accelerate ankle sprain recovery

[mmaster]

just sprained my ankle really bad yesterday playing tennis, unfortunately on the same day i receive my 4 demo racquets from TW.
i really want to demo them but i can't put much weight on my ankle.

any tips for speeding up recovery? i've been icing it since the injury and when the swelling dies down more i am thinking about doing hot/cold contrast therapy.

[larry10s]

if you have access to physical therapy ultra sound might help. dont forget antiinflammatories if you are not allergic or have ulcers

[rk_sports]

Depending on your age and the amount of sprain (grade), it will take week to a month!
When I sprained mine real bad, I tried to work it..instead of R.I.C.E (..ya controversial) and it healed in 3 weeks. Not sure if it's for everyone but it included light exercises on the ankle and massaging it with oil and alternating hot/cold water drips.

[J_R_B]

First of all, ask a friggin' doctor, not a message board.

As long as the doctor's advice doesn't conflict with my advice, the swelling should go down in a couple days. When you can put weight on it, get an active ankle brace. With this you should be able to at least go out and hit to test the frames without aggravating the injury.

[Bud]

Originally Posted by J_R_B

...the swelling should go down in a couple days. When you can put weight on it, get an active ankle brace. With this you should be able to at least go out and hit to test the frames without aggravating the injury.

I agree. This is what I did.

The ASO ankle brace works great while recovering.

Check out this thread:
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=283841

[mike53]

Yeah, get a brace and get it on right away. If this is not the first time spraining the ankle, you may want to consider wearing the brace on a regular basis. The ASO model with the plastic stays gives you even better support during the healing period and you can remove them and continue to wear the brace when you're recovered.

[LeeD]

Or you can do like me and sprain my left ankle Sept. '08 and it still is just as bad as a week after I did it. At no time between then and now, was my ankle ever better than it is then....or now.
Just play tennis regularly, windsurf and jump as high as you can, and you might be able to break my record for longest, unhealed sprained ankle..

[J_R_B]

Originally Posted by Bud

I agree. This is what I did.

The ASO ankle brace works great while recovering.

Check out this thread:
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=283841

I did something similar about a month ago. I got the Active Ankle T2 brace. Also works great during recovery. Played a tournament on it last weekend.

[Bud]

Originally Posted by J_R_B

I did something similar about a month ago. I got the Active Ankle T2 brace. Also works great during recovery. Played a tournament on it last weekend.

I initially planned on using both ankle braces permanently after spraining my one ankle. However, I used them until my ankle was back to what felt like 'normal'. Today it's back to about 95% (can still be tender when stretching in certain directions).

Now, when playing, I'm much more careful and selective when quickly changing direction if someone chooses to hit behind me (which is what caused my sprain). I look at defensive play now as picking and choosing my battles, cost/benefit, etc. If I'm way behind in a game or set and given a tough defensive shot, I'll just let it go rather than risking an injury.

[mmaster]

thanks guys... as for the doctor, i'm gonna hold off on that until it seems really bad since i have no insurance and i'm strapped for cash.

it's really bad swelling right now, i have been trying to elevate my foot to no avail. cannot put much weight on it but i am doing my hot/cold therapy right now. i've only sprained the ankle once in HS over a decade ago but i did recently tweak it snowboarding and noticed my foot/ankle would lock up.

[competition]

contrast baths are the best. get 2 buckets, fill one with tons of ice and water and the other with hot water. submerge the foot/ankle in the ice water for about a minute and then do the same thing with the hot water. repeat 5 or 6 times. i've sprained my ankles many times and this is really the best/fastest way I know of. keep the foot elevated too. heres to a quick recovery.

[kiteboard]

Originally Posted by competition

contrast baths are the best. get 2 buckets, fill one with tons of ice and water and the other with hot water. submerge the foot/ankle in the ice water for about a minute and then do the same thing with the hot water. repeat 5 or 6 times. i've sprained my ankles many times and this is really the best/fastest way I know of. keep the foot elevated too. heres to a quick recovery.

Listen to this guy. Also see the chi energy injury thread.

[J_R_B]

Originally Posted by Bud

I initially planned on using both ankle braces permanently after spraining my one ankle. However, I used them until my ankle was back to what felt like 'normal'. Today it's back to about 95% (can still be tender when stretching in certain directions).

Now, when playing, I'm much more careful and selective when quickly changing direction if someone chooses to hit behind me (which is what caused my sprain). I look at defensive play now as picking and choosing my battles, cost/benefit, etc. If I'm way behind in a game or set and given a tough defensive shot, I'll just let it go rather than risking an injury.

I am planning on using the brace until it feels 100% again. It's at about 95% right now. It feels fine, but is still sightly swollen. It did hurt a little last night after I was at the gym running sprints and doing a lot of plyometric jumping, but that was a much harder workout than I normally do so I'm not too worried.

I hurt mine playing against a friend of mine who hits a huge serve. I was standing inside the baseline returning his serve to work on my reaction time on serve returns, and when I jumped out of the way a little on one he hit right at me, I rolled it when I landed and tried to push off at the same time.

[kiteboard]

Rolled mine at work last june 3rd, and played a singles tournament match that night, against a fast black dude, which I lost 4 and 4, and it's never healed yet, even with treatments. Talk about pain, it went all the way over. Ankles are notoriously slow to heal. Even Fed had his in a brace. Would have taken that match, and many more since, but for the ankle.

[charliefedererer]

Originally Posted by mmaster

thanks guys... as for the doctor, i'm gonna hold off on that until it seems really bad since i have no insurance and i'm strapped for cash.

it's really bad swelling right now, i have been trying to elevate my foot to no avail. cannot put much weight on it but i am doing my hot/cold therapy right now. i've only sprained the ankle once in HS over a decade ago but i did recently tweak it snowboarding and noticed my foot/ankle would lock up.

If there is really bad swelling don't play on it real soon!

I know it must be killing you to have those racquets to playtest, but REST is essential. And if you are like most, there is no such thing as real rest for the ankle. Your school or job will keep you doing way too much walking.

If you are lucky enough to have the day off, get your feet up and keep them up. (Up means higher than your heart, or as close to heart level as possible, as that swelling fluid has to drain back into the capillaries and back through the venous system which is gravity dependent.}

Get an ace wrap, and wrap it fairly tight around the ankle. Release it and immediately rewrap it every couple of hours today. By evening you should see real progress in less swelling. But that swelling will come right back if you are up and around without that ace wrap compression (Compression is the C in RICE.)

Stay off it totally again tomorrow with your leg up and the ace wrap, if at all possible.

And during this week resist the temptation to play tennis. View this as an investment for your tennis future. You don't want to blow the whole spring season for a nagging injury. And LeeD was good enough to let us know what happens if we use the typical warrior mentality and just keep playing - ankle pain that never goes away.

[LeeD]

I don't have the "warrior" mentality.
Instead, I'm really old, getting older, so I have to play while I"m only "getting older", not completely old. Completely old is moving like a 60 year old.
Besides, I'm a laborer and gardener, and not much ankle rest there. And windsurfing is my passion, jumping highest of anyone my burden, so no ankle rest.

[charliefedererer]

Originally Posted by LeeD

I don't have the "warrior" mentality.
Instead, I'm really old, getting older, so I have to play while I"m only "getting older", not completely old. Completely old is moving like a 60 year old.
Besides, I'm a laborer and gardener, and not much ankle rest there. And windsurfing is my passion, jumping highest of anyone my burden, so no ankle rest.

Don't have the warrior mentalitity?!!!
It sounds like you are waging war on multiple fronts: work, weeds, wind, a wicked good tennis game, and righting our wretched strokes here on TT!