If you’ve hurt your ankle, after a thorough physical examination and some tests, your doctor would classify that injury into one of the three grades based on its severity: Grade 1, Grade 2, and Grade 3. Grade 3 ankle sprain is the most severe one. In this, your ligament has torn completely. This will come with severe pain and swelling. The joint will be unstable, so you won’t be able to walk; not without pain at least.
How Grade 3 Ankle Sprain (And Not Grade 1 And 2)?
While grade 3 ankle sprain is not “very common” as opposed to lesser severe grade 1 and grade 2, it can happen in certain cases. Maybe you were running or jumping on an uneven surface; maybe you tripped on something. People who are into physically intensive sports, as well as those who live a sedentary lifestyle and have poorly conditioned bones, joints, and muscles – they are more likely to sustain severe sprains. When you completely tear a ligament, in addition to acute pain and extreme loss of motion, you even hear or feel a pop sound.
How Will It Get Diagnosed?
Unsurprisingly, grade 3 ankle sprain takes a long time to heal. If you have sustained this injury, as mentioned earlier, the doctor will do physical examinations and even order a few tests to have a clear understanding of the extent and severity of the injury. The tests can include x-rays, MRI scan, and ultrasound. Accordingly, the doctor would outline a course of treatment for you and offer some advice that you should follow religiously.
Would You Need a Surgery?
Even something as severe as grade 3 ankle sprain does not necessarily require surgery. Your doctor would recommend any invasive treatment only if your sprain hasn’t positively responded to non-surgical treatments and rehabilitation. In this case, you should always look for the best orthopedic hospital in India (or any specific city) and trust only the experienced and specialist surgeons.
Treatment For Grade 3 Ankle Sprain
An important part of non-invasive treatment for your grade 3 ankle sprain is getting enough rest and allowing your ligament to heal itself. In addition to this, you should follow the entire RICE model, which also includes applying ice and compression, as well as keeping your ankle at an elevated level.To control the pain and swelling, the doctor would likely prescribe you pain medication. In the second phase of recovery, once you have made some progress, you will have to focus on restoring flexibility and strength of your ankle. In the next phase, you will gradually get back to your regular activities – first the activities that do not put stress on your ankles and then anything strenuous.
How Long Will The Recovery Take?
How long the recovery from grade 3 ankle sprain takes varies for different people. It depends on how your injured area, and body, is responding to the treatment. However, you can expect it to take about 12 weeks before you can slowly get back to your normal routine. In this period, your doctor may ask you to wear crutches or use a walking stick. Your physical therapy in the second and third phases of recovery will include doing basic strength, balance, and endurance exercises whose intensity will progressively increase as your ankle heals.
Get Help From The Right Doctor (And Your Family Members or Friends)
Admittedly, the recovery period might not be easy – even though, in the early phase, all you will have to do is rest. There will be occasional discomfort. This could be emotionally and psychologically tolling. This is why it’s just as much about your family members who should be there to support you – at least in the first few days – as it is about the teamwork between you and your doctor. But the good thing is you might not require surgery, which could have its own set of challenges; plus, surgical treatment would also be relatively costly.
Hope this article provided you will all the basic information about grade 3 ankle sprain.