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Why the ankle you rolled in high school still bothers you
Most ankle sprains heal within a month.
Or at least… the pain goes away.
So why would an ankle sprain that is years old still bother you?
It is because you didn’t follow a progressive rehab plan.
Most ankle sprains heal within a month.
Or at least… the pain goes away.
So why would an ankle sprain that is years old still bother you?
It is because you didn’t follow a progressive rehab plan.
Healing takes place in three stages
Stage 1: Inflammation. During this stage, your body is sending all the building blocks to the injured area. This is typically painful and you might have some swelling or pain with movement. Pain to the touch. Discomfort walking. With a Grade 1 ankle sprain, this stage typically lasts a couple of weeks.
Stage 2: Repair. During this stage, your body is repairing the damaged ligament. It does this by laying down more collagen and proteins to stabilize the joint after injury. This stage is often sore, and there may be some persistent swelling. You can usually walk on it.
Stages 1 and 2 take place without you having to do much. The body naturally goes through these steps.
Stage 3 though, is where the magic happens, and the stage most people don’t take seriously enough. Since the pain is typically gone (or mostly gone) by Stage 3, you probably stopped rehabbing your injury before you could get the full benefits.
But… Stage 3: REMODELING is the most important step if you want to return to high-level activity.
During Stage 2, the body lays down collagen, and proteins in a haphazard manner. All it is trying to do is a patch job. In Stage 3, the body remodels the tendon and arranges it in the strongest possible orientation and position to be able to handle stress. The catch here is that the body NEEDS STRESS in order to know HOW TO REMODEL the injured body part to make it as strong as possible.
This is why you can’t stop a rehab program when the pain goes away. You are leaving performance on the table, and setting yourself up for future injuries.
A properly executed rehab plan tells your body to repair the ligament in the strongest way, preparing it for stress and future activity.
The good news is, the Remodeling phase never truly stops. It is more effective during the first few weeks following the injury, but your body is constantly in a stage of repair and remodelling. It happens every day. This means, even if you have chronic ankle instability, you can still improve. You just need to know what to do and stick to it.
Author: Dr Mark Murdoch, Chiropractor and Co-Founder at Base Camp Chiropractic and Sports Rehab in Vernon, BC.
Mark Murdoch is a Doctor of Chiropractic with a Master’s Degree in Sports Medicine.
Contact: drmurdoch@basecampclinic.com
Book an Free consult with Dr Murdoch: book here
Instagram: Base.Camp.Doc
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