ask: Help for sprained ankle

Melissa

From what I had read, there do not seem to be actual foods or supplements that can directly speed up recovery due to an ankle sprain.

But if you are looking for foods that empower bone health, try eating foods high in calcium. They include :

cheese
milk
yogurt
broccoli
sardines
kale
calcium fortified orange juice, breakfast cereals and breads.

Also, try to make sure you get at least 20 minutes of sunlight a day, to allow Vitamin D in - this helps with calcium absorption. If you live in a place that isn't sunny all year around, a supplement of Vitamin D will help.

What you need to do most is elevate your ankle as you can and rest it as much as possible. Can you stay off it as much as possible? Now may not be the time to exercise or take long walks/jobs.

Gradually ease back into stretching and strengthening exercises. Did you doctor give you some charts or visual aids to teach you how to do these?

Have you read our Sprains Page?

Check it out here, it gives really good advice : http://www.empowher.com/media/reference/ligament-sprains

And remember that sprains can take up to 3 months to heal. Unfortunately it can be a very long process.

Thanks for the information Susan. How discouraging it is to think that it will take so long to finally heal. I have a really hard time staying off of the ankle. I walk about 2 miles to work everyday. That would mean from parking spot to building. There is really no way around that.

I will take your advice about the cheeses and yogurts to try and speed up the process. I will have to let you know how that works. I wasn't aware of the sprains page. Thanks for the link. Great information.

Hi Melissa - You have my sympathy and empathy. I had a bad sprain a while back and it took a very long time to heal. I also found the ankle was vulnerable to re-injury for a really long time. It's really important to do as much as you can to stay off the ankle in the early stages so you can lessen the amount of overall time that you have to deal with the problem. I wish you well in your recovery!!
Take good care,
Pat