Ankle Sprain Treatment

A new study adds to a growing body of evidence that laser therapy improves ankle sprain recovery.

Anatomical Structure

The ankle is made up of two joints, five bones, and four ligaments.
Ligaments are connective tissues that attach bones together, usually at the joints. They help stabilize ankle joints by preventing their over-extension.
An ankle sprain injury occurs when the ankle ligaments are stretched and/or torn due to over-extension. This usually happens from suddenly rolling, twisting, or turning your ankle awkwardly.

Types of ankle sprains

There are three types of ankle sprains: inversion, eversion, and high-ankle sprains:

Inversion sprains – most common, occur when the foot turns inward.
Eversion sprains – less common, occur when the foot turns outward.
High-ankle sprain – least common, occurs when the foot turns upwards towards the shin.

In addition, ankle sprains are classified into three severity categories called grades:

Grade I ankle sprain (mild) – ligaments are stretched.
Grade II ankle sprain (moderate) – ligaments are slightly torn.
Grade III ankle sprain (severe) – ligaments are completely torn.

Ankle sprain symptoms

Ankle sprain symptoms depend on the injury type and severity.
Common symptoms include:

Pain and tenderness
Pain when trying to stand on the affected foot
Swelling
Bruising
Decreased range of motion
Ankle instability

There are two types of ankle sprain treatments: passive and active. Traditionally, the prescribed treatment for mild-to-moderate ankle sprains has been passive. It usually involves an at-home protocol called RICE which stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. This term was coined by the sports medicine physician Dr. Mirkin in the late 70s. However, in 2015 he published an article in which he refuted his protocol by stating that “Ice Delays Recovery” (Mirkin, 2021). Since then, many published studies have supported this claim. In one Australian study, it was found that icing an injury merely delayed inflammation but did not reduce it (Peake et a., 2015). Ice is still recommended in the first 72 hours of ankle sprains to reduce swelling. Afterward, including therapies such as low-level laser therapy (LLLT) showed more promising recovery results (de Moraes Prianti et al., 2018).

The science

Published in the Lasers in Medical Science, a peer-reviewed study investigated the efficacy of adding LLLT to traditional treatment for ankle sprains (de Moraes Prianti et al., 2018).
The study included 40 patients suffering from acute grade two ankle sprains. Acute refers to an injury sustained suddenly. The patients were randomly divided into two groups:

Real laser therapy and RICE
Fake laser therapy and RICE

Patients in both groups underwent three laser therapy sessions over the course of 6 days. The patients were not aware of which treatment they were receiving. Those in the fake laser group had the laser turned off during treatment sessions. After each treatment, researchers followed up with patients. They found that those in the real laser therapy group reported significantly less pain and swelling than those in the fake laser therapy group.
This suggests that laser therapy in addition to RICE is more effective at treating ankle sprains than the RICE method alone. And laser therapy could be used to supplement at-home and/or passive therapies to enhance ankle sprain recovery.