Treatment varies for foot and ankle injuries depending on the injury.
There’s a wide variety of options available to treat strains depending on the severity of the injury:
- Wearing a brace for support
- Physical Therapy
- Immobilization with a splint or cast
- Injected or oral anti-inflammatory drugs
- Surgery
Treatment for sprains depends on how severe the injury is. Grade 1 sprains are considered mild, and are treated with rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE). Follow this method until symptoms improve in 1-2 days. Grade 2 sprains are considered moderate, and are also treated with the RICE approach, but typically take longer to heal than Grade 1 sprains. Grade 3 sprains are treated by immobilizing the joint for a large amount of time, along with physical therapy, stretching, and strength building. If the sprain doesn’t heal in a reasonable amount of time, your doctor at Gardner Orthopedics may consider surgery.
Fractures are treated with surgery, or immobilization with a brace or cast. If there are multiple fractures, your Gardner Orthopedics doctor will perform surgery to make the bones stable with a metal plate and/or screws. It typically takes around 4-6 weeks for bones to heal completely.
If you have a foot or ankle injury, make an appointment with the orthopedic team at Gardner Orthopedics today.
