Sprained Ankle in USTA

Crusher10s

Crusher10s

Rookie
So last night I was playing a mixed USTA match and jumped up and hit an overhead (I admit I was showboating a little) and came down on my right ankle...bad sprain but nothing broken...first time it's ever happened...


So here's the question: I need to know the absolute best and quickest home therapy regimen I can get on that will have me back in action sans pain and/or swelling within 1 week...



P.S. If it matters I'm female


Come on TTers I need some serious help with this....
 
goober

goober

Legend
It depends how bad was your sprain. If you actually tore ligaments, you are not playing in a week no matter what you do.
 
Crusher10s

Crusher10s

Rookie
Looked at an Ortho website and according to their criteria, I have a Grade II sprain...which means no ligaments are torn
 
Spokewench

Spokewench

Semi-Pro
Go see the doctor; ice, rest, elevation. You probably will not be sans swelling or pain if you go back in one week.
 
Crusher10s

Crusher10s

Rookie
Let me clarify the Grade II criteria...says I have partial tearing but not a complete tear in the ligaments...
 
J

J_R_B

Hall of Fame
goober said:
you might be walking but you won't be playing tennis. Typical healing time, to the point where you could probably play competitive tennis, for grade 2 sprains is 4-8 weeks depending on how your rehab goes and how old you are (older=slower healing times).
Click to expand...

No, there is hope. When I played you, I had a Grade II sprain that I had just (re-)injured 2 days earlier. I originally injured it in January, 2010. It got huge and all black & blue and bloody inside due to the ligament tear. When I came to AZ in March 2010, it was ~75% healed and I had been playing for about 3 weeks. On the first night we were there (on a Saturday evening), I was playing soccer with my son (in running shoes with a beer without my brace...) in a friend's back yard when I stepped in a hole and rolled it again. It was clearly re-torn because it got all swollen and black and blue again. We played on Tuesday morning, and I played fine (with maybe a little limited mobility), although it was still black and blue and nasty looking. It wasn't really fully healed until May 2011, though, and I still wear a soft brace on it to prevent roling again.

The keys to get back quickly is:

1. Reduce swelling - ice, compression, elevation, and NSAIDs (i.e. Motrin)
2. Pain tolerance - again, hit the motrin...
3. Stabilization - if you have access to a sports trainer, get your ankle professionally taped. Use a brace; I used the active ankle brace:

http://supports4less.com/activeankle/anklebraces/active-ankle.gif

Good luck.
 
Fuji

Fuji

Legend
J_R_B said:
No, there is hope. When I played you, I had a Grade II sprain that I had just (re-)injured 2 days earlier. I originally injured it in January, 2010. It got huge and all black & blue and bloody inside due to the ligament tear. When I came to AZ in March 2010, it was ~75% healed and I had been playing for about 3 weeks. On the first night we were there (on a Saturday evening), I was playing soccer with my son (in running shoes with a beer without my brace...) in a friend's back yard when I stepped in a hole and rolled it again. It was clearly re-torn because it got all swollen and black and blue again. We played on Tuesday morning, and I played fine (with maybe a little limited mobility), although it was still black and blue and nasty looking. It wasn't really fully healed until May 2011, though, and I still wear a soft brace on it to prevent roling again.

The keys to get back quickly is:

1. Reduce swelling - ice, compression, elevation, and NSAIDs (i.e. Motrin)
2. Pain tolerance - again, hit the motrin...
3. Stabilization - if you have access to a sports trainer, get your ankle professionally taped. Use a brace; I used the active ankle brace:

http://supports4less.com/activeankle/anklebraces/active-ankle.gif

Good luck.
Click to expand...

Braces are your friends, along with ice and compression. I've done the same thing at work, and it was brutal. Needless to say, my job is 95% on my feet, so I had to make it work. Mine was solid again in around a month, maybe a bit longer; but it's not too bad after the first week or so. Just lots of compression and some good rest in the evening really helps.

Good luck, it's not a fun injury!

-Fuji
 
goober

goober

Legend
J_R_B said:
No, there is hope. When I played you, I had a Grade II sprain that I had just (re-)injured 2 days earlier. I originally injured it in January, 2010. It got huge and all black & blue and bloody inside due to the ligament tear. When I came to AZ in March 2010, it was ~75% healed and I had been playing for about 3 weeks. On the first night we were there (on a Saturday evening), I was playing soccer with my son (in running shoes with a beer without my brace...) in a friend's back yard when I stepped in a hole and rolled it again. It was clearly re-torn because it got all swollen and black and blue again. We played on Tuesday morning, and I played fine (with maybe a little limited mobility), although it was still black and blue and nasty looking. It wasn't really fully healed until May 2011, though, and I still wear a soft brace on it to prevent roling again.

