Imagine that you’re going about your usual day to day activities and all of a sudden you feel your ankle twisting and getting sprained. Chances are that you have experienced this more than once and have realized that getting your ankle sprained is very painful and very aggravating as well. Strenuous activities like running and jumping would rarely cause you to sprain your ankle. In fact the chances of getting your ankle sprained doing normal things is much higher as compared to when your exercising or doing any similar activity mentioned previously. Once you’ve sprained your ankle the important thing is to ensure that you treat it properly to prevent further damage and a quick recovery.

Getting a sprained ankle is rather common however its treatment would depend on the severity level of the strain. Some sprains are very mild in nature and heal quickly while others might be stronger and could take some time before they heal. This is due to the ligaments that hold the foot bones together in the ankle joint. These ligaments are quite elastic in nature however they do have their limits. When you twist or sprain your ankle these ligaments get over stretched and get damaged in the bargain. The over stretching of the ligaments is categorized into three levels one, two and three.

A level one strain is mild with not too much of damage though there could be tearing of the ligaments. A sprain would be classified as a level two sprain if there is a partial tearing of the ligaments. This would also cause the joint to be looser than it should normally be. Lastly if the ligaments are completely torn and ruptured and there is abnormal looseness in the ankle joint then that would be termed as a level three sprain.

The best way to treat a sprained ankle would be to follow the R.I.C.E. treatment. This is just and abbreviation for Rest, ice, compression and elevation. Rest the ankle as much as possible and avoid putting weight on it, Ice the ankle for about 20 minutes followed by a compression at least three to four times a day as this would help reduce the swelling. Lastly elevating the leg above the level of the heart also helps reduce the swelling. Get the sprain looked at by a doctor who might recommend an x-ray if it’s a level 2 or 3 sprain.