Loudoun County, Va. — Ankle sprains are a common injury in sports and are a result of excessive stress on either side of the ankle causing excessive motion in the joint. Most commonly, people roll their ankle inward causing the ligaments on the outside of the ankle to stretch, tear or rupture. Some common causes of a sprained ankle might include a fall that causes you to twist your ankle, landing on your foot after jumping or pivoting, walking or running on an uneven surface or someone stepping or landing on your foot.

Symptoms of an ankle sprain

• Pain, especially when you bear weight on the affected foot
• Tenderness when you touch the ankle
• Swelling
• Bruising
• Restricted range of motion (inability to point the foot without pain)
• Instability in the ankle
• Popping sensation or sound at the time of injury

Why is treatment so important?

It is especially important to seek medical attention when you have an ankle sprain if it an injury that limits you in your everyday life or if you have pain with day to day tasks such as walking or going down stairs. Without proper treatment and strengthening you may suffer from chronic ankle pain, ankle joint instability and even arthritis in the ankle joint. It is also important to avoid compensation with other muscles, joints or body parts so that you don’t create another problem at another body site.

How can physical therapy help?

When you schedule an evaluation with a physical therapist, you will receive a thorough assessment of your injury. Your physical therapist will talk to you about what activities you would like to get back to and then prescribe a combination of stretches and exercises that you will learn from our experienced and educated staff that you can duplicate at home. You can expect this combination along with manual therapy techniques to improve your strength and stability.

Note from our sponsor: The staff at Loudoun Sports Therapy Center is committed to helping you achieve your goals. Call LSTC today at, 703-450-4300 to schedule your evaluation!