Ankle Sprain Rehabilitation Canberra.

What the evidence says.

The most important fact about ankle sprains is the reinjury statistic: without proper rehab, up to 40 percent of significant sprains progress to chronic ankle instability. The sprain heals; the deficits it leaves, balance, proprioception, calf and peroneal strength, confidence on uneven ground, do not fix themselves. Early protected movement beats strict rest, and balance training is the single best proven protection against the next one.

How I treat it.

Early on: swelling management, protected range and load that respects healing without babying it. Then the real work, strength through the calf and peroneals, single leg balance progressed until it is boringly good, hopping and landing mechanics, and for athletes a return to sport testing battery so the decision to go back is made on numbers.

I also check what the sprain may have taken with it, talus glide, midfoot stiffness, hands on where needed, because a joint that does not move well cannot be strengthened well.

What we aim for.

• Walking, then running, then cutting, on a criteria based timeline
• Balance and strength testing that beats your pre injury baseline
• No lingering fear on stairs, trails or the sports field
• This being your last ankle sprain, not your first of many