Conditions Treated

The 3 Degrees of An Ankle Sprain & How Chiropractic Can Help

An ankle sprain is always inconvenient, and often painful. But not all ankle sprains are equal in their severity. When diagnosing an ankle sprain, your doctor or chiropractor will classify the injury in one of three ways—first degree, second degree, and third degree. Knowing what each classification means can help you understand the nature of your injury and how careful you need to be with it. For your chiropractor, the classification of the 3 degrees of ankle sprain will help to direct the best treatment options.

The 3 Degrees of Ankle Sprains and What They Mean

A sprain is an injury involving the stretching and/or tearing of your ligaments. With the ankle, it is possible to suffer an injury to either side of the joint, the interior or the exterior. You may have an inversion sprain or an eversion sprain. Whichever type you suffer from, it will fall into one of three categories:

Grades of ankle sprains

First Degree Ankle Sprain

A first-degree sprain is one where the ligaments have not torn, only stretched further than normal. Symptoms of a first-degree sprain include discomfort when jumping, jogging or sometimes walking. Pain is usually mild and swelling is minimal. The joint may be a little stiff and slightly less stable than normal.

Second Degree Ankle Sprain

A second-degree sprain is the most common type of sprain people seek medical care for. The ligament is partially torn, which can lead to several uncomfortable symptoms. The sprain will make walking difficult, be moderately painful and make it hard to use the ankle. The injury will result in noticeable swelling and often bruising.

Third Degree Ankle Sprain

A third-degree sprain is the most severe and involves a full tear of the ligament. Pain is often severe and swelling is significant. The torn ligament makes the joint unstable, so it is not only painful but also very hard to use.

How Your Chiropractor Can Help With Ankle Sprains

Whether you are walking, running, jumping or just standing, the ankle plays a vital role in how you move and use your body. That is why it can be so frustrating when you find yourself with an ankle injury. Fortunately, ankle sprains do heal with enough rest and the right treatment.

Your chiropractor can help you recover from an ankle injury, both reducing pain and speeding up recovery time. There is research to support the use of chiropractic for ankle sprains. One study showed that patients with ankle sprains experienced less pain when chiropractic was added to their treatment program. Chiropractic also focuses on improving mobility and range of motion, which can be quite beneficial when trying to recover from a sprain and get back to your normal life.

Some of the most common chiropractic treatments for ankle sprains include:

Adjustments

Adjustments can be made to more than just the spine. The bones, ligaments, and tendons in the ankle are designed to work in a certain way. A sprain can knock the ankle out of alignment, something that most traditional doctors and rehabs do not consider. An ankle adjustment will work to put things back into their proper places.

Strengthening Exercises

There are a variety of useful exercises that your chiropractor can take you through to improve strength and mobility in the ankle. Things like a wobble board, where you stabilize yourself on a wobbly platform and drawing on a board with a market held in your toes can be surprisingly effective at strengthening your ankle.

Get Treatment for Your Ankle Sprain Today

Please contact us today to schedule an appointment with a chiropractor for your sprained ankle. Let us help you get stronger and heal faster!

Injury Medical & Chiropractic Clinic

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The information on this blog site is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified healthcare professional or licensed physician and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make healthcare decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified healthcare professional.

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Welcome to El Paso's Premier Wellness and Injury Care Clinic & Wellness Blog, where Dr. Alex Jimenez, DC, FNP-C, a board-certified Family Practice Nurse Practitioner (FNP-BC) and Chiropractor (DC), presents insights on how our team is dedicated to holistic healing and personalized care. Our practice aligns with evidence-based treatment protocols inspired by integrative medicine principles, similar to those found on this site and our family practice-based chiromed.com site, focusing on restoring health naturally for patients of all ages.

Our areas of chiropractic practice include  Wellness & Nutrition, Chronic Pain, Personal Injury, Auto Accident Care, Work Injuries, Back Injury, Low Back Pain, Neck Pain, Migraine Headaches, Sports Injuries, Severe Sciatica, Scoliosis, Complex Herniated Discs, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Pain, Complex Injuries, Stress Management, Functional Medicine Treatments, and in-scope care protocols.

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We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from various disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system.

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We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how they may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to discuss the subject matter above further, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez, DC, APRN, FNP-BC, or contact us at 915-850-0900.

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Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, APRN, FNP-BC*, CCST, IFMCP, CFMP, ATN

email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com

Licensed as a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) in Texas & New Mexico*
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Graduate with Honors: ICHS: MSN-FNP (Family Nurse Practitioner Program)
Degree Granted. Master's in Family Practice MSN Diploma (Cum Laude)

 

Dr. Alex Jimenez, DC, APRN, FNP-BC*, CFMP, IFMCP, ATN, CCST
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