How I Healed a Sprained Ankle in 4.5 days

I was playing pickup basketball recently on a Tuesday night when I jumped for a rebound, landed on someone’s foot and rolled my ankle. It seared with pain, and I went down to the court pretty hard. The other players milled about with the knowing silence that hangs around an injury and all encouraged me not to worry, as I’d be back in a few weeks. But I didn’t want to wait a few weeks. This was my best chance to put all of my rehab knowledge to the test.

Conventional wisdom says to rest, ice and stay off of it as much as possible. I planned to do the exact opposite and move it as much as possible, with no ice and no rest at all. I was confident, but there was doubt too. Would my experiment work? Would I be back to the court faster than ever or would I hurt myself even worse and risk an even longer injury? I play basketball on Tuesday nights and Sunday mornings, leaving me just 4.5 days to accomplish what usually heals in 4-6 weeks. I set this goal in my mind before I left the court that day. Could I return to full capacity basketball in 4.5 days? It was time to get to work, and my experiment started immediately. I’m excited to share my story here, not as medical advice of course, but in the hopes that my story may help someone.

Actual footage of me rolling my ankle

5 minutes after the Injury

The first thing I did was get up and walk on it. I knew it wasn’t broken because nothing was hanging off at a weird angle, and I could walk on it even if it was an 8 out of 10 on the pain scale. It was all I could think about, but I could have taken more pain if my life depended on it. I walked around the outer rim of the court 10 times before getting in my car to go home. I had a heavy limp but tried to put as much weight on it as I could.

There was no reason for the number of trips other than to prove to myself that I could do it, as I needed to practice some pain tolerance. It was going to hurt no matter what, and I couldn’t let that pain stop me from moving. If I could move it as much as possible I’d keep the swelling down which can be its own cause of pain in addition to the injury itself. 

It was also clear I wasn’t doing any more damage by walking on it. It’s easy to associate pain with damage, but this isn’t always the case. It hurt because I had rolled it, not because I was walking on it. So practicing NOT associating pain with damage was my objective. I hobbled around the court and went home. 

20 minutes since Injury

I texted Dr. Joe on the way home to tell him about my experiment to get back in action ASAP. Don’t ice he said, it’s been theorized for years that icing can slow the healing process by eliminating inflammation. The inflammation is how you heal, so why get rid of it, so the logic goes. Ice can make it hurt less by numbing the area, but it won’t actually make it heal any faster. Take ibuprofen if you need, he said, but not if you can tolerate the pain. Get rid of as much swelling as you can as soon as you can, because the edema/swelling is what can make an ankle sprain last for months. Elevate it for as long as you can, and compress as another method to reduce swelling. Remember the old pneumonic RICE? Rest, Ice, Compress, and Elevate? It needs an update. Don’t rest, don’t ice, as they can slow healing but do compress and elevate.

Ouch

I wrapped a Voodoo band around it as tight as I could manage for 2-3 minutes when I got home, and elevated it in 5-10 minute intervals. It hurt a TON to compress it (about a 9/10), and even elevating it was uncomfortable. I did take 2 Ibuprofen, because I was worried I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep. I wrapped it loosely in an Ace bandage and went to bed.  I hurt pretty badly, and it kept me up for most of the night.

1 day since Injury

I followed more of Dr. Joe’s advice by performing ankle Alphabets (tracing the alphabet with my foot), and compressing it with a Voodoo band as tight as possible for 3-5 minutes at a time. I did this on the hour when I could for around 12 times total during the day. I put the Ace bandage on loosely during the day, and I worked a normal day on my feet. Clients offered to help me load weights and get things for me but I waved them off. 

I told them about my experiment and how their attempts to help me were obstructing scientific research. They laughed a little but also looked kind of worried for me. It was a dull ache with sharp pangs but still down to a 6 out of 10 overall. I did my best not to limp as this can minimize range of motion, and can cause movement compensations to the good side. The only thing stopping me from walking normally was the pain, so I told myself that my pain was my reward for healing faster. Avoiding pain was simply going to prolong it, I told myself. It swelled up enough so that you couldn’t see my ankle bones. When I compressed it, the swelling was pushed away from my ankle and into my toes and shin making them look blobby and soft. It looked pretty weird, but I took that as a good sign that my efforts were having an impact. 

