Rolled Ankle
 

About half way through the 4th quarter in tonight's game I rolled my ankle really bad. I heard a very loud popping sound and thought "oh ship." Turns out the trainer was sitting right there and asked if I was ok. He took a quick look at it and asked if I could put pressure on it. I could and there wasn't much pain so I finished the game. After the game, I had just completed my shower and the trainer comes walking in. He wanted to make sure if I was alright and told me there was an ice pack waiting in the trainer's room for me to grab when I left. In addition, he told me to come in within a few days and he would show me a few exercises for my ankle.

Great job by this man who helped me and I certainly tip my cap to him.

I'm pretty sure tomorrow will be a rough day, but I'll make it through. My next game isn't until Thursday so I've got to be careful so I'm ready to hit the floor Thursday evening.

Any suggestions on what to do from those who have rolled their ankle before?

Ice, ice, ice and more ice. Oh, and elevate it.

The biggest challenge will be getting the swelling down. Ice it on and off throughout the day and some ibuprofen will be helpful (and necessary, depending on the pain). Move it a lot in between icing. My wife is a physical therapist, and she calls ice the "magical medicine" that nobody uses anymore.

How does it look today? Lots of swelling? If it's not too bad, you'll just be stiff and sore for a couple days.

Before the game tomorrow take extra time to warm up and get as much movement in the ankle as possible. Good luck!

After swelling has gone down and it doesn't swell up every time you move it, our trainer has said that alternating ice and heat 20 min at a time will help.

option 1: RICE -- Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation.

Option 2: Tourniquet around the neck. That treatment is indicated only for nose-bleeds, but I believe it to be effective in reducing many other injuries as well.

What jdw3018 said.....edited to add "and Bob"

The acronym HCP's use for first aid treatment of this type of injury is RICE - Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. NSAID's like ibuprofen will help with pain and reducing any swelling.

You probably should get it looked at before you run on it again just in case, especially if there's any swelling or residual pain, just to make sure there's no significant damage.

In any event, for the next few games you might want to think about either taping the ankle or wearing some type of brace for support. There are several that will will limit lateral rolling of the joint while still allowing normal flexion/extension.

Tanner, I know that men's and women's joints are somewhat different, so what I say may not apply to you. But both my daughter and I have had problems with rolled ankles. Once we had one injury, it just kept re-rolling. It was really, really hard to get it stabilized. I know that it's hard to take off the rest of hte season, but you should really think about cutting back, or taking a week or two off. Each time you re-roll it, you're doing more damage, and it can snowball in a hurry. Please be very careful.

Juulie makes a good point that this type of injury can feel okay before it actually is. I will disagree that you need to cut back right away because everyone is different, but taping or bracing and being a bit careful is a good idea. If you have further trouble you should definitely get it looked at.

I'm fortunate (from this perspective) to have loose joints - I've never had a severely sprained ankle because I can roll a long way without doing any damage. (I'm sure I'll have other problems down the line, but these genes are teh only ones I have!) My point is only that everyone is different and the only way to find out is to work your way back onto it.

Many people won't ever have other issues after a sprain.

If you get a chance, can you tell us what it looks/feels like today?

You could be right for Tanner. I know one of the things lots of trainers and doctors say is that women's joints aren't as strong, and women do tend to have more problems. But I think cutting back sooner than later is generally a good idea for everyone. It's those first few days that the most important healing can be done, and also when any further mishap can be the most damaging. I think that's probably true for women and men. A few days of the old RICE, can make for a much faster recovery.

I recommend this treatment for all coaches. :rolleyes:

Can't disagree with anything you said there - I'm assuming if he's banged up enough to not go he won't try, but we'll see! :D

And my wife would agree with you 100% - muscle strength has a lot to do with joint stability, and men tend to have more natural muscle strength, hence more stable joints. But each and every person is different in both their stability and elasticity in their muscles, tendons and ligaments.

