How to Get Rid of Severe Ankle Pain at Home: Expert Tips

Severe ankle discomfort can make it hard to move around, but it can also influence your daily life, employment, and health in general. Many people find relief from their problems using safe and efficient home remedies, even if professional therapy is often necessary. Small changes to your routine can have a major effect, from reducing swelling to strengthening your ankle for long-term rehabilitation.

People who go to the Wasatch Foot & Ankle Institute often inquire what they may do at home to feel better. This guide lists expert-backed methods that can help with recovery and may make invasive treatment less necessary.

What Causes Severe Ankle Pain

There isn't just one thing that might cause ankle pain. It actually comes from a lot of different things:

• Sprains are injuries that happen when ligaments are strained or torn. They can cause swelling, bruising, and trouble bearing weight. 

• Arthritis: Long-term swelling in the ankle joint that can cause stiffness and pain that doesn't go away.

• Fractures: Breaks in the bone that usually happen after a fall or accident and cause acute pain and limited movement.

• Tendonitis: This is when the tendons around the ankle get inflamed. It happens a lot to athletes and runners.

Knowing what's causing your discomfort can help you pick the best treatment. For example, icing works excellently for injuries that just happened, while mild workouts are better for stiffness that lasts a long time.

Pain that comes on suddenly vs. pain that lasts a long time

Your management depends on whether your ankle discomfort is short-term or long-term. Acute pain usually happens right after an accident or mistake. It hurts a lot, and it usually gets better with rest, ice, and elevation. Chronic pain, on the other hand, builds up over months and is sometimes linked to arthritis or recurrent injuries.

Acute pain often needs to be treated right away to keep it from getting worse. Chronic pain, on the other hand, responds better to long-term tactics like exercise and foods that reduce inflammation. If the discomfort doesn't get better after a week, you should see a doctor.

The Basics That Work: Rest, Ice, and Elevation

Rest is one of the best things you can do to help yourself heal. Using an injured ankle too much slows down healing. To minimize swelling and numb pain, rest and ice therapy should be done together for 15 to 20 minutes at a time.

Elevation is also important. Keeping your ankle above your heart level helps fluids drain and lowers swelling. If you use these three methods regularly, you should start to feel better in a few days.

Food That Helps You Heal

What you eat can determine how much inflammation you have and how quickly you heal. Foods that fight inflammation, like turmeric, ginger, garlic, salmon, and walnuts, can help your body deal with edema. Blueberries and strawberries are two examples of brightly colored fruits that help battle oxidative stress, which is also important for joint health.

Eating full, unprocessed foods as the main part of your meals will help you heal. For instance, eating oatmeal and berries for breakfast and then salmon and leafy greens for lunch or dinner gives you anti-inflammatory advantages all day long. Staying hydrated is just as crucial since drinking enough water keeps your joints lubricated.

Gentle stretches and building strength

When your ankle hurts, exercise might seem like the last thing you want to do, but modest motions can help keep it from getting stiff and strengthen it over time. Give these a shot:

• Ankle circles: Slowly move your foot in both directions 10 times.

• Stretches for the calves: To relieve tension, press your heel into the ground while your leg is straight.

• Toe raises: Stand up and lift onto your toes, then slowly lower yourself to get more stable.

You can add resistance bands or balance exercises as you go along. This practice not only makes your ankle stronger, but it also lowers your risk of being hurt again.

When to Use Heat

Cold therapy helps with swelling right away, but heat therapy helps with recovery later on. Using mild heat improves blood flow, loosens tight muscles, and gets your ankle ready for stretching. A warm cloth, a heating pad, or a foot bath with Epsom salt can be quite relaxing. Just be careful not to put heat on an ankle that is already swollen.

Aromatherapy and Relaxation

Adding essential oils like lavender, peppermint, and eucalyptus to your recuperation routine is a natural way to help. When mixed with a carrier oil, they can be rubbed into the skin to help relax. Diffusing oils can also make a space more relaxing, which can help with the tension that comes with chronic pain.

Taking care of ankle discomfort isn't only physical. Stress and anger can make pain worse. Meditation, journaling, and mild yoga are all things that can help relax the mind and make pain easier to deal with.

When to Get Help from a Professional

Home treatments can work, but not always. If you notice any of the following, you should see a doctor right away:

• You are unable to walk or bear weight.

• Fever, warmth, or redness that could mean an infection.

• Pain that lasts more than a week even with home care.

It's time to schedule an appointment if any of these are true. The Wasatch Foot & Ankle Institute's experts provide personalized imaging, physical therapy, and innovative treatment options.

FAQs

How can I effectively treat edema in my ankles at home?

Rest, ice, compression, and elevation together usually give the quickest alleviation. Keeping your ankle above your heart is very helpful in the first 48 hours after you hurt it.

Does walking make ankle discomfort worse?

Putting weight on a hurt or swollen ankle can make the problem worse, yes. Use crutches or walk less until the swelling and soreness go down.

Do home remedies truly work for chronic ankle arthritis?

Daily stretching, eating anti-inflammatory foods, using heat therapy, and wearing supportive shoes all help reduce chronic arthritic pain. But if the stiffness gets worse, you might need to see a doctor.

Do soaking in Epsom salt help hurt ankles?

Yes, mixing Epsom salt with warm water may help relax tight muscles and alleviate pain. This is best used when the edema has gone down.

When should I call a foot doctor instead of trying to take care of my feet at home?

If you can't walk because of pain, if the swelling lasts more than a week, or if the ankle seems misshapen, you should see a podiatrist right away.

Last Thoughts

With the correct balance of rest, food, gentle movement, and natural therapies, you may take care of acute ankle pain at home. These steps not only help you get better, but they also help keep your ankles healthy in the long run.

Don't delay whether your symptoms are getting worse or staying the same. The experts at the Wasatch Foot & Ankle Institute can help you get back on your feet safely by giving you a thorough evaluation and sophisticated treatment choices.