Is walking a good or bad way to rehab a sprained ankle?
According to the American Academy for Orthopedic Surgeons, walking is BAD BAD BAD for a sprained ankle. The old wives tale that says “walk it off” is incorrect. Instead, they recommend the following 4 actions: 1. Rest your ankle by not walking on it. 2. Ice should be immediately applied. It keeps the swelling down. It can be used for 20 minutes to 30 minutes, three or four times daily. Combine ice with wrapping to decrease swelling, pain and dysfunction. 3. Compression dressings, bandages or ace-wraps immobilize and support the injured ankle. 4. Elevate your ankle above your heart level for 48 hours. They state that sprained ankles heal in three phases: Phase 1 includes resting, protecting the ankle and reducing the swelling (one week). Phase 2 includes restoring range of motion, strength and flexibility (one week to two weeks). Phase 3 includes gradually returning to activities that do not require turning or twisting the ankle and doing maintenance exercises. This will be followed lat
