The First Thing to do After an Ankle Sprain
Ankle sprains are among the most common recurrent injury of the lower extremity. I can trace my first-ever ankle sprain back to high school during track and field season. I pleaded with my coach to let me run in the week's race, but he wouldn't let me and threatened to kick me off the team if I continued to ask! Since then, I’ve experienced at least three other ankle sprains (that I can remember) with the most recent one occurring while I was running at night and tripped over what seemed to be the smallest rock!
The next thing I knew, I was launched forward and on the ground. I sat on the floor, embarrassed that I just took a tumble in front of other cars (it was night time, so maybe they didn't see). The first thing that came to mind was, did I fracture my ankle/foot?
I immediately removed my shoe/sock and started assessing my ankle/foot following the Ottawa Ankle Rules. The Ottawa Ankle Rules are a series of signs and symptoms used to determine the need for further imaging to rule out a fracture.
Naturally, I was in shock, and it was hard to truly discern if I was in pain; as the adrenaline rushed through my body. From my initial assessment, I was fairly certain that I was in the clear, but now I needed to see if I could walk. I put my shoe back and tried walking. Lucky for me, I was able to bear weight and make my way back to the car!
Honestly, my partner was waiting for me, and since I was about a mile away from her, I decided to “suck it up” and trot back (I don’t recommend you do this as you can make things worse). If you’re not medically trained, the simplest way to determine if you’re dealing with an ankle sprain or possible fracture is to see how well you can tolerate walking. If you have any doubt as to whether or not you fractured your ankle/foot, I highly suggest seeking medical attention.
REFERENCES
Mugno AT, Constant D. Recurrent Ankle Sprain. [Updated 2021 Aug 11]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560619/
Herman, Lawrence DMSc, MPA, PA-C, DFAAPA. A 20-year perspective on the Ottawa Ankle Rules: Are we still on solid footing?. JAAPA: July 2021 - Volume 34 - Issue 7 - p 15-20 doi: 10.1097/01.JAA.0000753884.37638.da