.
Click to expand...

Hmm your original injury was in January and you were 75% healed in March? That doesn't sound very hopeful to me! I am going to guess that your reinjury was not that bad if you were able to play on it 3 days later. IMO Rushing back from injury is usually not a good thing in general. You might get away with it in some instances but you could regret in many instances as well so why chance it? Almost all of my issues that developed into chronic injuries that caused problems for months and months- came about because I rushed back on to the court before I was completely healed. Maybe I am just getting old...
 
J

J_R_B

Hall of Fame
goober said:
Hmm your original injury was in January and you were 75% healed in March? That doesn't sound very hopeful to me! I am going to guess that your reinjury was not that bad if you were able to play on it 3 days later. IMO Rushing back from injury is usually not a good thing in general. You might get away with it in some instances but you could regret in many instances as well so why chance it? Almost all of my issues that developed into chronic injuries that caused problems for months and months- came about because I rushed back on to the court before I was completely healed. Maybe I am just getting old...
Click to expand...

The re-injury looked as bad as the original. It was swollen and black and blue and bleeding on the inside all over again. I don't know for sure how severe it actually was because I never got it checked the second time. It was definitely only 75% healed after 2 months, but I had been playing on it with a brace for weeks before that. If you want to play on it before it is completely healed, the issues are whether it is stable enough with a brace/taping and whether you can tolerate the pain.

Why chance it? It depends on how stupid you are and how much you want to play (for me - it's "very stupid" and "I really want to play"...). It sounds like this is an important match for the OP. If I were giving advice, I'd say "don't play on it", but the OP's question was not "should I play on it?", it was "how can I play on it?".
 
D

dizzlmcwizzl

Hall of Fame
JRB's post about the Active Ankle is helpful ... played with them for years while I was volleyballing ... and nothing tears up your ankles like volleyball.

About recovery ... there was a time when I was playing with guys that often sprained their ankles but were able to recover fairly quickly. But they were young, fit, and had access to trainers.

It seems to me that every single time I went to a doctor (and physical theropy) I recovered better and more quickly than when I try to "wing" it myself. Every time I dont go to the doctor I wish that I had.

Finally, I was talking to a doctor recently that suggested physical theropy is most helpful for the long term. That without propper streching and repair that scar tissue develops where the injury was and reduces flexibility for the future making re-injury more likely.
 
N

Nellie

Hall of Fame
If you can go to a physical therapist and get ultrasound treatment, you could heal in the week sufficiently to play (if you taped your ankle).
 
L

LeeD

Bionic Poster
"evidence to help you"....
I sprained my ankle Sept. '08.
I still can't jog, run, skip, hop, or do ONE ankle raise onto my toes.
Does that help you?
 
T

tennis tom

Legend
The first time I sprained my ankle was the worst, it took a year for it to completley heal to the point I couldn't remember which ankle it was. It was duirng a tournament. I won my match and had to play another one that afternoon. I soaked it in the hot-tub between matches (this was many years ago before the invention of ice). I went to an orthopedist the next day and he wrapped it in a Koban form of ace bandage. I think I couldn't play for a few weeks, it was so long ago I'm fuzzy on the details. Then I discovered trainer's tape. It's what they use on pro-athletes to immobilize ankles and get them back on the field. So, if you must play, learn how to apply trainer's tape for the event and then remove it after. It's cheap and you get it at any pharmacy. You get the white adhesive tape and a foam tape to put underneath it to keep it from sticking to the skin. Playing a match right after I did it was probably why it took so long for mine to heal completely. You may need someone to show you how to apply it like a trainer.
 
Crusher10s

Crusher10s

Rookie
LeeD said:
"evidence to help you"....
I sprained my ankle Sept. '08.
I still can't jog, run, skip, hop, or do ONE ankle raise onto my toes.
Does that help you?
Click to expand...



"A reply to enlighten you":

If I was your age, I would expect a similar result...
 
S

Sakkijarvi

Semi-Pro
Get pre-wrap and tape. Google how to tape the ankle or better yet, have someone show you how. Even with a bad sprain you can be back on the court in a week, taped.
 
goran_ace

goran_ace

Hall of Fame
Rest Ice Compression Elevation (and Advil/Aleve). Stay off your feet as much as possible over the next 48 hours. You shouldn't be playing in a week no matter what, but if you take care of it immediately you can cut down how many weeks it takes for you to get back. It can make the difference between being out 2-3 weeks and being out of action 5-6 weeks.
 
