Aug 10, 2023

How Compression Socks Can Help Your Sprained Ankle Injury Heal

A sprained ankle is a debilitating injury that impedes mobility and can make walking or standing difficult and painful for days or weeks. Sprained ankles are also extremely common. About 23,000 people suffer from sprained ankles in the United States each day, and many of them injure themselves while walking on uneven surfaces or getting out of bed.

This article will explain why ankle sprains occur, it will describe the three degrees or grades of ankle sprain and will provide you with some tips that could help you to avoid this painful injury. It will also cover the various ways that quality compression socks can reduce ankle swelling and pain and promote faster healing.

What Is an Ankle Sprain?

An ankle sprain or rolled ankle is an injury that occurs when the weight placed on a foot causes the ankle to twist or turn in an unnatural way. The ligaments that hold the ankle together and allow the foot to move up and down are extremely strong, but they can stretch or snap when they are forced beyond their normal range of motion. Ankle sprains are often called rolled ankles because they usually occur when the body’s weight is placed on the side rather than the sole of the foot. This causes the foot to roll inward and stretches and damages the tendons on the outside of the ankle.

The first symptom of an ankle sprain is pain that becomes more intense when weight is placed on the injured joint. Symptoms that develop more slowly include bruising, swelling, and tenderness. When emergency room doctors diagnose rolled ankles, they place the injury into one of the following three categories based on the severity of the symptoms:

Grade I ankle sprains: These injuries occur when ankle ligaments are stretched but not torn. Weight can usually be placed on a grade I ankle sprain after a few hours, but it can take two or three weeks for the injury to heal completely.
Grade II ankle sprains: Doctors diagnose a grade II ankle sprain when ligaments are torn as well as stretched. Grade II ankle sprains are more painful and take longer to heal. The injuries that cause grade II ankle sprains can also tear the veins in the ankle, which can cause blood to pool in the joint.
Grade III ankle sprains: The most serious type of ankle sprain is suffered when ligaments tear to the point where they are no longer able to provide any support. These injuries cause a great deal of pain, swelling, and discoloration, and recovering from them can take several months.

Compression Socks for Sprained Ankles

The way sprained or rolled ankles are treated is often described by using the acronym RICE, which stands for rest, ice, compression, and elevation. Compression socks for ankle pain apply graduated pressure to the ankle, foot, and lower leg, which improves blood flow, reduces swelling and eases pain. Athletes who are recovering from ankle sprains rely on tightly wrapped tape to provide compression when they return to training. Compression socks provide more gentle pressure throughout the day.

Rest, ice, elevation, and compression are most important in the hours and days following an ankle sprain. Wearing compression socks for ankle sprains in the days following injury provides the joint with some of the support that was lost when ligaments were stretched or torn, which promotes healing and could prevent the injury from getting worse.

Do Ankle Compression Socks Work?

Are compression socks good for sprained ankles? It all depends. Compression socks support injured ankles and ensure that the area receives plenty of oxygenated blood, but compression is only effective when it is combined with rest, ice, and elevation. Rest is particularly important because it takes time for torn or stretched ligaments to repair themselves. If you suffer a sprained ankle and try to return to your normal routine too soon, you could reinjure yourself even if you wear compression socks and apply an ice pack every four hours.

When ankle sprains are treated properly, and the people who suffer from them get plenty of rest, they usually heal completely. When people are impatient and cut their treatment short, they often suffer recurrent ankle sprains. These injuries are far more serious, and recovering from them can take a year or longer. About 40% of ankle sprains develop chronic symptoms because the joint was exposed to stress and reinjured before it healed fully.

Do Compression Socks Help With Ankle Pain?

Placing even a small amount of weight on a sprained or rolled ankle can cause intense pain. Compression socks can help to ease ankle pain because they improve blood circulation. This removes toxins from the injured area and supplies torn or stretched ankle ligaments with oxygenated blood that is rich in nutrients. Compression also promotes the release of endorphins, which are hormones the body produces in response to pain or injury. Endorphins are natural pain relievers, and they also lower stress levels and provide a sense of well-being.

