Recovering from an Ankle Sprain
Recovering from an Ankle Sprain
Spraining your ankle can hurt and take a long time to heal. The first step is to rest. Then you have to gently move the ankle and get some weight back onto it. After that, people often forget one of the most important parts or recovering from an ankle sprain.
What is the most overlooked exercise when recovering from an ankle sprain?
Balancing!
When you sprain your ankle, your rip the fibres of the ligaments that hold the bones together. This hurts! But you also rip and ruin the nerves that are part of that ligament. Because of this, your brain has a much greater ability to know what the ankle is doing (not a bad thing when it hurts so much! but it does become a problem when you want to walk again!).
Once you have sprained your ankle once, you are most likely going to continue spraining it unfortunately. It is more unstable than it was before, but your brain also has more difficulty knowing where it is in space.
The brain’s ability to sense where you are in space is called proprioception.
How can a Chiropractor help me improve my proprioception?
As a Chiropractor, my goal is to help people connect their brain to their body. By adjusting the ankle, I can stimulate the proprioceptive input and help the brain / body connection. I use contact points that are not sensitive in order to help the healing process and not interfere with it. I use an Activator adjusting instrument when doing this.
How can I improve my proprioception?
The best way that you can improve your proprioception in your ankle is to practice balancing on it! Make sure there is no pain when practicing this balancing act. Once you are pain free standing on your ankle, practice your balance constantly! Build up to wobbly surfaces and uneven ones. Practice in the different types of shoes you wear, as well as bare feet!
With all of your practice, you will help your brain become much more connected to your ankle. This is very important now that the ankle is possibly less structurally stable.
Practicing your balance will also help you grow your brain as well as improve your other body mechanics!
Start balancing! (when it stops hurting!)
Disclaimer
This information and linked articles should be taken for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon for health care advice.
Enjoy these testimonials. However, a result for one patient may not be typical of all patients. Our aim is to help you have an excellent experience at our Mississauga office and to help you reach your health goals.
Dr. Callum Peever is a Chiropractor in Mississauga at Erin Mills Optimum Health. He is a registered Chiropractor in Ontario and a member of College of Chiropractors of Ontario. He is also the Co-President and treasurer of the Halton Peel Chiropractic Society, Regional Director in Toronto for Activator Methods International, the past Director of the Hamilton Urban Core Community Health Centre Chiropractic Clinic, and a Clinical Instructor teaching the Activator Methods Chiropractic Technique to fellow Chiropractors.