B

blakesq

Hall of Fame
I have heard that a sprain hurts more than a broken ankle. If the pain is bothering you, just go ahead and break the ankle to reduce the pain. :)
 
Larrysümmers

Larrysümmers

Hall of Fame
i did the same thing april of '10. i didnt have any swelling but it hurt really bad. even now it still randomly throbs, and when it is about to storm bad i am the first to know about it. i only missed one practice but i was determined to play.
my best advise is to take it easy, and buy an ace ankle brace. i got mine at wall-greens for $20
 
M

Mike Hodge

Rookie
Cold pool therapy. My gym has a cold pool. It's been a god-send. I go back and forth between cold and warm. Really helps with the inflammation.
 
Jim A

Jim A

Professional
doubt you will be ready to really plan on it in a week's time.

However if you aren't consistently taking things like Advil right off the bat you are way behind the curve. When I first sprain the ankle I'm taking 4 every 8 hours or so for the first day. Not the best thing but its short term.

Lots of water, stay hydrated and ice the hell out of it. Typically keep it elevated (which means above the heart not just in the air). I was doing 15min on/5 min off, had my foot in a zip loc bag and just was surround it with bags of ice

Also had a really old foot massager that just vibrated like hell and once I got through the first couple days, would to that for 10min on and 5min off and just put my heel on it . It seemed to really get all the swelling out and once I could get my foot into my hockey skate, was good to go. Of course when I even sneeze the wrong way nowadays I run the risk of spraining it :) since I rushed back too many times in the past
 
T

tennis tom

Legend
I disagree on the tape losing it's integrity, I've used trainer's tape to immobilize my own sprained ankles numerous times and it stays tight. It's meant to be used once and then cut off and reapplied before each event. I've observed PT/trainer's apply it immediately after an injury to keep pro athletes in the game. I've never seen a PT/trainer apply one of those lace-up devices immediately after an injury, although I've seen players wearing them for some support until an injury completely heals. I've never worn one of those lace-ups myself but can't imagine they would provide more support and immobilize a sprained ankle as well as taping it. If anyone is an expert and knows the pros/cons of taping versus the lace support device please chime in.
 
S

spot

Hall of Fame
tennis tom- every study I have ever seen has shown that ankle braces are more effective than taping even when the taping is done by a professional trainer. For someone learning how to do it on the internet it isn't even close. I've read before that because of sweat that the effectiveness of tape goes down dramatically after 20 minutes. Personally I'd say don't waste your time taping your ankles and just get a lace up ankle brace.

I've both worn ankle braces and been taped by a professional. To me it isn't even close- the braces provide FAR more support.
 
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S

Sakkijarvi

Semi-Pro
You can use both tape and a brace. Tape can become, literally, a cast if properly applied. But there is no reason you can't tape and go with a brace over the tape.
 
O

okaythen

New User
hi guys about a month ago when I was playing tennis, I was going one way (side way in baseline) and the last min I saw the ball went the other way so I changed direction at the last min and sprained my ankle a little bit. It only hurt a little bit so I kept on playing...it was ok the rest of the day. The next time I played tennis it was ok too, didn't hurt at all. But ever since then it will hurt at weird positions, like when I walk, or run, or just doing casual things and moving my ankle....I think at weird angle it will hurt. It doesn't hurt a lot but it's been a month and pain doesn't diminish when I do get it, maybe 10% less painful since then. So is it something serious should I get someone to look at it? or just rest? Ever since the injury I play tennis almost every other day. (never hurt during playing) I used jogging shoe when injury happened but I am using proper shoes now. not sure if jogging shoes caused the little sprained ankle. So any tips guys? thanks in advance
 
M

Maui19

Hall of Fame
The very best thing you can do, IME, on a new injury is apply ice: 20 minutes on, then let the area return to normal temp. Then again. And again. 3 cycles of this 4 times a day, and you will limit the damage.

The other thing is to prevent any motion/action that results in pain. IMO if you let it hurt, you are furthering the damage.

RICE is also an important part of recovery.

When I follow this advice, I recover remarkably quickly--even since becoming a geezer.

Good luck--injuries suck.
 
J

johndagolfer

Professional
mmk said:
Rush coming back from a Grade II and you risk having a Grade III. And those are not fun.
Click to expand...

Definitely do not rush! That's why my ankle sprain from March lasted almost 7 months. I was always on the court either coaching or trying to hit.

They keys that eventually aided in my recovery was completely shutting down my ankle for almost 6 weeks coupled with heat massage followed by ice treatments.
 
T

tennis tom

Legend
okaythen said:
...sprained my ankle a little bit.

...It only hurt a little bit so I kept on playing...it was ok the rest of the day.

