So far this is what I have done to the ankle:

• Icing immediately for about 10 minutes  and then followed up with subsequent icing after every 60 minutes, so far I have iced it thrice.
• Elevating it to drain the moderate joint effusion.
• A little bit of compression to limit swelling.
• Self applied kinesiology tape to provide support and also reduce the inflammation.
• Rub Voltaren gel for anti inflammatory purposes too.
• Had two 500mg Ipobrufen immediately because I was scared, shaking and the pain was past unbearable. 

 I have to attend a Vans skateboarding event tomorrow so that's on the line, it doesn't happen everyday. I will keep on updating the progress with time, let's see how fast or efficient these these interventions are.

UPDATE

After 12 hours it was the worst. Body weight bearing was at 10% tolerance so there was no way I could even leave the house for work leave alone events. The swelling is still there but the pain is subsiding because I have just overdosed on some strong antinflammatory. Now it's elevated and compressed with hourly icing.

EXERCISE AND SPORTS SCIENCE

THE INTRODUCTION:

Exercise 

This is programmed physical activity that is meant to maintain or improve one's physical fitness.

Sports 

A form of physical activity with the purpose of progression in sense that the participant aims at improving and comparing their physical fitness skill set with other individuals.

Science

The studying of facts to establish how their systems operate.

Thus exercise and sports science is a discipline that focus on the study of maintaining and improving human movement performance in regards to exercise.

Exercise and Sports Science aims at establishing ways of how sport and physical activity promote health and performance from cellular to whole body in general.

Purpose Of The Blog

This is an open exploration of exciting exercise and sports science related articles, practices, journals, studies reviews, testimonials, discoveries and maybe a Nobel prize at some point.