Everybody has rolled their ankle at some point in their lives. Those who are active and participate in sports can be more prone to this due to the stress our ankles take with side-to-side motion. Ankle sprains are one of the more common lower extremity injuries that occur and there are several different treatment options based on the severity and mechanism of injury.

                When it comes to ankle sprains, it is best to be evaluated by a foot and ankle specialist such as Dr. Nelson, sooner rather than later. This is because a severe sprain could in fact be a fracture. This is an acute issue that will likely need surgical intervention to fix and heal properly. If radiographs rule out a fracture, there still could be some tendon or ligament damage that will need to be addressed. If this is the case and is left untreated, could lead to chronic ankle instability and post-traumatic arthritis of the ankle.

                If you are fortunate enough to not have any anatomical damage, proper management of the acute swelling and healing phase is still necessary to get you back on your feet in the quickest time possible.