...The next time I played tennis it was ok too, didn't hurt at all.

...But ever since then it will hurt at weird positions, like when I walk, or run, or just doing casual things and moving my ankle....I think at weird angle it will hurt.
Click to expand...

As you've learned don't use jogging shoes for tennis, they don't provide lateral support.

Your ankle doesn't hurt when you play tennis--the answer is obvious, don't do anything but play tennis--problem solved. Whenever it hurts go play tennis.

It doesn't sound like you hurt yourself very badly the first time. I've had severe ankle sprains and everything else in-between, it's not that big a deal. Your body will tell you when it's time to lay off.

It sounds like your mindbody is using your minor injury as a means of distraction from emotional issues when you are not totally absorbed by the great game of tennis. I recommend reading books by Dr. John E. Sarno, MD, if you're interested in learning more about this fascinating topic. It will help you overcome a lot of minor aches, and pains before they become chronic. The good doctor has helped me a lot in that regard.

If you get a severe ankle sprain and need to keep playing, use trainer's tape. This is what is done for a sprained ankle in pro-sports every time, as you can see on TV. For support for your other activities, use a Koban type of Ace Bandage, it'll give you enough support for the activities you mentioned outside of tennis.

G'luck
 
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S

samarai

Semi-Pro
RICE for 24-48 hours or until the swelling goes down. Once it does see if you can put any pressure on it. If you can go through some mobilization exercises or stretches for a day. If no pain start with some light ankle exercises for a day. If no pain get up and walk for for 5 or 10 mins. If no pain then next day try to jog a little. Still no pain add some more aerobic exercises, jump rope running side to side on courts to increase intensity. By day 7 u will know if I are ready or not.
 
SwankPeRFection

SwankPeRFection

Hall of Fame
No offense, but if it was a bad one, you won't be playing in 1 week. You will need a minimum of 3-4 weeks if you push it and then you'll be playing with some limited mobility and/or slight pain and you'll be wearing a brace on it. If you look at your ankle, you will have a swelling part that will not match in circumference to your other ankle. That will not go away for about 6 or so months, especially if you play on it before it's fully healed. People and doctors will say 6 weeks to be off of it, but it's tough if you're a daily player like I am. Bottom line, be prepared to pull your hair out because you can't go play.

It's happened to me twice and both times was my left ankle. First time was 2 days before having to go to state. Ended up doping up on ibuprofen and taping it and just playing on it. Second time was more severe and was in a soft cast/brace for a couple of weeks and off of it for 4 or so weeks (i.e. no tennis). I was off of it for 1 week easy (no driving cuz I drive stick). After 4-5 weeks, I started playing again with a brace on both sides just to be safe. After 6 months I have full mobility in it again, but I don't trust it without my braces. I'll be wearing them from now on no matter what. ASO EVOs to the rescue.

Hope you get better.
 
db10s

db10s

Hall of Fame
SwankPeRFection said:
No offense, but if it was a bad one, you won't be playing in 1 week. You will need a minimum of 3-4 weeks if you push it and then you'll be playing with some limited mobility and/or slight pain and you'll be wearing a brace on it. If you look at your ankle, you will have a swelling part that will not match in circumference to your other ankle. That will not go away for about 6 or so months, especially if you play on it before it's fully healed. People and doctors will say 6 weeks to be off of it, but it's tough if you're a daily player like I am. Bottom line, be prepared to pull your hair out because you can't go play.

It's happened to me twice and both times was my left ankle. First time was 2 days before having to go to state. Ended up doping up on ibuprofen and taping it and just playing on it. Second time was more severe and was in a soft cast/brace for a couple of weeks and off of it for 4 or so weeks (i.e. no tennis). I was off of it for 1 week easy (no driving cuz I drive stick). After 4-5 weeks, I started playing again with a brace on both sides just to be safe. After 6 months I have full mobility in it again, but I don't trust it without my braces. I'll be wearing them from now on no matter what. ASO EVOs to the rescue.

Hope you get better.
Click to expand...

Agreed, and you don't want to reinjure it.

OT:What car? Stick shift FTW.
 
Turbo-87

Turbo-87

G.O.A.T.
mmk said:
Rush coming back from a Grade II and you risk having a Grade III. And those are not fun.
Click to expand...

I have to agree here! I have had a grade iii and you REALLY do not want that. You'll be out of it for a good long time if you get worse.
 
Turbo-87

Turbo-87

G.O.A.T.
okaythen said:
guys so how do you prevent sprained ankle? any tips?
Click to expand...

