How to Correctly Treat a Sprained Ankle

Video Transcript

"You know, at some point in time many of us are going to sustain an ankle injury of some type. Hi, I'm Captain Joe Bruni, and what I'm going to talk about is how to properly treat a sprained ankle. A sprained ankle can be a pretty painful experience. The first step is to remove the foot covering including the shoe, and sock if the person is wearing one to evaluate the injury; taking care to try and loosen it up as much as possible to avoid causing the victim further pain. It may also be necessary to lay the victim down and try to get the ankle as higher in the chest region to help reduce blood flow to the area temporarily. Once the shoe and the sock have been removed we can begin to assess the foot region and the ankle to see if there is discoloration, deformity, and swelling. Normally, with an ankle sprain, swelling will happen very quickly. So, it's important to apply some type of cold compress or some type of ice pack to that area, temporarily, for approximately ten to fifteen minutes, removing it to avoid a cold injury from the ice or the ice pack. After ten or fifteen minutes of the skin rewarming itself, this can also be applied again. Also, while the skin is rewarming itself, some type of elastic bandage or pressure bandage can be applied to help stabilize that ankle and foot region. Once the pressure bandage is applied, again reapply the ice or the cold pack for ten minute intervals to fifteen minute intervals. In this way, you'll help to reduce pain and swelling. It also may be necessary to take the person to the emergency department for an x-ray to evaluate whether they have indeed caused a fracture. Ankle sprains can be a pretty painful experience, but with proper treatment, pain and swelling can be reduced. I'm Captain Joe Bruni. Stay safe and we'll see you next time."