Why Expert Care of Your Sprained Ankle Now Can Save You From Problems Down the Road

If you live an active lifestyle, sprained ankles can feel like a part of life. This extremely common injury can happen anytime your ankle rolls outward, you land strangely, or you have ankle trauma.

You might feel tempted to treat your sprained ankle through home care, especially if you’ve had a sprained ankle previously or believe the injury is mild. However, to ensure your ankle’s long-term health and safety, it’s always important to see Ryan Golub, DPM at Arizona Foot Health in Phoenix, Arizona if you suspect you sprained your ankle.

Dr. Golub explains why getting treatment from a board-qualified podiatrist helps prevent your ankle from having further problems later on.

Understanding your sprained ankle

A sprained ankle occurs when you have damage to the ligaments that keep your ankle in place. Depending on how severe your sprain is, your ligament can range from being overstretched to completely torn.

Ankle sprains are rated from Grade I to III depending on the severity of your sprain. Grade I sprained ankles feel stable but swollen and painful, Grade II sprains cause your ankle to feel somewhat unstable if you try to stand on it, and Grade III sprains are unstable. You usually can’t move your ankle in a Grade III sprain.

Sprained ankle symptoms

There’s a good chance you could have a sprained ankle if it feels swollen, painful, or tender, is hard to move, or difficult to stand or walk on after experiencing a trauma to your ankle. You experience the symptoms shortly after the injury occurs, usually within an hour of the impact.

Reasons to seek out podiatry care for every sprained ankle

When you sprain your ankle, you can start care on it at home immediately using the RICE protocol: rest, ice, compression, and elevation. While caring for your ankle at home, these are the reasons why you should be making an appointment at Arizona Foot Care to have your ankle professionally evaluated by Dr. Golub.

To determine the level of the sprain

Your ankle’s behavior might give some indication of whether your ankle sprain is Grade I, II, or III, but only a full evaluation can tell you for sure. Dr. Golub can determine the extent of your sprain with a diagnostic examination, and, if needed, X-rays.

To get the most comprehensive treatment plan

Once confirming your ankle sprain and the level of severity, Dr. Golub develops a personalized treatment plan that can include RICE protocol, medications, braces or crutches, and physical therapy. Dr. Golub gives you access to more treatment options and ideas than basic home care and allows your ankle to get fully restored to health.

To ensure your ankle heals properly 

By following the treatment plan followed by Dr. Golub, you can be sure your ankle heals as fully as possible from the sprain, allowing you to do the activities you enjoy again without worry. You’ll also have your progress carefully monitored by Dr. Golub, which means you can have peace of mind that your ankle is completely healed, and the treatment can be easily changed at any time under Dr. Golub’s guidance.

To get pain relief and faster recovery through radial shockwave therapy

While it’s healing, your sprained ankle can feel painful. By visiting Dr. Golub, you can get relief through radial shockwave therapy (RSWT), a cutting-edge noninvasive treatment for ankle and foot pain.

To relieve pain in your ankle from your sprained ankle, Dr. Golub uses the state-of-the-art enPulsPro from Zimmer MedizinSystems. During the painless and quick treatment, Dr. Golub holds an applicator to the painful, injured areas of your ankle, which uses shockwaves to reduce your pain and speed up your ankle’s healing process.

To prevent further complications

Getting treatment from Dr. Golub for your sprained ankle means you’re much less likely to re-injure your ankle in the future, ensuring you’re at a much-reduced risk of developing complications in your ankle. This means you’re significantly less likely to need surgery on your ankle or permanently lose any ankle functioning in the future.

If you suspect you sprained your ankle or are otherwise experiencing pain or swelling in your ankle, call 602-973-3888 or request an appointment online to schedule your consultation at Arizona Foot Health.