Sprains are the result of unfortunate circumstances, such as jumping to spike a volleyball and landing of a team-mate's foot. Stepping in a hole in the outfield while running down a fly ball. Catching the edge of your shoe on a new sticky gym floor, thus rolling over your ankle. Yes, all of these happened to me. :)

If you are really worried about getting a sprain, all you can really do is wear a light brace but that doesn't guarantee anything at all. You can't really consider a brace protective equipment. The unfortunate thing about severe sprains is that you never really fully recover from them. The ankle will stay "loose" and be more suceptible to sprains moving forward. I wore a brace for a full year after the ankle had healed just for peace of mind. It is still loose and I know it is not as stable as it used to be. I just live with it. Every now and then I will slightly roll it at times when I think it shouldn't give and say, "man, that was close."

I guess I am trying to say there is no way to prevent a sprain aside from not putting yourself in situations where it could happen. It all depends on circumstances and the fitness of your ankles. :) You could try braces as a preventative measure, but who wants to spend all that time gearing up for a sport? Not me.

I never wanted to be one of those bionic players who has a knee brace, an elbow brace, etc. just to play a sport.
 
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T

tennis tom

Legend
Watching AO, Serena went down playing against Gallovits-Hall, trainer came out and cut off the tape she went out there with, which looked like the Coban type and retaped her with trainer's tape.

I'm watching Serena play Paveluchunkooovoa (?) in the Brisbane finals: Serena is wearing tape on both ankles for prevention & some support.

This style: http://www.rehabmart.com/product/coban-self-adherent-tape-5246.html

She's not using trainer's tape in this instance because she does not need to immobilize it to that degree.

BTW, it's nice to Ash Harkleroad commentating, her voice is so sweet and she has good insights because she's been there--hearing her just wants me to google her Playboy layout--which I'll now do.
 
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T

tennis tom

Legend
One more time on the ankle : AO : Azarenka v Li Na : And DOWN goes LiNa--not too badly, BTW. Chrissie Ev says "she's not taped" indicating LN has not had prior sprain, otherwise it would have been TAPED--don't ask me why the Scot kid wears those braces, probably came with the kilts. Good demo of how to tape by the trrainer girl when she got her hair out of the shot.

Anyone know ? what the trainer sprayed on the skin ? and if the square white gauze pads had some stuff on them like pain killers ? before putting the non-stick brown under-wrap on then the white trainer's tape--I want to get some of that stuff for my bag-check
 
O

okaythen

New User
yup saw that match, she still won the 2nd set after the injury. but got injured again in 3rd and lost the match. you guys think she prolly will win it if she didn't sprain her ankle?

exactly the same thing happened to me, I was going back to the center, and my opponent saw that and hit behind me and I changed direction, and sprained my ankle. didn't really hurt that much so I kept on playing for another 2 hours. it was totally fine. but ever since when I hit a wrong angle or something it would hurt. it's been 2 months now.

So how to prevent this from happening? anyone?
 
mmk

mmk

Hall of Fame
tennis tom said:
One more time on the ankle : AO : Azarenka v Li Na : And DOWN goes LiNa--not too badly, BTW. Chrissie Ev says "she's not taped" indicating LN has not had prior sprain, otherwise it would have been TAPED--don't ask me why the Scot kid wears those braces, probably came with the kilts. Good demo of how to tape by the trrainer girl when she got her hair out of the shot.

Anyone know ? what the trainer sprayed on the skin ? and if the square white gauze pads had some stuff on them like pain killers ? before putting the non-stick brown under-wrap on then the white trainer's tape--I want to get some of that stuff for my bag-check
Click to expand...

It is likely Tuff Skin athletic spray by Cramer
 
T

tennis tom

Legend
okaythen said:
yup saw that match, she still won the 2nd set after the injury. but got injured again in 3rd and lost the match. you guys think she prolly will win it if she didn't sprain her ankle?

exactly the same thing happened to me, I was going back to the center, and my opponent saw that and hit behind me and I changed direction, and sprained my ankle. didn't really hurt that much so I kept on playing for another 2 hours. it was totally fine. but ever since when I hit a wrong angle or something it would hurt. it's been 2 months now.

So how to prevent this from happening? anyone?
Click to expand...

Took me a year after my first and worst to not be able to remember which one it was, but after that she's good as new--the BODY IS STRONG--the mind is weak. After the acute phase--immediately after the injury--a few days after--to two weeks after, and the ecomosis and swelling has subsided, I like that Koban type of Ace bandage for some variable support without the bulk of the ACE type. You can adjust the tightness to your needs. An ortho surgeon put it on after my worst and that's how I discovered it many years ago, now you can find it anywhere like Safeway or RiteAid.
 
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