Royal Hospital for Children for Patients, Carers & Visitors
Sprains and strains of the ankle are very common injuries particularly in active children.
They can happen when the muscles and, or ligaments get stretched when the ankle has gone into an abnormal position.
Injuries: Ankle - physiotherapy advice for managing soft tissue ankle injuries
Warning
This advice is intended for children who have already had their soft tissue ankle injury assessed by a health professional, however it can also be used to help you treat minor injuries at home.
You should seek professional advice by contacting NHS24 on 111 if:
You should seek professional advice by contacting NHS24 on 111 if:
- your child is unable to take weight through their injured leg
- has significant swelling or
- reduced movement at the ankle
After an ankle injury your child can expect to feel pain and see swelling around the joint, in the coming days there may also be bruising.
Due to the pain and swelling it may be difficult for your child to take weight through the leg to start with but this should ease off within a few days.
If we have given your child a boot to wear they should try to use it only when absolutely needed and try to take weight on the ankle without the boot several times throughout the day.
It is expected that your child will be able to walk normally within 1 week.
Normal walking means that your heel touches the ground first and you roll off of your toes before you lift the foot from the floor.
Sometimes it can take a little longer for swelling and bruising to settle, this is normal. It’s important that your child continues to wear socks and shoes during this time and they touch the area regularly to prevent it becoming overly sensitive.
In the first 48-72 hours after their injury your child should:
Rest – Avoid any running or jumping activities, they should continue to walk as able to
Ice – apply an ice pack (or a bag of frozen vegetables wrapped in a tea towel) to the injury for up to 20 minutes up to every hour
Elevate – keep the ankle raised on a pillow as much as possible
Painkillers – use painkillers as advised by a pharmacist or doctor to manage the pain Gentle movement – Click here for exercises to do. To begin with, you should aim to do the first 4 exercises several times during the day. When you are able to take all of your weight onto your affected leg you can move on to exercises 5-8
If your child has not already been seen by a health professional:
You should seek professional advice by contacting NHS24 on 111 if:
- your child is unable to take weight through their injured leg
- has significant swelling or
- reduced movement at the ankle
If your child has already been assessed by physiotherapy:
Please contact us again if:
- Your child is unable to take weight through the affected leg without the moonboot after 48 hours
- Your child has had more than one injury to the same ankle in the past few months
Telephone: 0141 452 4650