So...bottom line - diagnosing and giving advice other than "ice it and see the doc" is probably silly on all our parts! ;)

The swelling isn't too bad. I would say very mild. It's certainly a little sore, but I thought it would be much worse.

I might have lucked out. Tomorrow I am going to get taped by a trainer before the game.

I'm certainly taking it easy all of today. Thanks everyone for the great advice.

Sounds like you're going to be just fine. Remember - ice and ibuprofen!! :D

Check. Getting ready to log off for a few hours and go watch some TV. Ahhhh, the tough life.. eh M&M? ;) :p

treatment
 

I prefer the poor man spa treatment.

Put foot in toilet and flush... Repeat as needed.

I once had a rolled ankle that just wouldn't heal. I'd rest, then my first time back I'd roll it again. After a couple of iterations of that, I got a lace-up brace (Mueller brand, I think) and it was great. It really helped me prevent reinjuring the ankle.

Aspirin ???
 

What's wrong with good, old fashioned, aspirin. Is there a medical reason why nobody in this thread suggests aspirin? I do know that aspirin can be harsh on one's stomach, but can't most people handle it? Aren't there side effects to taking other pain relievers, or anti-inflamatory, drugs, i.e. Tylenol, Advil, etc.

I hurt my ankle last February...bad! I would say it wasn't until September - with a lot of physical therapy - until is was OK. I limped through several tournaments in Vegas and Houston as well as a few camps.

What kind of shoes do you wear? I'm of the opinion that basketball shoes are better than running shoes when you have to cut; I cut when I officiate although not as hard as a would while playing. The foot sits on top of the sole more so in runnig shoes than basketball shoes. Runners normally go in a straight line so they don't need the protection basketball shoes would provide. Also, basketball shoes can be high tops which will protect the ankle a little more.
A tape job is better than a lace up brace. Long term you should work on strengthening the ankle more than bracing it. I went through some exercises that were brutal.
While in Houston, the trainer made me put my foot in a bucket of ice. Much respect for athletes who do this on a regular basis. Besides the dentist and tonsilitis, having my foot in a bucket of ice was the most pain I've ever been in. But, it ices the ankle like nothing else! My ankle was cold for about 30 minutes afterward.

Tylenol won't affect inflammation. It's good for pain, and reduces fever, but has no anti-inflammatory effect.

NSAID's and aspirin have roughly the same effect on the stomach and also on the kidneys. Too much isn't good, but it takes a lot to be too much. Some people find that aspirin doesn't work as well, but there are others who prefer aspirin. The other advantage of taking aspirin is that it has some positive effects on the heart.

The best way to minimize side effects is to use as little as possible to achieve the desired effect. This can be achieved by using other methods of reducing inflammation (ice, elevation), rotating pain meds (NSAID, Tylenol, aspirin, others if prescribed), and avoiding re-injury.

Aspirin works also, but has more of an anticoagulant effect than other NSAIDs like ibuprofen or naproxen sodium, and in most people doesn't provide the same level or duration of analgesia. As Juulie pointed out, aspirin has pretty much the same potential adverse side effects as those of the other NSAIDs. Acetaminophen (tylenol) is not an anti-inflammatory drug, but an analgesic and antipyretic. It's easier on the kidneys but significantly more hepatotoxic than the NSAIDs. The bottom line is whatever you use, always take them with food, use as little as will do the job, and never, ever exceed the maximum recommended dosage. And if you're taking any prescription drugs or have any underlying health conditions, always talk to your doc or pharmacist before taking any over the counter meds, including herbal supplements.

Thats Class act trainer. That's really cool of him to do it.
R.I.C.E. your ankle.

Rest
Ice
Compression
Elevation

Dude. I use two braces when I work. Try using them. When you role it again,you will be surprised that the braces actually hold it up pretty well.

A little goes a long way. The recommended heart dosage is one baby aspirin a day.

