Imagine this, you just came back to work after a one-week vacation because of an injury. You got a sprained ankle and you find it very difficult to concentrate on your work because you got nothing to step onto while doing your report in front of the computer. Accomplishing a task is a challenge when you are injured. If you're looking for the right product that can alleviate the pain caused by the sprained ankle, this article is suitable for you. 

In today's discussion, we will talk about the: 

a.the meaning of sprained ankles

b.the long-term effects of sprained ankles

c.things to remember when you have a sprained ankle

d.the advantages of using Flexispot's Under Desk Foot Hammock when you have a sprained ankle.

So, let's begin the discussion now.

In an article written, it was stated that seven in 1,000 Americans will have an ankle sprain. A third to two-thirds will have continued problems. For some people, ankle sprains are just minor injuries and can be alleviated with a pain killer or hot compress. However, there are underlying conditions that could affect the ankle sprains.

I.The Meaning of Sprained Ankles:

A Sprained ankle is an injury that involves torn or stretched ligaments on the outer part of the ankle. There are two kinds of sprains:

a.inversion sprain: the ankle is rolled inward which is a common type of sprain which causes pain on the outer part of the ankle

b.eversion sprain: the pain comes from the inner side of the ankle; this is a more serious injury because it can affect the tendon and ligaments that support the arch.

Some sprains do not require surgery some are just treated with functional rehabilitation However sprains are difficult to distinguish from broken bones hence it's important to consult a doctor so he could check the severity of the injury and perform an X-ray so he could ensure that no bones have been broken. 

Ankle Sprains have three classifications which are Grade 1 (mild), Grade 2 (medium), and Grade 3 (severe):

-The grade 1 ankle sprain is classified with slight tenderness, swelling, and stiffness around the affected area; the person could still be able to walk with minimal pain. 

-Grade 2 sprained ankle in which bruising and swelling are evident and the damaged areas are tender to the touch.

-Grade 3 ankle sprain shows complete tear of the damaged area. Ligaments are severely affected. Walking is impossible too because of the intense pain

Sprained ankles can limit your movement and that is the big disadvantage of it especially if you are an outgoing person and needs to finish a lot of stuff at work. Should you experience having this injury, you must understand well the severity of the classifications of ankle sprains because these injuries at times have long-term effects, especially for severe cases. Hence, here's the second part of our article that talks about:

II. The Long-Term Effects of Sprained Ankles

Sprained ankles have consequences in the long run regardless if it's a Grade 1 or Grade 2 ankle sprains. What is the downside is the effect is not instantly felt even years after the injury. The clinical problems of the sprained ankles are:

a. The effects of the injury to the stretched-out ligaments:

These are caused by the sudden and violent turning of the ankle past its normal range of motion. These ligaments do not return to their original shapes. This makes the ankle less stable. This clinical problem makes the ligaments lose the ability to easily connect to the brain. As a result, the ankle loses proper coordination 

b. There is a possible loss of range in the ankle: 

This happens like a domino effect that takes place once the person injured loses ankle dorsiflexion or the direction that the ankle moves. This could hamper walking and can cause the loss of efficiency and strength of the areas higher than the legs and the pelvis. 

Despite these problems, there are still ways to overcome these long-term effects with the proper and suitable exercises such as the single-leg balance in which the patient removes his shoes and retrain the muscles supporting the ankle and foot to provide the maximum amount of stability. Another way of retraining is doing the calf stretch training that can revive the lost dorsiflexion. This training involves the stretching of the hand of the patient towards the wall; sprained ankle is two to three feet away from the wall with the other leg pointing to the wall with the knees bent. This should take 10-15 seconds of stretching.

Now that we have finished talking about the long-term effect of ankle sprains. We should also discuss the ways to take care of the sprained ankle in the next part of this discussion.

III. Things to Remember when you have a Sprained Ankle:

In this part, we must take note of R.I.C.E guidelines. This may alleviate the pain and help you relax the damaged area. However, please take note of the severity of the grades of ankle sprains. It is because if the sprained ankle is categorized as Grade III, the management of the injury is quite different. The R.I.C.E guidelines are usually for ankle sprain Grades I and II. The Rice guidelines are:

-Rest your ankle; avoid putting much bearing on the affected area.

-Ice it to keep down the swelling. 

-Compress the affected area so it would help control the swelling and support your injury. Using a compression wrap will be a good thing but be careful not to wrap it tightly as it might also make an impact on the damaged area. 

-Elevate the foot by reclining and propping it up to the heart level as much as possible. 

Despite the last step on the R.I.C.E guidelines which says that you must prop the foot up to the heart area, it is a bit of a challenge to do so because of certain conditions. What if you could not work on the bed and the only office equipment you have is the table? How could elevation be possible?

With this, we'll walk you through now the last part of the discussion which is:

III.The Advantages of using Flexispot's Under Desk Foot Hammock when you have a Sprained Ankle:

The Portable Under Desk Foot Hammock FH01 is a product that gives lasting comfort and improves circulation. By resting the injured foot on the hammock, one could continue working without the fear of having more injured during work hours. Even when you have no choice but to stay on the table, you can simply hang the foot hammock under the desk and continue working. This would ensure productivity despite the less movement that you may do because of the injury.