sprained ankle - how long will it take to heal?

[AimUnder]

I've sprained my ankle and it's really sore! I'm struggling to walk with that foot (sort of hopping around). I should probably go A&E but I don't have childcare and don't fancy waiting for hours with baby.

I'm wondering how long should it take to heal?

[DramaAlpaca]

I fell and sprained mine in mid January and it's only just about healed now, but it was quite a bad sprain. I can walk on it fairly comfortably, but still don't fancy running on it.

Less severe sprains tend to heal in a couple of weeks, so hopefully yours will be like this.

I didn't go to A&E with mine, just rested it as much as I could with my foot up, took anti-inflammatory painkillers and and strapped it up firmly with a crepe bandage if I had to walk on it.

Hope yours feels better soon.

[Dungandbother]

Heat now for a day or two then ice. Swelling is for a reason. To stop you using it cause it hurts. Don't ignore pain. Rest.

Arnica if you have any.
Once the immediate pain subsides some strong massage to help the muscles re-knit in a better alignment is good. That's when you need ice. Raise it, that reduces the swelling.

You should be able to use it normally in 5 days. Healed is 6-12 weeks depending on severity.

Little things to strengthen as you go- stand on it when brushing teeth and gently bob about. Do some lunges, keep it moving. Daily, little then build it up. Not for a week though. See how the pain threshold is.

If it hurts don't use it and get medical advice. Physio or A&E

[lorelei9]

You need to rest it, ice it, elevate it
Do not walk on it!

As for how long, I didn't go to a doc but with a middling sprain I.e not horrific, not mild, I was able to walk about ten minutes to station in a week? It was bad for the first few days and then really improved rapidly.
Take care

[curlywurly4]

I sprained mine really badly and it took months to heal. Would recommend starting physio asap once you can weight bear. this link good

[AimUnder]

Thank you all!

It seems to be healing, but it's sore after I've walked. At least I'm able to hobble now.

[Chloe1984]

Mine took about a week or so before I could walk fairly briskly on it after tearing ligaments then running after 3-4 weeks but don't over do it. It will probably turn a lovely black/blue colour with the bruising. If it's showing signs of healing already then I'm sure you'll be fine.