Ankle Sprain Physiotherapy near Yau Ma Tei

Most sprains involve the ligaments on the outside of the ankle being stretched or partly torn when the foot rolls inwards. Swelling and bruising reflect tissue injury and are not a reliable measure of how serious it is. A description of the injury cannot diagnose it, and the first clinical question is not how bad the ligament is but whether a bone needs to be excluded — that judgement is made from an in-person examination, not from how the ankle looks in a photograph.

Expect pain on the outside of the ankle, swelling within hours, bruising that may track towards the toes, and difficulty walking normally. What matters clinically is how the ankle behaves rather than how dramatic it looks. Other possible injuries occur alongside a sprain and can look similar: fractures of the ankle or of the fifth metatarsal, high ankle ligament injuries, and tendon injuries on the outside of the ankle all overlap with a simple sprain in the first days.

• Pain and swelling on the outside of the ankle after rolling it
• Bruising appearing over the following day or two
• Limping, or walking on the outside of the foot
• A sense of the ankle being unsteady on uneven ground
• Repeat sprains, or the ankle giving way during sport

First we establish how the injury happened, whether you could weight-bear immediately afterwards, and whether specific bony points are tender — the findings that decide whether an X-ray should be arranged before rehabilitation. After that we assess swelling, ankle and foot movement, calf strength, balance on one leg and how you walk. For a recurrent ankle we look further, because repeated sprains usually reflect unfinished rehabilitation rather than bad luck.

• Your symptoms: mechanism of injury, swelling, bruising and pain location
• Daily activities and function: walking, stairs, standing and getting around
• Work, study or caring demands, including standing hours and uneven surfaces
• Sleep: whether the ankle throbs at night or needs elevation
• Load and injury history: previous sprains, training volume and sport demands
• Movement: ankle dorsiflexion compared side to side, and foot joint mobility
• Strength and control of the calf and ankle muscles, plus single-leg balance
• Neurological and general screening: sensation, muscle power, circulation, medical history and medicines

Early on the aim is to protect, settle swelling and restore comfortable weight-bearing; after that the work is movement, calf strength and balance, then hopping, cutting and sport-specific drills. Depending on the assessment we may add taping or a brace for a period, and hands-on treatment or acupuncture where you consent and they may help you move more comfortably. Not everyone needs the same components, your preferences and sport goals affect the order, and we progress or hold based on how you respond rather than on a fixed schedule.

In the first days, protection, ice, a supportive bandage and elevation are reasonable, along with walking as normally as comfort allows rather than immobilising the ankle. After that, balance work is the part most often skipped and most worth doing. You will get a flare-up plan for a swollen day and clear criteria for each stage. At each visit we review swelling, ankle movement, single-leg balance and your activity tolerance before increasing the load.

Once a fracture has been excluded, a physiotherapy assessment and staged rehabilitation are the usual route. Arrange a prompt medical review if swelling and pain are increasing after the first few days rather than settling, if the ankle becomes hot and red with a fever, or if you have not been able to walk normally after a week. The situations below need an emergency department the same day, before any rehabilitation is started.

• A suspected fracture or dislocation — a crack or snap heard at the moment of injury
• Obvious deformity, or the ankle or foot sitting at an odd angle
• Being unable to bear weight on the leg, or unable to take four steps
• Numbness, altered sensation, or a foot that is cold, pale or bluish