How to recover from a sprained ankle 

It’s a beautiful day, so you head outside for a run when you stumble over a bump in the sidewalk and roll your ankle. It really hurts. You can limp home, but you can already see it starting to swell up. This is a classic sign of a sprained ankle.

If you’ve rolled, twisted or turned your ankle, you know how painful this injury can be. Every day, about 25,000 people sprain an ankle, according to the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society. In other words, it’s a very common injury.

Here, we’ll go over what you should know when your ankle is sprained and how to care for yourself at home.

Strained vs. sprained ankle

A sprain and a strain are not the same thing. The two words are just one letter apart, but they have different meanings, says Kenneth Jung, MD. He’s an orthopedic foot and ankle surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles.

“Unfortunately, I think the terms are often used interchangeably. But what a sprain with a ‘p’ refers to is tearing, or stretching, of a ligament,” he explains. “A strain with a ‘t’ refers to stretching or tearing of a tendon.”

Strains and sprains are both soft tissue injuries that impact the fibrous support structures of the ankle. Fractures are breaks in the bone.

One common kind of sprain is a rolled ankle. “This is what we call an inversion sprain,” Dr. Jung says. “And that’ll typically affect the structures on the outer part of the ankle or the pinkie toe side of the foot and ankle.”

How ankle injuries are graded

Both strains and sprains are graded on how serious the injury is, Dr. Jung says. When your body parts are placed in a compromised position (for example, when you fall), the tissue can stretch. And when things are stretched, they can tear or rupture.

“A ligament or a tendon basically looks almost like a bow string on a violin,” Dr. Jung explains. You can imagine a bunch of fibers running in a lengthwise fashion. The grades of injuries are:

• Grade 1: This is a mild injury. It involves a slight stretching of the fibers, or a small tear.
• Grade 2: This is a moderate injury. There’s partial tearing of the fibers, but it’s not totally torn.
• Grade 3: This is a severe injury. The fibers are torn or ruptured completely.

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Common symptoms of ankle strains/sprains

The symptoms of a strain or sprain can be similar, says Vivek Cherian, MD. He’s an internist and hospitalist in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. Signs can include:

• Swelling, inflammation and redness
• Pain
• Bruising
• Tenderness when you touch your ankle
• Restricted range of motion

In addition, with a strain, you might have muscle cramps and weakness in your shins, calves or feet. With sprains, you might have a “popping sensation” at the time of injury, Dr. Cherian says.

Should you see a doctor?

So you’ve hurt your ankle. What should you do next to make sure you recover quickly? First, call your doctor.

It’s best to touch base with your physician to discuss whether you should have your ankle evaluated, says Dr. Jung. Sometimes it can be difficult to tell on your own whether you have a sprain or a fracture in your ankle or leg, he explains. Your doctor may simply do a physical exam. Or they may order an x-ray or MRI.

If you can’t put weight on your ankle, going to an urgent care center with an x-ray machine is a good idea, Dr. Jung says. That allows a medical professional to determine whether you’ve broken the ankle.

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What you can do at home to help your ankle heal

Once you know that it’s a strain or sprain and not a fracture, the next step is to help the tendon or ligament heal, Dr. Cherian says. Here’s how you can care for it at home.

• Use the RICE method: You might have heard of this popular treatment you can do at home. The letters stand for:
  • Rest: Avoid activities that put weight on your ankle.
  • Ice: Put an ice pack on the injury in 20-minute increments to keep the swelling down.
  • Compression: Wrap the ankle with an elastic bandage, which can help reduce swelling. (“Though it’s important not to wrap it too tightly,” Dr. Cherian says.)
  • Elevation: Prop up your ankle on a pillow so that it’s above the level of your heart, especially at night. That can help reduce swelling by draining away excess fluid.
     
• Get a splint: Protect the injured ankle with a splint or brace.
   
• Use crutches: You’ll probably need to use crutches to get around for a few days until the pain and swelling go down. If you go to the hospital or an orthopedic doctor for treatment, they will likely give you crutches. If not, you can usually find crutches at a local drugstore. You can sometimes even rent them from hospitals or medical equipment stores.
   
• Take pain relievers: Over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen can help reduce inflammation.

How long it takes to recover

When can you expect your ankle to start feeling better? That depends on how bad the injury is:

• For mild, grade 1 injuries: You can put as much weight on your ankle as you can tolerate. Certain stretching and strengthening exercises might help you heal and improve your range of motion. These injuries take about 1 to 3 weeks to fully heal.
   
• For moderate, grade 2 injuries: You might have your ankle immobilized with an air splint or a brace and receive physical therapy following the injury. These injuries take about 3 to 6 weeks to heal.
   
• For severe, grade 3 injuries: Your ankle will likely be immobilized, possibly with a cast boot. You might also receive physical therapy following the injury. These injuries can take several months to heal.

It’s important to give your ankle time to recover, Dr. Jung says. With a strain or sprain, it’s not likely that you’ll need surgery. But if the injury doesn’t fully heal or you reinjure yourself, you might need a more invasive treatment later on.

Give your ankle the rest it needs. With a little patience, you’ll be able to get back to the activities you love.

Additional sources
Ankle sprains each day: American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (2021). “Ankle sprains while running: symptoms and treatment”
Sprain grades: UConn Health Orthopedics and Sports Medicine (n.d.). “Sprained Ankle”
Sprained ankle overview: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (2022). “Sprained Ankle”