The ankle is a vital part of your body. It connects the bottom half to the top half and allows you to move around without falling over. It can be difficult for people when it becomes injured because walking isn’t as easy as it once was. Ankle pain is something that many people deal with at one time or another, and it can be excruciating. There are ways that people can ease the pain and get back to living their life instead of sitting on the couch all day with a bag of ice on their ankles. While some forms of ankle require treatment from a Portland ankle pain specialist, you can successfully treat some at home. Below are some of the most effective home remedies for ankle pain.
1. Rest
When you sprain your ankle, it’s crucial that you not move it. Doing so can worsen the sprain and cause even more pain than what you were experiencing before. Instead, get off of your feet and rest them for a while until the pain begins to dissipate.
People who sprain their ankles often find that they can do more damage if they try to walk on their ankles when it’s in bad shape. Not allowing your injury to rest can lead to a more severe problem that requires treatment from an ankle pain specialist. Resting your feet means giving them time to heal, but it also means walking around with the aid of crutches instead of walking on your own two feet.
2. Ice
Wrapping a bag of ice around your ankle can reduce inflammation and help injured tissue to heal quicker. Ice is important because it reduces the swelling you have around your ankle. Swelling is a natural response to an injury, and it’s meant to protect injured areas from further damage, but too much swelling can make it more difficult for people to walk. An ice pack will relieve some of the pain and reduce some swelling.
3. Compression
Keeping your ankle wrapped can help keep it from swelling too much and cause more pain than people bargained for. Wrapping an ice pack around your ankle can help reduce the swelling, but it’s even better if you keep it elevated. Raising your feet to a higher level forces gravity to reduce the amount of blood that flows to your ankle, which reduces pain.
4. Supportive Footwear
People experiencing ankle pain avoid wearing shoes often because they’re too uncomfortable, but wearing supportive footwear that doesn’t put pressure on your foot in places that are already painful can help. People who wear sneakers and flats will experience more pain than they bargained for because these shoes can put pressure on injured areas.
To summarize, ankle pain can make it hard to handle your day-to-day tasks, and more severe forms require specialized treatment. However, if you experience mild ankle pain, you can treat it at home using ice, compression, supportive footwear, and rest.
