How Long Does It Take To Recover From A Sprained Ankle?
As an Orthopaedic Surgeon specializing in Foot & Ankle injuries, I see sprained ankles on almost a daily basis. It's an injury that many people have at least once in their lives, and sometimes multiple times. Especially if they are of the highly active type, like we see up here in the mountains of Vail and Summit County.
Sprained ankles are particularly common in sports that feature a lot of cutting, running and jumping— which covers just about everything.
If you are a basketball, football, or soccer player, you can be fairly certain that a sprained ankle is something you'll have to deal with at some point.
How Long Is Sprained Ankle Recovery Going to take?
The run of the mill sprained ankle usually doesn't take too long to heal, and you can plan to be back in the game fairly quickly if you rest and ice it properly.
But sprained ankles can be serious, as well. If your sprained ankle is particularly bad, it may even keep you out for months or cost you the season.
Ankle sprains can be exacerbated by continuing to use the ankle even after it is injured or by neglecting to use the RICE treatment protocol.
What Is RICE?
RICE is a treatment protocol that can be effectively applied to many parts of the body when injured. It can be especially helpful for ankle injuries, which is why you’ll often see trainers run for the ice when a player injures an ankle during a sports game or match.
RICE Stands for:
Rest
Ice
Compression
Elevation
If you follow this protocol after suffering an ankle sprain, you give yourself a better chance to recover fully, faster.
The Three Grades of Ankle Sprain
Now let's talk about what you really came to learn about, and that's how long you will be out with an ankle sprain.
To do this, we'll examine the "three grades" of ankle sprains.
Grade 1 Sprain
Let's start with the grade 1 ankle sprain. This is our least severe ankle sprain, which is common on the basketball court when you "roll" the ankle slightly.
If you have a grade 1 ankle sprain, you'll feel some soreness and maybe have some minor swelling. Your muscles should be fine, and instability usually won't be a problem.
What's happening with a grade 1 ankle sprain:
With a grade one ankle sprain, the ligaments have been stretched.
Recovery Time for a grade 1 ankle sprain
Although this level of ankle sprain is relatively harmless in the long-term, it will still keep you off the court or field for 2 weeks to a month.
What you want to remember with this injury is to stay off the ankle as much as possible, letting it heal. What you don't want to do is re-injure it.
This injury can be treated at home with the RICE protocol.
Grade 2 Sprain
The primary indication of a Grade 2 ankle sprain is bruising and swelling. Just after the injury, swelling may begin immediately. Then comes the bruising. Other signs of a grade two ankle sprain:
A moderate amount of pain
Instability of the joint
If you try to walk on a grade 2 sprained ankle, you might feel like you are going to tumble due to the instability caused by the sprain.
What's happening with a grade two ankle sprain:
With a grade two ankle sprain, the ligaments have been torn.
Recovery Time For a Grade Two Ankle Sprain
With a grade 2 sprain, we are looking at about 6 to 8 weeks for full recovery. If you think you have this type of sprain, you'll want to visit an orthopaedic foot & ankle specialist to have it looked at.
We may still tell you to treat it at home, but you'll want to be supervised by a specialist in your efforts.
With a grade 2 ankle sprain, It is crucial that you stay off the ankle to avoid compounding the tear.
Grade 3 Sprain
This is our "worst" ankle sprain. With this sprain, you ligament is completely torn. Here are the signs you have a grade 3 ankle sprain
Complete instability of the ankle
Extensive swelling
Extensive bruising
Recovery Time For a Grade 3 Sprain
It can be hard to pin down exact recovery time for this injury, and it depends heavily upon the exact severity of the injury.
This is the type of injury that could keep you out for an entire season— you are looking at about 3-6 months for recovery time.
Be Patient with your ankle sprain
Be patient with your ankle sprain, and you’ll be back to performing your best in no time.
You may be pushing to get back to doing your favorite sport after your sprain. That’s not a bad thing— we want to get you back to doing what you love, ASAP.
However, take care and be patient with this injury. We don’t want you to re-injure it or even risk further damage by jumping back into sports before being fully healed.
Your ankles should serve you for life, and they will if you take care of them and follow your doctor’s advice when it comes to healing.
Good luck!
Need help with your ankle sprain in Vail or Summit County? Team Elton is here for you.