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A sprained ankle, if not healed properly, can and very often does lead to more injuries. Most people think a sprained ankle is a minor thing, unless they are sidelined for months. Obviously, it is not as serious as a torn ACL in the knee or other more serious injuries. But, what most people do not understand is that a sprained ankle is serious, because it can lead to an ACL tear or a hamstring tear or a quad tear and very often does…
So the first question is why? Well, when you sprain your ankle, it completely changes how you walk, run and move in all directions. If you don’t heal that ankle fully and properly, you are going to move differently and that will put more load and pressure on other areas of the body to pick up the slack.
Think about this… you hurt your ankle and it never fully recovers. You wear a brace or just play sports with a more inhibited ankle that cannot move as well, is not very stable and weak. Well, when you try to move in the same way before the injury, you simply cannot get it done with that ankle, so other muscles are asked to do more and many times, they are not capable of more, so they tear.
I have written a lot of articles on how a sprained ankle increases knee injury risk. Anyone who likes basketball saw what happened to Derrick Rose years ago… he sprained his ankle and then continued playing and then tore up his knee which kept him out for an entire season. I was looking today at other injuries and I saw that Roddy White of the Atlanta Flacons was nursing a sprained ankle and played anyway and guess what? He injured his hamstring which will sideline him for much longer than if he just took a week or two to heal properly. It is very, very common.
So, I strongly urge you to recover fully form a sprained ankle before you get back to sports. Take the time to get your range of motion, balance and strength back to full capacity so you can perform at your best AND minimize your risk of not only another sprain, but other, more serious injuries in the body. Yes, it takes a little more time and work in the short run, but it can save your athletic career in the long run.
I cannot tell you how many times I have received emails from people asking me how they can get back into their games quicker. Yes, HEM Ankle Rehab was designed to heal your ankle much faster and it does, but that should NOT be the sole focus. The sole focus should be to heal your body and give it the time it needs to get back to 100%. If it takes a week, great. But, if it takes a little longer, please don’t rush it! Let your body heal. And that goes for the professional athlete all the way down to the 5 year old kids. Stop rushing your body back, because it is NOT ready and a more serious injury is just waiting to happen.
But, if handled properly, the body can come back stronger than before. You can rebuild your body and give some other areas some much needed rest. That is what proper rehab is all about. Letting your body heal, so when you go back to sports, you can perform at an even higher level and reduce the risk of another injury.
