Home Remedies For Ankle Pain
Ankle pain is referring, basically to pain experienced in the bones, ligaments or tendons surrounding the ankle joint. This is basically caused by two factors: sprains in the ankle or a couple of varieties of arthritis that exist in the medical world.
Achilles tendinitis, Achilles tendon rupture, avulsion fracture, broken foot, bursitis which is joint inflammation, gout which is arthritis related to excess uric acid, osteoarthritis which is a disease causing the breakdown of joints in the ankle, osteochondritis dissecans, plantar fasciitis, pseudogout, psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis which is inflammatory joint disease, septic arthritis, sprained ankle, stress fractures, tarsal tunnel syndrome, and many others could be regarded as the causative agents of ankle pain. The causes mentioned here are commonly associated with this symptom. Work with your doctor or other health care professional for an accurate diagnosis.
Going by a small study carried out by the National University of Health Services (NUHS), the most common cause of ankle pains or injuries is sustaining an ankle sprain. Which based on their values accounts for about 85% of the total causes of all ankle injuries. Although anyone can experience ankle pain, it is very common in athletes and in the active men under the age of 24. It is more prevalent in those around the age of over 30 for women.
A sprain, also known as a torn ligament according to Wikipedia, is damage done to one or more ligaments in a joint, often caused by trauma or the joint being taken beyond its functional range of motion. The severity of sprain ranges from a minor injury which resolves in a few days to a major rupture of one or more ligaments requiring surgical fixation and a period of immobilization. Sprains can occur in any joint but are most common in the ankle and wrist.
Home Remedies for Ankle Pain
Severe cases of ankle pains may need orthopedic surgery, which usually involves repairing with a plate and screws. These stabilizing devices play a very good role in aligning your ankle bones back in shape. After a long period of keeping the ankle steady and immobile, physical therapy exercises for an ankle sprain focus on bringing back ankle flexibility and strength. The very good news about ankle pain is that since the major cause of ankle pain is a sprain, it can and is usually healed through home remedies – quite effectively.
Home-based self-care procedures for ankle pain
When the healing process just kicks off, there are therapy exercises that must be taken with the aim of reducing the swellings that come with the pains.
According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), flexibility maneuvers better known as Ankle Pumps could help in this case.
Lie down on your back or if you can, sit upright with legs extended fully. Without hurry or great pressure, try bending your feet or ankles towards your direction – keep this going until you begin to feel a bit of uneasiness in your ankles and calf muscles.
Then do the same in the opposite direction as it is in pressing down the gas pedal in your car. Try this for about 10-15 times for the ankle experiencing any pains. Take time to relax for a little while and repeat the whole process all over again.
Strengthen the muscles around the ankle
These are the muscles that support the ankle joint, and keeping them in good shape could do a lot of good for healing the entire ankle, as they also play key roles in determining the flexibility of the ankle joint.
You could use anything from a bed to a cushion or sofa someone holding your feet gently for you. Using a bed or cushion you could stand and place the inner part of your injured foot against the bottom of the cushion. Create some tension in the foot by pressing the foot into the cushion for as long as you can, and then release. Then maybe after a while of resting the foot, you could repeat the process again.
Caress the joints with a warm towel
Freeing up the muscles sort of determines how quickly the ankle regains its normal shape. Stretching the muscles is generally a good thing even when it’s not for a bad ankle. on a mat, you could sit with your legs spread outward and roughly straight. Like a cowboy does with a rope, wrap the sole of the injured foot about the towel and pull it gently until you begin to feel the drag in your calf. Do this for about 20 seconds and let go, rest for some time and then repeat the process.
Use water as another way of flexing your angle
Place your back on the poolside with chest-deep warm water while either sitting or standing on a step. Begin to do some ankle cycling in the water. Gently and slowly start moving your injured-side foot and ankle in a circular direction be it clockwise or anti-clockwise – depending on the foot. Let this happen for about 10 seconds and rest then probably repeat the process. This particular practice is recommended by the University of Washington Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine Department.
Use of compression socks
You should find them in any local drug or grocery store around you. These socks help in providing pain relief and prevent fluid collection in your legs, ankles, and feet in general. So vividly they do a lot of good to the ankles as well.
Make sure to rest the ankle and leg affected
Do not allow the affected leg to do any strain-prone activities like lifting heavy loads and also make sure that your leg rests completely in order to relieve ankle pain and promote quick healing.
Try icing your ankle
The mention here shouldn’t sound strange, as you must have used ice to press down the swellings from an injury of some sort. Definitely, this method works well for ankle pains as well. This should be especially from the onset of the injury.
Keep your ankles high
Raise the affected ankle above heart level. Elevation can reduce swelling and may also do some pain relief.
Use pain relievers and analgesics
If you are in a lot of pain or are experiencing some swelling, consider over-the-counter pain medications, which can reduce pain and swelling. Analgesics are common medications used to relieve ankle pain from arthritis and sprains or other injuries.
There are a lot of other methods or practices used to remedy ankle pains, but definitely, these here have also proven to work. But if somehow the pains and swellings persist, a good option would be to see a certified physician for further analysis.