| |
 Receive health tips via RSS feed.
Ice a sprained ankle 
(HealthDay News) -- A sprained ankle involves a stretched or torn ligament near the joint. Experts often suggest icing the ankle to ease pain and reduce swelling.
Follow these guidelines for icing a sprained ankle:
- Fill a plastic bag with crushed ice and apply it to the ankle. But first, cover the ankle with a thin, damp cloth.
- To create an ice slush bath, add water and ice to a large bucket, immersing your foot until the skin feels numb.
- For an ice massage, freeze water in a small Styrofoam cup, removing the top section of the cup once it's frozen. Gently massage the ankle with the ice, holding the covered section, in a circular rotation. Don't hold the ice on the same part of the ankle for more than 30 seconds.
- For the first three days after the sprain, ice your ankle every two-to-four hours.
- Don't apply ice for longer than 20 minutes. Applying it longer can result in nerve damage.
- Always remove the ice when your skin starts to feel numb.
Source: American Academy of Family Physicians
Copyright: © 2011 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
First published: 10/31/2011
Last updated: 10/31/2011
Reviewed by: HealthDay, a service of ScoutNews, LLC
|
|