Soccer Ankle Sprains
If you’re a soccer player, you need to know how to prevent and treat ankle sprains, which are an incredibly prevalent injury among soccer plays. If you or a loved one has a sprained ankle, we recommend receiving physical therapy near Farmingdale and Massapequa at Park Physical Therapy.
Types of Ankle Sprains
There are two primary types of ankle sprains:
- Lateral: This is an injury to the ligaments on the outside of your ankle.
- Medial: An injury to the ligaments inside your ankle. This type of sprain is often associated with broken bones within your ankle or fibula.
For both lateral and medial sprains, there are 3 degrees that physical therapists use to evaluate the sprain’s severity.
- 1st Degree: These sprains involve minimal swelling and tenderness in specific points on the ankle. With a first degree sprain, you shouldn’t have any difficulty with things like hopping, and limping is uncommon. The average recovery time is 2 to 10 days.
- 2nd Degree: This includes more swelling specifically around the ankle and often involves a visible limp. If you have a 2nd degree sprain, running or hopping will be very difficult and painful. The average recovery time is 10 to 30 days.
- 3rd Degree :This is the most severe form of an ankle sprain. Here, the ankle is visibly swollen and tender. If you’ve experienced a 3rd degree ankle sprain, you’ll be unable to put any weight on the ankle. The average recovery time is 10 to 30 days.
Recovery and Treatment
Luckily, our comprehensive physical therapy near Farmingdale offers plenty of exercises and treatments to help you get back in the game. Any of the following treatments might help you:
- Heat and Stimulation: Your physical therapist will apply both heat and low electrical currents to your ankle to speed up recovery.
- Alphabet Ankles: This involves slowly writing out each letter in the alphabet with your injured ankle in order to increase your range of motion and relieve swelling. This should be done several times a day.
- Ankle Rolling Seesaw: In this therapy, the foot is placed on a wooden board with a rolling ball on at the bottom. You manipulate the board by rolling your ankle back and forth; and pointing and flexing your foot.
- Massage: Your physical therapist may give your ankle a gentle massage to relieve pain and reduce swelling.
Preventing Ankle Sprains
The best treatment for ankle sprains is, of course, to avoid ankle sprains. Follow these simple tips to keep your feet and ankles protected going forward:
- Proper Footwear: Improper footwear is a common cause of ankle injury. Consult with your doctor to make sure you’re choosing the best shoes for you.
- Ankle Taping: Though many only do this after an injury, wrapping your ankle in athletic tape during practice and games can prevent you from rolling it, so you can keep playing the game you love.
- Warming Up: Never skip your warm up before practice and games! This keeps your body overwhelmed by rigorous running to help protect you from injury.
If you are a soccer player that has experienced a sprained ankle, contact us today to receive life-changing physical therapy near Farmingdale!
