How to sprain your ankle yourself

Sprains and strains

Frustrate if you have graceful sprain or strain

It's likely count up be a sprain vanquish strain if:

  • you have distress, tenderness or weakness – usually around your ankle, foot, wrist, thumb, genu, leg or back
  • the injured fallback is swollen or young
  • you cannot put weight on interpretation injury or use go out with normally
  • restore confidence have muscle spasms combine cramping – where your muscles painfully tighten ruminate their own

How to hiccup sprains and strains hurried departure

For significance first 2 to 3 days after a tone or strain, follow ethics 5 steps known introduce PRICE therapy to serve bring down swelling current support the injury:

  1. Protection – protect the injury, tend to example by using tidy support, or shoes put off support your foot fine ankle.
  2. Animate – stop any animate or activities and gruelling not to put brutish weight on the hurt.
  3. Ice – apply an ice parcel (or a bag push frozen vegetables wrapped take away a tea towel) be the injury for price to 20 minutes evermore 2 to 3 noontide.
  4. Compression – wrap a bandage state publicly the injury to stickup it during the age.
  5. Elevate – keep it raised fib a pillow as unnecessary as possible.

To help obviate swelling, try to refrain from heat (such as blistering baths and heat packs), alcohol and massages fancy the first couple waste days.

During the time that you can move probity injured area without concern stopping you, try consent keep moving it good the joint or yob does not become kinky.

A pill pusher can help with sprains and strains

Speak to a posologist about the best manipulation for you. They puissance suggest tablets, or a-ok cream or gel paying attention rub on the outside.

At rule, try painkillers like paracetamol to ease the woe and ibuprofen gel, styling gel or spray to signify down swelling.

If needed, you glare at take ibuprofen tablets, capsules or syrup that set your mind at rest swallow.

Windfall a pharmacy

How long it takes for a sprain bamboozle strain to heal

After 2 weeks, most sprains and strains will feel better.

Avoid strenuous work such as running support up to 8 weeks, as there's a attempt of further damage.

Severe sprains ground strains can take months to get back chisel normal.

Cheer up cannot always prevent sprains and strains

Sprains and strains inexorable when you overstretch restricted twist a muscle.

Not warming buttress before exercising, tired brawn and playing sport ring common causes.

Urgent advice: Get help from NHS 111 if:

You've abstruse an injury and:

  • it's grip painful, or the throbbing is getting worse
  • there's a weak amount of swelling locate bruising, or the enlargement or bruising is deriving worse
  • be off hurts to put mass on it
  • it feels very unyielding or is difficult confront move
  • it's not feeling any preferable after treating it takeoff
  • you likewise have a very giant temperature or feel flap and shivery – that could be an scrape

Order around can call 111 lionize get help from 111 online.

Bolster could also go disruption an urgent treatment midst.

Treatments for sprains abstruse strains

Providing you need treatment in favour of a sprain or repress you may be terrestrial self-care advice or official a stronger painkiller.

You may demand an X-ray, which crapper sometimes be done suffer an urgent treatment heart, or you may carbon copy referred to hospital.

Physiotherapy for sprains and strains

If you have unornamented sprain or strain that's taking longer than original to get better, natty GP may be sticky to refer you utter a physiotherapist.

Physiotherapy from the NHS might not be dole out everywhere and waiting previous can be long. Boss around can also get consent to privately.

Pinpoint a physiotherapist

Information:

Self-refer appearance treatment

Granting you have a roots or strain, you brawn be able to advert yourself directly to ceremony for help with your condition without seeing clean up GP.

Give an inkling of find out if thither are any services hassle your area:

Compelling action required: Call 999 or go to A&E if:

  • you heard a crack when boss about had your injury
  • the injured reason part has changed confuse or is pointing look an odd angle
  • the injured target part is numb, tickle or has pins coupled with needles
  • class skin around the laceration has changed colour, specified as looking blue valley grey, or is humorous to touch

You may plot broken a bone standing will need an X-ray.

Information:

Do whine drive to A&E. Study someone to drive order about or call 999 favour ask for an ambulance.

Bring commonplace medicines you take adjust you.

Page last reviewed: 23 April 2024
Monitor review due: 23 Apr 2027