Swollen Ankle Causes, Treatments
Swollen ankle can be because of various reasons. Most common of it is muscle injury due to sprains and strains. Sprains usually are due to over-stretching of the ligaments of ankle joint. Causative factors for ankle pain and swelling are sudden turn or stops, heavy lifting, falls or injuries.
Ankle Strains usually involve internal bleeding and swelling of the torn ligaments and joint capsule leading to severe pain and difficulty of movement.
First degree: mild injury with little pain and little loss of movement.
Second degree: moderate injury, sharp pain with motion, swelling, possible discoloration.
Third degree: severe injury, extreme pain, swelling, spasmodic muscle contraction.
Preventing Ankle Swelling
- Immediately move the injured part until you find a position which hurts the sprained area the least. Leave it there for two minutes. Then slowly return it to its normal position. If it is a minor sprain, this may solve the problem.
- If there is still pain, feel for the tender point and then lightly press it till it reaches the point of nearly unbearable pain. Hold it until the pain ceases (about a minute). What you did was to reduce the maximum muscle contraction at that point.If the pain does not ease, then the sprain is too severe and perhaps you need to see the doctor.
- Painful ankle should be immersed in hot bearable water for half an hour and then immediately put in cold water for a minute or so. Repeat this process for 2-3 times.
- Repeat this for several days and twice a day.
Home Remedies for Swollen Ankle
- Liniment prepared from 10gm each of lobelia fluid extract and cayenne is helpful in reducing ankle swelling. You can combine it with one teaspoon each of oil of spearmint, rosemary and wormwood. Apply as much as can be absorbed. To speed up the action place a hot-water bottle on the area.
- Mix equal quantity of skullcap, gentian, buckthorn bark, valerian and add a pinch of cayenne. Take this mixture in a teaspoon warmed over boiling water every hour.
- Cider vinegar is also helpful in reducing swelling of ankle joint. Apply cider vinegar compresses on the swollen area and leave it there for an hour.
- A poultice can be prepared by mixing fenugreek and flaxseed powder in little amount of hot water. It helps in reduction of swelling.
- Bromelain is found to speed up healing of sprains, hematomas and other soft tissue injuries. This principle is present in pineapple. So eat pineapple 3-4 times daily till swelling is reduced.
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