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Symptoms
A grade 1 ankle sprain is the least severe of the three grades of injury. Grade 1 usually means NO tearing of the ligaments in the ankle. Instead, you should have some over-stretching of the ligaments.
There is usually some mild pain, swelling and tenderness, but minimal to no bruising.
Even with a mild sprained ankle, like a grade 1 ankle sprain, you should still get an x-ray to rule out a fracture. It’s extremely unlikely, but it’s always best to know for sure, because a fracture would have to be immobile until it heals.
Once, you find out if there is a fracture or not, you will be ready to know what to do next… If there is NO fracture, then a rehab program for your ankle should begin immediately in order to fully recover your strength and mobility as fast as possible.
Remember, even with a mild grade 1 ankle sprain, there is still enough damage to cause problems down the road if it stays weak and unstable. If it is not properly healed, strengthened and mobilized, then you will be at a significantly increased risk for a future ankle injury, and next time it will probably be a grade 2 or 3, which is much more serious.
So, let’s cover the main symptoms you can expect with a grade 1 ankle sprain:
- Over-stretching of ankle ligaments, but no tearing
- Ankle is mildly unstable
- Minimal amount of pain and swelling, but very little bruising
- In the first few days, walking should be possible with minimal pain, but running and/or jumping is probably painful
- You should be able to move the ankle in most directions, but you can expect some pain, especially at certain angles
Grade 1 Ankle Sprain Treatment
It is important to remember that even though a grade 1 ankle sprain is a mild injury, it cannot heal itself. In other words, the standard treatment of rest and ice will not heal the damage in your ankle.
Why? Well, if you do nothing, but rest and wait, your ankle will not get stronger. It will not become more mobile. It will not become more stable. In other words, it will stay somewhat weak and unstable for a very long time and the next time you’re walking, running, jumping or playing sports, it will be much easier to sprain that ankle again. And the next time, the injury will be worse, since the ligaments are already weakened.
Even though it is mild, there is still enough damage in the ankle that it must be properly healed. That means rehab techniques that strengthen and stabilize the injured ankle. Remember, every movement you make in the lower body begins with the foot, ankle and calf. It is the base of your body. You don’t want any dynamic movement changes in the ankle, because of an injury that never healed properly.
It will change how you walk, run and move in general. And that not only will weaken your ability to move with power, it can also affect all the joints above the ankle (especially the knees and hips).
For example, we have seen a lot of people get a grade 1 ankle sprain and then start experiencing “mysterious” knee pain. It may seem random and unconnected, but it you change how you walk (even if you don’t notice it), it could very easily put strain on the knee. So, we strongly recommend making sure the ankle heals properly, so you can move properly and protect the ankle and all your other joints.
And prolonged rest isn’t the only problem… rest is an even bigger issue.
We know that ice works very as a short term pain reliever, because it numbs the area and stops the communication between nerve and muscle. That’s what ice does well… But, it also creates serious healing issues that you should know.
For example, recent research shows that ice actually stops the flow of Macrophages, which are powerful immune cells. Since Macrophages are responsible for muscle regeneration and repair, it is ineffective and potentially sabotaging to your healing potential to stop the natural flow of immune cells into an injured area. There are other issues with ice, including complications with lymphatic drainage, etc, so if you’d like to learn more about it, please click here.
The SECRET to Healing Fast
Great Ankle Rehab
Instead of relying on rest ice as the method of treatment, we strongly recommend doing an excellent rehab program. It will ensure you will heal a grade 1 ankle sprain fully and quickly.
Here’s a quick overview of all the things a good ankle rehab program will do for you:
- Remove swelling and debris from the ankle quickly
- Reduce pain very quickly (1-3 days)
- Improve ankle stability, mobility and strength significantly
- Improve balance, coordination and agility
- Decrease the risk of re-injury significantly
How HEM Heals Grade 1 Ankle Sprains Fast
HEM Ankle Rehab is a complete ankle healing system, which will show you how to heal a grade 1 ankle sprain fully and fast at home. We designed it to ensure it is safe, all natural and extremely easy to do.
HEM dramatically improves the quality and speed of the healing process by supporting and improving the body’s natural response to an injury. You can expect a significant improvement in healthy range of motion in the ankles, feet and calves… you can expect much more strength and stability in the ankles… and you can expect improved overall movement (balance, agility, speed, jumping, etc.).
The HEM Ankle Rehab program gets people walking normally again, pain free in 5-10 days and significantly lowers the risk of re-injury. That means you will not need ankle braces, tape or wraps. You will be walking, running and jumping pain free and with full power without the fear of spraining your ankles again.
We made it very easy to do… you can do the entire system at home, without any equipment. Just follow along with the easy step by step videos or ebook (you get both) on any device.
