Balance Physical Therapy

How important is physical therapy in the recovery from a sprained and strained ankle?

I'm 35, healthy, not overweight, female, get good nutrition, have no other medical conditions. Got a grade 2 sprain and a grade 3 strain 2 weeks ago. Now able to walk without crutches or cane while wearing an athlete's brace. (Vinyl, steel reinforced, laces up, and you can wear it inside your shoe.) When I went in for physical therapy evaluation, I was given a piece of paper with 4 very simple, non-weight bearing exercizes I am to do with my injured foot/ankle. 10 reps, 3 times a day each. And I am not to do the exercizes to the point where they cause me pain, but it is okay to do them to the point of discomfort. ('Ankle pumps', 'draw the alphabet with your toe', etc.) I am doing these simple exercizes, and will continue. But how important is it to set up future appointments with physical therapist? She wants me to come in 3 times a week for the next three weeks. Will this really hasten my recovery?

Public Comments

1. Now that you know what to do, I wouldn't go back. Everyone knows it takes longer for a sprain to heal than a break. Do your exercises and soak in epsom salt. Ice it whenever you can. Also, Advil is an anti-inflammatory. It will help with any pain or swelling better than Aleve. You can take Advil every 4 hours unlike Aleve every 12.
2. I'm 38 years old, but at 27 I shattered my left ankle. I had to have pins and a plate put in. The surgeon told me he could tell me what types of exercises to do for therapy but if I didn't do them, he'd send me to therapy. I did them a lot and healed on my own. The most important thing I can share with you is HOW I shatterred my ankle. My ankles are both weak. They are both this way because I played basketball in school and sprained them just like you did, a lot. The problem was, I didn't take the time to let them heal properly so they got weak on me. Whatever you do to avoid going through what I have, make sure you take the time to let it heal properly and get strong again. Mine aren't. They give out all the time and sometimes I am on stairs and this particular time I wasn't holding the rail and one gave out and the other snapped over the step. It was a mess. The pain I went through the day I did it and right after surgery was a 12 on a scale of 10. I had a child and that experience was a 5 out of 10!! I would ask the therapist if the exercises are going to get more difficult, or if they are going to basically be the same. If the same, do them on your own at home, but please keep doing them. I found walking on hills (with the ankle bending forward) were the most theraputic. Best of luck to you. Hope this has helped some.
3. I have a similar situation to that of momof1. Except instead of shattering my ankle, I need surgery (tomorrow) to correct my instability problem. It's going to be pretty extensive and painful. The reason it got so bad is because my ankle was sprained repeatedly, and it never healed right after the sprains. Therapists can evaluate your situation, watch you do your exercises and alter your routine if needed. They can also do electronic stimulation and ultra sound therapy that you can't do at home. I think it's a good idea to go, at least in the beginning so they can monitor your progress. Let your sprains heal, and heal correctly so they do not cause problems for you in the future. Good luck and happy healing!
4. If you are an otherwise, healthy and motivated individual...I would try to set you up with a home exercise program and have you come back once a week to update the program...especially if most of your exercises consist of things you can be doing on your own. However, perhaps there is something your PT saw that requires more frequent reassessment...but you certainly have the right to quesiton it. He/she may simply be going by the physician's order. I work in an office where we see many patient's on an HMO and you quickly learn who really NEEDS to come in and who needs an occasional visit.