How Long Does a Sprained Ankle Take to Heal?

Our bodies have the wonderful ability to heal itself. This ability includes healing of torn ankle joint ligaments otherwise know as sprained ankles. The speed of healing will depend on the severity of the injury and the capacity of the individual to heal.

An ankle sprain can be one of three levels ranging from mild to severe. You can read more about the degrees of ankle sprain in our Ankle Sprain article and the Sprained Ankle Treatment article.

Grade I Sprains or Mild Sprains, are results of stretching of the ligaments beyond its limit and sometimes, there are microscopic tears in the ligaments. Grade I sprains typically heal relatively fast. References vary on the number of days required for mild sprains. Online references agree that a mild sprain can heal within a few days to a few weeks (2 to 3 weeks). As soon as the pain and swelling stops, normal activity can be resumed.

Grade II or Moderate Sprains involve partial tearing of the ligaments. This is the most common type of ankle sprain and recovery times for moderate sprains vary greatly. Immediate care and attention can reduce the healing time of Grade 2 sprains significantly. If all goes well, a moderate sprain should heal within 4-6 weeks.

Severe Sprains or Grade III sprains take a significantly longer length of time to heal than moderate sprains. Eight to twelve weeks is considered normal for severe ankle sprains. The risk of recurrence is also high in severe sprains.

An important factor in healing times in ankle sprains is the amount of swelling. The more swelling, the longer the sprain will take to heal. This is the reason why taking steps to reduce swelling as soon as possible and during the rehabilitation period is very important to a speedy healing.

There are notable breakthroughs in the treatment of ankle sprains over the past decade. The R.I.C.E. system,though effective as a first aid is not as effective as the latest systems. One such new systems available is the H.E.M. which significantly reduces the time required to heal ankle sprains. You can read more about H.E.M. here.