Ankle Sprain Symptoms and Treatment
What’s the best brace to help recover from an ankle sprain?
BioSkin has several great brace options for helping sprained ankles heal. Our recommended products are the Premium Compression Ankle Brace, Premium Compression Ankle Brace - Wraparound, and TriLok Ankle Brace. Let’s examine what it actually means to sprain your ankle, and then we’ll look at which brace is best for your needs.
What does it mean to sprain your ankle?
Ankle sprains refer to the damaging of any ligaments in the ankle joint. The most common type of ankle sprain occurs when the ankle rolls outward, also known as an inversion sprain, due to the bone structure of the joint. This means the outer ligaments are most commonly injured during an ankle sprain.
What are the symptoms of an ankle sprain?
There are three grade levels of ankle sprains to describe the level of severity of the injury.
Grade I refers to the stretching or slight tearing of the ankle ligaments and will result in mild tenderness and possible swelling.
Grade II is a more severe sprain of the ligaments and will cause moderate pain, swelling, and possible bruising and difficulty walking.
Grade III occurs when there is a complete tear in the ankle ligaments and will cause severe pain, swelling, bruising, and difficulty walking.
What are the recovery steps following an ankle sprain?
Immediately following an ankle sprain, it is best to follow the R.I.C.E. protocol. Rest, ice, compression, and elevation. We recommend our Premium Compression Ankle Braces during this time for the compression and supportive straps used to protect the joint from swelling and unwanted motion.
If you have severe swelling, choose the Premium Compression Ankle Brace - Wraparound (dorsal closure) as this brace is easy to adjust as the swelling goes down. Choose the Premium Compression Ankle Brace for mild to moderate swelling as the added compression will help with pain and swelling.
Once it is time to return to activity, we recommend our TriLok Ankle Brace for extra support and stabilization. When returning to activity following an ankle sprain, it is extremely common to reinjure the joint due to the weakened state of the supportive tendons and ligaments in the joint. Ankle braces help provide an extra layer of support and stabilization during this rehabilitation period.
