Ankle Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation: Facts, Myths, and Expert Tips for Stronger Joints

Ankle injuries can happen to anyone, but people who are most at risk for ankle injuries are those who participate in indoor “court sports” like basketball and volleyball.  The bad news about ankle sprains is that, after the first one, the rate of recurrence can be fairly high.  The good news is, though, that this is also highly preventable! 

The reason the rate of reinjury is high is because a majority of people do not seek care for their ankle sprain.

The most common type of ankle sprain happens when your toes are pointed down and in towards your midline.  These injuries can either be contact (landing on someone’s foot) or non-contact (catching your toes on the ground when running).  It is not uncommon to get some significant swelling or even bruising along the outside of your ankle immediately or within a couple hours of the injury.  A common myth is that RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) is the gold standard for treating an ankle injury in the first couple of days but research is showing that early mobility ALONG with ice has better long term results than RICE alone. 

Your PT can help to identify deficits that either led to the ankle injury or are a result of the ankle injury and collaborate with you to find the right exercises specifically for you and your goals.  In the meantime, there is good research on using lace-up ankle braces to prevent future injuries.  There is not significant evidence that wearing ankle braces during games decreases the inherent strength of the ankle as long as you are actively strengthening the ankles and hips.