You’ve sprained or strained your ankle–so what do you do?
Here is one of the stretches you need to be doing on a daily basis:
- Get a wastebasket that covers your calf, fill it with cold water, and put your sore leg in. Start ‘pumping’ your foot up and down in the water.
- As you do this, add ice, (a couple of hands full at a time), and add more when the ice melts. Repeat this step until the ice stops melting (about 15-20 minutes.) Your leg/calf/foot should be pretty numb by then.
- Dry your leg off and get to a step. With the ‘ball’ of your sore foot/ankle on the step drop your heel until–and only until you feel tension–stop, breath, relax and wait for the tension to completely let go–then drop your heel again and repeat the process.
There is no time limit–your body will decide how quickly your calf/heel cord will release.
- When you’re done with this release, put your running shoe on and roll your ankle to the outside. Follow the same protocol as you did with the heel cord. n
- When you’re done with that, do the same to the inside of the foot.
This stretch is gradually releasing the muscle and fascia that attach to the ankle because almost always they are the problem and the ankle is the symptom!
If this doesn’t completely take care of the problem, call us and get in to see ASAP at one of our locations.
The sooner you get treatment the quicker you can be back on the field or court. Many clients with grade 1 & 2 sprains have been able to get back to their sport the next day–some even the same day–so don’t delay! The longer movement is restricted the longer it may take to get back to 100%.
We understand that this is not what “the Book” says–but the hundreds of athletes we’ve gotten back playing in days instead of weeks.