I sprained my ankle. The swelling has gone down but it still hurts.

Because the human ankle is a very vulnerable area, and it is also a joint with a large range of motion and a high frequency of activity. Therefore, some women can easily sprain their ankles when wearing high heels in daily life. After spraining your ankle, you must reduce the swelling in time, otherwise you won’t be able to wear your shoes. But sometimes the swelling has subsided after spraining your ankle, but the pain still exists. What’s going on?

Causes of ankle sprains

Reason 1

Since the normal inversion angle of the ankle joint is much larger than the eversion angle, when you sprain your ankle, the foot usually twists inward and the injured part is the outer ankle. Many people first rub the painful area vigorously, then wash their feet with hot water to promote blood circulation and reduce swelling, and finally force themselves to walk and move while enduring the pain, so as to avoid "stagnating the tendons." But practice has shown that this is inappropriate treatment for a sprained foot.

Reason 2

Because the rupture and bleeding of local small blood vessels together with the exuded tissue fluid will form a hematoma, it usually takes about 24 hours to repair and stop the bleeding and exudation. If you rub vigorously, apply hot compresses, wash, or force yourself to move immediately after an injury, it will inevitably accelerate bleeding and exudation while dispersing some of the blood stasis, and even aggravate the rupture of blood vessels, resulting in a larger hematoma, which will make the injured area more swollen and painful.

What people often say as "preserving tendons" actually means that soft tissues form adhesions after injury, which affects functional activities. This situation usually occurs in the middle and late stages of the injury. Therefore, limited movement within a few days after injury is usually due to pain, not "tendon retention" caused by adhesions.

Hot and cold compresses

Correct use of hot and cold compresses: Cold compresses must be applied within 24 hours after injury, and hot compresses can only be applied 24 hours after injury; hot and cold compresses are both physical therapies, but their effects are completely different. Blood becomes active when it is hot and coagulates when it is cold. Therefore, the ruptured blood vessels still have a tendency to bleed within 24 hours, so cold compresses should be applied to control the progression of the injury. Hot compress can be applied 24 hours after the injury. At this time, the bleeding will stop and hot compress can be used to dissipate the blood stasis around the injury.

Careful readers must be asking, how can we know if the bleeding has stopped? In principle, the boundary is "24 hours after injury" recognized by the medical community. You can also refer to the following points: First, the pain and swelling tend to stabilize and no longer continue to worsen; second, the feeling of swelling when raising and lowering the affected foot is not much different; third, the temperature of the skin at the injured area changes from being slightly higher than the normal part to being almost the same. These can be used as a basis for the cessation of bleeding.

Activities and massage

Appropriate activities. When swelling and pain develop progressively after an injury, do not stand or walk with your body weight supported. It is best to elevate the affected limb and limit any activity. Wait until the condition becomes stable. The affected limb can be elevated to perform active movements of the foot and ankle, but activities that may cause severe pain are prohibited. Wait until the swelling and pain gradually subside before you can walk around. Walk for a short time at first and then increase the amount of time gradually after you get used to it.

Correct massage: After the bleeding stops, use the thenar eminence or the tip of the thumb to apply a certain amount of pressure and massage the local area. The direction is centered on the obvious swelling, and massage in all directions around it centrifugally. Do it for 2 to 3 minutes each time, and do it 3 to 5 times a day.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment

Use medication rationally. The effect of external application is also ideal. The effect is also good.

Physical methods

Shortwave, microwave, low and medium frequency electrotherapy and other methods can be used for treatment, and the effect is very good! This is a commonly used treatment method in hospitals.