NorthShore University Health System Primary Care Sports Medicine, University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine; ATC National Athletic Trainers’ Association cjaworski@northshore.org
The authors reported no potential conflict of interest relevant to this article.
Phase 2: Once the patient has achieved full range of motion and pain is controlled, begin the process of regaining strength. The 4-way ankle exercise program (with elastic tubing) is an easy at-home exercise that has been shown to improve strength in plantar flexion, dorsiflexion, eversion, and inversion (TABLE 1).9-11
Phase 3: Once your patient is able to bear full weight with little to no pain, begin a balance program (TABLE 19-11). This is the most frequently neglected component of rehabilitation and the most common reason patients return with chronic ankle pain or repeat ankle injuries. Deficits in postural stability and balance have been reported in unstable ankles following acute ankle sprains,10,12-15 and studies have shown that individuals with poor stability are at a greater risk of injury.13-16
For most lateral ankle sprains, patients can expect time to recovery to range from 2 to 8 weeks. Longer recoveries are associated with more severe injuries or those that involve the syndesmosis.
Plantar fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis (PF) of the foot can be frustrating for a patient due to its chronic nature. Most patients will present with pain in the heel that is aggravated by weight-bearing activities. A conservative management program that focuses on reducing pain and inflammation, reducing tissue stress, and restoring strength and flexibility has been shown to be effective for this type of injury.17,18
Step 1: Reduce pain and inflammation. Deep-tissue massage and cryotherapy are easy ways to help with pain and inflammation. Deep-tissue massage can be accomplished by rolling the bottom of the foot on a golf or lacrosse ball. A favorite recommendation of ours to reduce inflammation is to use the ice-cup massage, mentioned earlier, for 5 minutes. Or rolling the bottom of the foot on a frozen water bottle will accomplish both tasks at once (TABLE 217,18).
Step 2: Reduce tissue stress. Management tools commonly used to reduce tissue stress are OTC orthotics and night splints. The night splint has been shown to improve symptoms,but patients often stop using it due to discomfort.19 Many kinds of night splints are available, but we have found that the sock variety with a strap to keep the foot in dorsiflexion is best tolerated, and it should be covered by most care plans.