How would you know? It only works on people who actually have a heart! :D

I read recently that there are studies showing growing "abuse" of NSAIDs by high school football players before games. The thinking seems to be to load up on the stuff pre-game as a sort of pre-emptive treatment. And if one helps with the aches after the game, then 5 or 6 before the game should help cut down on even getting the aches.

Yeah, but JR can read. A heart isn't necessary for that.

Point well taken.

Well, there is some truth to that.

After a major knee injury in 2003, I continued to have, at various times, other troubles with various parts of my lower legs (shins, ankles, arches). I found that if I take one dose of advil before my game, I tend to have no post game pain. However, if I skip the pregame dose, even several postgame doeses (appropriatly spaced) don't do much, if anything...stuff still hurts....and hurts for 2-3 days. So, I chose 1 dose per game instead of 4-6 doses.

So, one pregame dose prevents whatever was hurting from hurting (probably by preventing the inflammation at all) where the postgame dosing was too late, the inflamation was already there and the advil would reduce but not eliminate it.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor, just sharing what I do.....many medications have acceptable dosing that is above what is on the label. Some, but not all, have dosing limits based on weight. To fit everyone, OTC medications such as advil have "adult" maximum dosages based on "small" adults....about 100#. If you look up advil in a medical drug book, the maximum dose for a 200# person is, IIRC, twice the amount printed on the label....4 tablets, 3 times per day for a limited time (the more you take and the longer you take it, the greater the risk of harm). That said, a person should still NOT take more than it takes to be effective.

I've had pretty much the exact same experience this year. The last two years I've had moderate to severe shin pain due to fallen arches. New orthopedic arch supports have made a world of difference this year, but I still have some pain.

The key I finally found was taking ibuprofen prior to the game. I've had little to no problems since, except on the game days I forget to do so. Then I'm sore for 2 or 3 days afterwards.

No idea how or why it works, but I'm going to keep at it. ;)

Me Three
 

Like Camron and JDW I've been on to that trick for a couple years also. I learned it from playing in tennis tournaments where I would have to shut it down and get it going again up to 4 x a day.....

Orthopod turned me on to that trick a few years back - I take an 800mg ibuprofen 2-3 hours before game start time & that usually does the trick.

It works by preventing inflammation, which helps keep the tissue from being exposed to irritation and rubbing against things they shouldn't be. As long as you stretch well before your activity, and then cool down appropriately, it's a good way to "play through" an injury that's in the healing process. At least, that's what my dr. says.

Things went pretty good tonight. I arrived at my game about 15 minutes earlier than I usually would. I was able to track down the trainer and ask her if she would tape my ankle..."no problem," she said.

I was scheduled to work a JV/V girls game. The JV game went fine and I had no problems. About 3 minutes into the 2nd quarter of the V game, I started to feel a little pain. I remember thinking "oh boy...I hope this doesn't last" -- it didn't.

Although I was extremely careful throughout the night. I was glad I had it taped, just in case.

Back at it tomorrow evening! :)

I am glad you are feeling better. Take care of yourself so you do not re-injure your ankle.

Peace

1000 for me. I take 5 of the over the counter ones before I leave and it holds up. My dislocated kneecap has healed slowly, but I'm finally feeling about 100%.

Like Jeff said, I'm glad you did well. I hope you took the tape off after the game, re-iced, re-elevated, and then re-compress for the night. Get it taped again before your game tomorrow. Gee, do I sound like a mother?!?

Thanks
 

Thanks to those Forum members who kindly shared information about the various types of anti-inflamatory, and pain-relief drugs.

After fifty-four years of playing sports, running, bicycling, and officiating, I'm very fortuate to have avoided major sports injuries, however, a few years ago, I noticed that I was often "sore" getting out of bed the morning after officiating the night before. So, I started keeping aspirin in my bag, and take two before each game (no stomach problems). I'm not as "sore" the next day, and although I don't have a cholesterol problem, I also like the fact that the aspirin has some anticoagulative properties.