Sprained ankle compression can also help to restore a full range of motion. This reduces pain even further because it prevents the stiffness that can set in when an injured joint is not used. The gentle pressure that compression socks provide promotes flexibility and mobility, which eases pain and promotes healing.

Ankle Compression Socks Benefits

A pair of quality compression socks apply gentle pressure to the foot, ankle, and lower leg, but not all compression socks feature the infrared technology that TRUEENERGY® uses. The yarn we use to make the best compression socks for sprained ankles is infused with ceramic crystals that were first developed by NASA to improve blood circulation in space. When exposed to the body’s natural heat, these crystals create infrared energy that promotes tissue regeneration and improves circulation more effectively than compression alone. Other ankle compression sock benefits include:

Support: Sprained ankles are prone to re-injury. The gentle support provided by compression socks can prevent this.
Pain relief: Rolled ankles can be very painful. Compression socks improve blood circulation and promote the release of endorphins, which eases discomfort and reduces stress.
Reduced swelling: Injured joints swell when blood pools in the affected area. TRUEENERGY® makes the best compression sock for a sprained ankle that is displaying this symptom. Gentle compression encourages blood circulation and prevents this from happening.
Faster rehab: If you wear compression socks for ankle injuries, you can better recover from a rolled ankle. As such, you will probably feel better sooner and be up and about more quickly.

Avoiding Ankle Sprains

There are several things that you can do to reduce your chances of suffering a rolled or sprained ankle. You should be careful when you run or walk on uneven surfaces, and you should make sure that the shoes you wear fit you well and are suitable for the activities you participate in. Maintaining balance is more difficult in shoes with high heels, so this kind of footwear should be avoided.

Regular exercise reduces the likelihood of suffering an ankle sprain because it gently stretches and strengthens ligaments and tendons, but it is important to warm up thoroughly before you begin. Wearing compression socks can also help to prevent musculoskeletal injuries like ankle sprains.

Say No to Ankle Pain

If you want to recover from exercise more quickly and avoid injuries, you should put on a pair of compression socks every time you work out. If you want the best protection possible, you should choose TRUEENERGY® compression socks with infrared technology. We have compression socks for men and women in dozens of colors and styles, and they have all been designed to provide comfort and improve performance. If you would like to learn more about our compression socks or the technology that goes into them, you can fill out our online form or call us onat (800) 395-4290.

FAQs

Are Compression Socks Good for an Ankle Injury?

Compression socks apply gentle pressure to the ankle, lower leg, and foot. This pressure improves blood circulation and supports the ankle. Doctors use the acronym RICE when they give advice to patients with ankle sprains, and the C in RICE stands for compression.

Does Compression Help Heal Ankle?

Compression can help a sprained ankle to heal more quickly, but applying ice, elevating the affected area, and getting plenty of rest should not be overlooked. When combined with rest, ice, and elevation, compression can promote healing and prevent re-injury.

Do Compression Socks Help Healing?

Compression socks do not apply as much pressure as ankle braces or tightly wrapped tape, but they do provide enough stimulation to improve blood flow and promote healing. For the best results, you should choose compression socks with infrared technology. TRUEENERGY® socks have crystals that are triggered by the body and improve circulation more than compression alone. When blood circulates properly, it does not pool in injured areas. This ensures that stretched or torn ligaments receive a steady supply of oxygenated blood.

How Long Should You Compress an Ankle Injury?

This all depends on how badly the ankle was injured. A grade I ankle sprain will probably require only a few days of compression, but a grade III sprain could require compression for up to a year. Once an ankle injury has healed, wearing compression socks could prevent further injury.

Why Does Compression Help Sprains?

Compression helps sprains by providing external support to the injured area, which helps reduce swelling and inflammation. When you sprain your ankle, the ligaments are stretched or torn, leading to swelling as the body's natural response to the injury. Compression socks apply gentle pressure to the affected area, which helps prevent excessive fluid buildup, reduces swelling, and improves blood circulation.