Ankle pain can happen at any time and due to a lot of reasons. Home Healthcare providers can treat most injuries and other ankle and foot conditions without surgery. In the case of fractures, surgical intervention might be required.
Home treatments for ankle injuries and pain include:
Braces & Splints: A brace or splint can be used to stabilize and provide support to the ankle.
Over-The-Counter Medications: There are medications to reduce swelling and pain in the joints.
Shoe Inserts: Orthotics such as insoles, shoe donuts, ankle support, etc. available readily in the market that help support the foot.
Physical Therapy (PT): A fully customized physical therapy program can help you in improving flexibility and strengthen the muscles. Your dedicated therapist will create a plan that includes exercises and stretches that are suitable to your requirement and recovery.
While at home, you can bring about the following changes to your lifestyle and body to maintain good ankle health and support:
Weight: Any extra weight be in your own body or of the things that you carry around can put excess pressure on your ankles. You need to limit the weight that you carry and take steps to maintain or decrease your body weight.
Strengthen Muscles: Doing exercises and stretching the foot and ankle muscles to make them strong, significantly reduces the risk of injury.
STOP: Everyone has a tendency to ignore pain. If you feel that any particular movement or activity makes you feel uncomfortable, then you need to STOP.
If you have pain that is limiting your capability of working or moving, these are a few things that can help decrease and limit the pain:
Exercise: Exercises done under the guidance of a physical therapist can help relieve pain by relaxing and loosening the tissues in your feet.
RICE: A very common technique of recovery for any joint injury – RICE stands for REST, ICE, COMPRESSION, and ELEVATION. This helps in decreasing joint swelling and stiffness.
Pain Medications: Over-the-counter pain medications such as paracetamol, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen can help to control the pain. Using these salts in tablets or in cream form can be helpful.
