Ankle sprain sequelae

If you accidentally twist your ankle, which we call a sprain, it will be very painful, and it depends on the severity of the injury. If it is relatively minor, you can use cold compresses to relieve it. If it is severe, seek medical attention immediately. Although a sprain may not seem serious, you should still be careful about the sequelae of an ankle sprain. If not treated promptly, it can lead to habitual pain and even develop into traumatic arthritis. Therefore, we must pay attention to ankle sprains.

Ankle sprain is also called "sprained ankle". Generally, it will heal well if treated promptly. If not treated promptly, it is easy to get injured again in the future, which will either lead to habitual sprained ankle or gradually develop into traumatic arthritis.

treat

1. Apply cold compress first and then hot compress

Generally, massage should be avoided within 24 hours after the injury. Cold compress should be repeated 3 to 5 times, preferably once every 2 hours. After 24 hours, hot compress with warm water should be used instead, twice a day. Why apply cold compress first and then hot compress? Because the local capillaries are still in a ruptured state within 24 hours after sprain. Cold compress will promote vasoconstriction, stop bleeding and relieve pain. Hot compress after 24 hours can activate blood circulation and remove blood stasis, promoting the absorption of blood stasis. If you treat a sprain according to this method, you will generally recover within a week.

2. Acupuncture and cupping

If cold compress is applied too late and local bruises are formed, it will not be possible to heal within a week. At this time, you can use a silver needle to prick the local area about 1 cm deep, and then use a small cupping jar to draw out the local blood stasis. If the swelling area is large, you can prick and cup several times. Do the cupping jar 1 to 2 times a day, and do it 3 to 5 times in a row to reduce the swelling and heal.

3. Oral Chinese herbal medicine

While taking the above treatments, it is also necessary to take Chinese herbal medicines that promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis orally. This comprehensive treatment can speed up the pain relief and swelling reduction.

Prescription: 3 grams each of Corydalis yanhusuo, costusroot, green peel, lindera strychnifolia, peach kernel, zedoaria, sophora japonica, radix angelicae, Achyranthes bidentata, papaya, acanthopanax bark, and fennel, 4.5 grams each of drynaria and red peony root, 15 grams of trillium, 12 grams of rhubarb, and 9 grams of amomum villosum. Decoction in water, 1 dose per day, for 3 consecutive doses.

4. Sprain combined with tibia, fibula, ankle fractures, etc.

First go to the hospital for plaster fixation (usually for 3 to 4 weeks), and then take the following bone-setting medicine orally. As long as the broken ends of the bones are aligned at the time, there will definitely be no sequelae.

Recipe: 10 grams each of Drynaria fortunei and Angelica sinensis, 6 grams each of Achyranthes bidentata, processed frankincense, processed myrrh, Sanguisorba officinalis, and Earthworm (ground into powder), 3 grams each of catechu and natural copper (ground into powder). To use, boil the ground Earthworm and natural copper with the previous 7 herbs into a decoction, one dose per day, for 5 consecutive doses.

Expert advice

Experts point out that as long as the ankle is sprained, the ligaments will be damaged to varying degrees. Common inversion of the foot can damage the lateral ligaments of the foot and may even cause avulsion fractures in severe cases. Torn ligaments will become loose and stretched. If not treated in time, they are prone to re-injury in the future, either leading to habitual sprains or gradually developing into traumatic arthritis.

When you sprain your ankle, it is easy to strain your hip muscles, which can affect the health of your entire body. For example, when the foot is sprained due to inversion, the hip on the same side twists to the side due to gravity and inertia, often leading to a strain on the gluteus medius muscle, which in turn causes soreness and discomfort in the lower back and buttocks, and frequent "cramps" in the calf.