1. Working Out and Overworking
The most common cause of a high ankle sprain is strenuous physical activity or an accidental fall. Sprains located high on the ankle are common for athletes who run a lot and put a lot of impact on their feet, like gymnasts, runners, and football or soccer players. Frequent workouts put muscles at higher risk of becoming strained or sprained, especially if you aren't wearing proper shoes to exercise. Under-rotating or over-rotating the foot can cause the muscles to overextend in the wrong direction and sprain the ankle.
2. Wrap It Up
Avoid further injuring or aggravating the sprain by wrapping the ankle to immobilize it. You can wrap most high ankle sprains by using a basic wrap-around athletic bandage. Begin wrapping at the ball of your foot and wrap upward until you have wrapped the foot and ankle about four inches above the sprained area. The bandage should be even around all parts of the foot and ankle; make sure you've wrapped it tightly without cutting off circulation. Make sure not to leave any part of the sprained area unwrapped or wrapped too heavily.
3. Hop to It
If your ankle sprain is severe, your physician might recommend completely immobilizing the foot while the sprain heals. She might instruct you to use crutches and to not bear any weight on the injured ankle for a few weeks. If this is your case, follow your doctor's orders and keep weight off the ankle to avoid causing permanent injury to your foot or ankle.
4. Stop The Swelling
Take an anti-inflammatory pain reliever to reduce the inflammation in your sprained ankle muscles. Medications such as ibuprofen and low-strength naproxen, which are available without a prescription, can help relieve your pain by reducing the swelling and inflammation around the area. If over-the-counter medications aren't enough and you're still in pain, talk to your doctor about stronger anti-inflammatory and pain relieving medications.
5. Fire And Ice
You can reduce the inflammation and pain of a high ankle sprain by treating it with both hold and cold therapy. Apply a heating pad or microwaveable hot pack to the injured ankle for 30 minutes, then replace it with a cold pack for the same amount of time. Alternating cold and heat will relax the muscles, alleviate the pain and reduce the swelling.
