Do you still have pain in your ankle after a sprain / ankle surgery?
Do you still experience pain going down stairs or squatting?
Does your ankle limit you from running or from returning to your favourite sports?
Do this simple test now and find out if you have recovered fully from your ankle sprain.
Most ankle sprains tend to heal well with rest. Sometimes, ankle sprains may leave substantial scar tissue behind which can cause some ankle movement to be painful even after a long time. (Think about scar tissue as waste accumulation from the healing and repair process). Similarly, most ankle surgery / fractures would leave massive scar around the injured region. These scar tissue need to be dealt with as soon as possible, as the scarring can harden with time making treatment difficult and prolong.
Try this simple clinical test to see if your ankle has fully healed:
(1) Position your injured foot on a stool and inch your knee forward towards the wall as shown. Your heel must remain in contact with the stool.
(2) Measure the number of fingers from your big toe to wall. You may be limited by pain or stiffness.
(3) Compare this distance to your uninjured side.
If you have pain or if the distance is lacking on the injured side. You have not fully recovered from your initial injury.
Physiotherapy through a full assessment can treat and advise you to regain full movement of the ankle.
