Ankle Sprains

One of the more common traumatic injuries that presents to our offices at Eagle-Summit Foot & Ankle, and emergency rooms nationwide, is the ankle sprain. An estimated three million ankle sprains occur in the United States every year, which is enough for one out of every hundred people every single year. Interestingly, they can happen to people of any age, though the very young to the elderly population, who are more likely to suffer ankle fractures rather than sprains. We tend to see ankle sprains peak in men around 19-24 years while women tend to suffer from them over thirty years of age.

The good news when it comes to ankle sprain treatment is that they rarely require significant intervention. Even when the ankle is significantly bruised, discolored, and swollen, we expect it to heal uneventfully. Physical therapy can help speed up healing time, but in the long-term, a sprained ankle should return to normal without much input. Occasionally, chronic ankle instability can occur in people with multiple ankle sprains, usually as a result of multiple traumas or a predisposition with a high arched foot type.

Unfortunately, these injuries commonly drive patients to the emergency room. This is a costly venture, with the average ER bill for an ankle sprain approaching $1000 in 2010 dollars. This value has assuredly gone up over the last ten years. Ankle sprains are also, often, mismanaged in emergency rooms, where patients are prescribed unnecessary and habit-forming pain medications, which is something we will not do out of our office. If you have been to the ER and would like a second opinion on your ankle sprain, do not hesitate to reach out to either our Avon or Frisco Office.