I was scheduled to deadlift that day for my own training, so I resolved to do as much weight as I could tolerate. The ankle doesn’t move very much in a deadlift and I literally have a client who deadlifts with a broken ankle with no ill effects. I worked up in load, and before you know it, I was able to work up to my working weight and was able to complete my scheduled training. I was pleasantly surprised and emboldened that I could train at all the day after the injury. 

2 days since Injury

I continued with the Ankle Alphabets, and Voodoo band compression for around 10X this day.. I also did sets of 10 bodyweight squats every couple of hours. They hurt to do, but every now and again I would get a satisfying click from my ankle which made it feel better. I took this as a sign of movement in the joint which I was seeking. Again I wrapped it in an Ace bandage and worked a normal day. I also had a massage with Kyori, who’s the greatest. She was able to keep the lymphatics draining from the area without muscular contraction, the key to eliminating swelling without causing more pain. She worked on the ankle manually for 30-45 minutes and it felt much looser and movement was much smoother afterwards. It was down to around a 4-5 on the pain scale. 

3 days since Injury

Dr. Joe advised me to decrease the frequency of the compression from 10X a day to 5, and to increase my movements as far as pain would allow. It was squat day that day and while I had been doing bodyweight squats, I wasn’t sure if adding load would bother it. If it hurt the same, or even felt better I would continue, and I would stop if the pain increased. I resolved again, to do what load I could. It didn’t feel good but the pain didn’t increase at all during the squat.

That meant that the game was on, as I wasn’t doing any damage as long as I could tolerate it. I pause squatted 315 (my planned working load) for 5 sets of 3. It hurt but not anymore than simply walking around. It was still pretty swollen, and I had added some yellowy brownish bruising that was collecting again around my toes and shin. I was feeling confident about being able to play on Sunday, but would my progress continue?

4 days since Injury

I compressed it 5X, did bodyweight squats when it felt tight, and elevated it for an hour on 2 occasions at Dr. Joe’s advice. The elevation decreased the swelling and I was around a 3-4 on the pain scale. My experiment would come to a conclusion in the morning, so I took advantage of the chance for some more movement.

I did sets of calf raises, dorsiflexions, nordic ham curls and some light single leg pogos to work on the reactive elements of the ankle. They all caused discomfort, but the mere change in term from “pain” to “discomfort” was indicative of my progress. I went to bed with hope that I was going to make it. 

4.5 days since Injury- time to play basketball

As I drove to the court, I talked myself through my plan. I was going to show up and give it a go, even if I couldn’t complete a game. Even if I had to stand in a corner and not move much, I was playing in that game. Despite my determination I needed to be honest with myself and pull out if my pain got over a 5 out of 10. It was hanging around a 2-3 as I warmed up and got ready. 

Showtime

The game began and something wonderful happened. The adrenaline took the pain away. I had full range of motion. I wasn’t quite as springy as normal, but it didn’t hurt, so I kept playing. I could run, pivot, and jump. If not to my normal level, at least to a degree where no one else noticed. I even made the game winning jump shot. I played 4 games that day for about 2 hours and I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. 

Actual depiction of me playing on Sunday

Accept the Challenge

It was important to me to show myself just what I could do when putting my mind to it. I preach often to clients about not being defeated, and controlling the controllable. This was my opportunity to put my money where my mouth is, and show what can be done with some knowledge and a whole lot of effort. I had an opportunity to experiment on myself with some things that may seem bold or ill-advised, and I assure you I had many people telling me I was doing it all wrong, and I was on the fast track to hurting myself again.

Conventional wisdom is just that because it is rarely challenged. I’m glad I was up to the challenge, and I hope you are too the next time something gets hurt. Move it as much as possible as much as you can tolerate within a smart doctor or physical therapist’s orders. Explore how much range of motion you can add and even build. It will hurt for sure, but you CAN get back to your activities quickly, and let nothing hold you back.

It’s been a few weeks now since the roll, and it still swells a little sometimes. It still feels tight, and takes longer to get warmed up than usual. But it doesn’t stop me from doing anything that I want to, and isn’t that the point? I still play twice a week without holding back. Dr. Joe and Kyori are the best team out there, and I’m immensely grateful to both of them for their help.