How Long Does a Sprained Ankle Stay Swollen?

A sprained ankle is a common sports-related injury caused due to overstretching or tears in the ligaments. It usually happens after a fall or when you vigorously twist or roll your ankle during an activity. A sprained ankle doesn’t show swelling immediately but takes several hours or a complete day to develop. 

The swelling typically lasts up to 48 hours (2 days) when the sprain is mild to moderate. In severe conditions, it can stay a little longer until your ankle’s ligaments heal completely. 

Most ankle sprains usually heal on their own with conventional methods like heat and ice therapy, exercising, or wearing compression socks. However, there is still a chance for them to appear again. So, your doctor may recommend muscle-strengthening treatment to prevent future sprains and swelling. 

Types of an Ankle Sprain

Ankle sprains are often known as a “rolled ankle” or “twisted ankle.” All these terms refer to the injury or trauma in the ankle that results in ligament tears. However, they are used for different types of ankle sprains, depending on the location and the ligament injured in the ankle.

• External Ankle Sprain. It is the most common sprain, causing pain in the foot’s outer area or the outer malleolus level. The external ankle sprain is also known as lateral ankle sprain or anterior talofibular ligament sprain. 

• Internal Ankle Sprain. Also known as a medial ankle sprain, it affects the inside ligament of the ankle, leading to intense pain near the inner malleolus. 

In rare cases, the sprain may also affect one of your ankle joints. Regardless of where the sprain occurs on your ankle, its treatment and swelling duration remain the same.

Different Stages of Ankle Sprain

Besides location, ankle sprains are also divided into three grades based on severity. 

• A Grade 1 Sprain. It refers to a mild sprain caused due to only stretched ligament.
• A Grade 2 Sprain. It is a moderate sprain, occurring when the ankle ligament is slightly torn.
• A Grade 3 Sprain. It is a severe ankle sprain caused when the ankle ligament is completely torn. In most cases, the tear also occurs in the insertion of the ligament into the bone, called an avulsion fracture.

Athletes and pregnant women are more susceptible to ankle sprains. 

What Does an Ankle Sprain Feel Like?

Regardless of the type and grade of the ankle sprain, the common symptoms of this condition include the following:

• Ankle pain that worsens with movement or touch
• Difficulty walking, standing, or running
• Swelling and bruising around the ankle, especially after the sprain

How Long Does a Sprained Ankle Stay Swollen?

Swelling after an ankle sprain occurs when the fluids accumulate deep within the ankle tissues. It usually occurs due to inflamed tissues or ligaments, which is considered a healthy response from the immune system. 

The inflammation helps the damaged ligaments or tissues heal quickly by bringing all the essential components toward them via fluids. 

Yet, the swelling concerns many people, especially those whose swelling or blue bruising persists. If the sprain is mild, it typically goes away within 48 hours or a few days. 

However, the swelling may last for weeks or months in severe sprains. It may cause discomfort, but the pain will disappear over time. So you can resume your physical activities even if the swelling takes longer to go away. 

How to Minimize Swelling in a Sprained Ankle?

All types of sprained ankles improve over time without requiring you to do anything. Even if you opt for cold or heat therapy, massage, or kinesio taping, they won’t reduce swelling in the short or long term. 

Conventional Methods

Some at-home methods can help minimize swelling in the short term, including:

• Wearing compression stockings or socks to reduce pressure from your ankles and support the ligaments
• Elevating your legs even higher than the heart to improve blood flow to the ankles
• Limiting your time spent in one position
• Self-massaging your ankles if it reduces the swelling for some time

These tips will only work as long as you keep doing them. The swelling may return as soon as you stop practicing these methods. 

Remember, ankle swelling doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to walk, run, or perform sports activities. You can do everything as long as the sprain isn’t painful.

Orthobiologic Treatments

If you need long-term treatment for your sprained ankle’s swelling, you can undergo orthobiologic procedures, such as cell-based therapies and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy. These methods work on regenerative medicine, using the patient’s own cells to heal the discomfort caused due to ankle sprains. 

• Cell-Based Therapies. At CELLAXYS, we perform two types of cell-based or stem cell therapies: Minimally Manipulated Adipose Tissue Transplant (MMAT) and Bone Marrow Concentrate (BMAC). When the doctor extracts healthy stem cells from the adipose tissues, the process is called MMAT. When it’s the bone marrow, it is called BMAC. Once the cells are harvested, they are processed and reinjected into the injured ankle. Stem cells are the building blocks of our body, mainly responsible for healing underlying issues. Both these procedures are completed within 1.5 to 2 hours.
  
• PRP. It is a popular treatment for multiple spine, orthopedic, and sports-related injuries. PRP involves extracting platelets from the patient’s blood plasma, concentrating them, and reinjecting them into the injury site. Platelets are healing components in the human body, which produce 10 Growth Factors, attract healing cells from the blood, and produce fibrin (a web-like scaffolding) around the wounds. A high number of platelets in the ankle means early recovery from swelling. The procedure takes about 45 minutes to complete.

At CELLAXYS, we perform both orthobiologic treatments as outpatient procedures, meaning you can go home right after their completion. Our experienced doctors use live Ultrasound or X-ray (fluoroscopy) to find the exact location of the transplant. 

People who underwent any of these procedures have shown early recovery from ankle sprains with minimal swelling and pain. Connect with us today to book a detailed consultation with our team. We will help you find the best treatment for your condition!