People take things for granted all the time. Cars, the internet, good health, living with pain-free feet—it’s easy to forget that not everyone has these things. Something else people tend to take for granted is the seriousness of an ankle sprain and the importance of your recovery. How many times have you heard (or even said), “Oh, it’s only a sprain”? The problem with that attitude is you may not be motivated to invest in your recovery like you should, putting yourself at risk for long-term issues.

An ankle sprain is one of the most underappreciated injuries. The problem is, because many people can still walk afterwards and the worst symptoms may lessen after a few days, they don’t bother taking care of their injured joint. Many people apply first aid and then jump right back to their activities, whether the ankle is ready or not. This can lead to chronic pain, repeated sprains, and even early arthritis.

Taking care of your ankle after a sprain has already happened—and after the first aid is done—is critical for healthy joints. This means after the initial RICE therapy, and after an adequate healing time has passed, you need to stretch and strengthen your ankle. Leaving it to stiffen will only make recovering harder for you in the long run. There are many stretching options that you can do to help your ankle heal.

Don’t ever try to “walk off” a sprain and return right to normal activities. That risks making the problem worse. Instead, use first aid to treat the problem, then follow up with complete sprained ankle healing. Dr. Darren Silvester and our team at Next Step Foot & Ankle Clinic are more than happy to help you with every stage of your ankle sprain. Call (830) 569-3338 to make an appointment.