Treatments for Sprained Ankle

By Patricia | February 24, 2010

Swelling can be eased in a number of ways. One of the best things to apply to a hurt ankle is tincture of Arnica. Arnica is an herbal extraction from the sunflower family and is considered to be extremely useful in helping to treat all kinds of pains and swellings. You can find it at almost any local pharmacy and it is also not prohibitively expensive so it can fit into any budget. Applying Arnica tincture to your injury about four to six times a day will be extremely helpful in toning down the pain. You can also massage your ankle with warm mustard oil. This oil is considered to be therapeutically useful in dealing with hurt and damaged tendons, ligaments and muscles. Gentle massage with firm strokes can be of great help. Do not press down upon your ankle. Since you do not have an accurate idea about what the exact problem is, you may actually cause more harm than good to your ankle. Apart from this, warm compresses will always be useful in reducing swelling almost anywhere on the body. Do not use cold compresses, even though they will provide immense relief. The thing is that though cold compresses provide relief, they will also lull you into believing things are all right again, and you will end up using your ankle too much.

This brings us to the most important method you need to employ in order to heal well, and that would definitely be complete rest. Stay off your ankles for at least a couple of days and even after it has healed to nearly 90 per cent; you should try not to indulge in any frenetic paced activities that would involve your ankle. Avoid sports completely for at least a fortnight after you have healed. This may seem to be an excessive measure, but it will serve you well in the long run. If you develop a weak ankle once, it will most likely plague you for the rest of your life. So it is better to suffer for a few days by missing out on sports and other activities than to suffer for the rest of your life. Please do keep in mind that sometimes, some joints take a really long time to heal fully. If your muscles and tendons in the ankles are weak, it may take excessively long to heal. Do not assume you will heal as quickly as the next person.

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