Should I exercise if I have a very mildly sprained ankle?!
Question: Should I exercise if I have a very mildly sprained ankle?
How bad is my injury? I'd say, it's very mild. My ankle only bothers me when I walk. I'm not very worried about the injury itself. What I am concerned about is my running. I've been running a couple of miles each day and I'm planning to join the cross country team when I develop a bit more endurance. I'm very close to where I want to be, so I don't want to stop running for a couple of days, a week, or more because of the ankle. So... I don't know... should I run? Should I do only upper body workouts? Any other sports I could do that wouldn't cause too much damage to my ankle? Should I just not work out at all?
Answers:
Definitely maintain an upper body routine. If your sprain is mild, I do not see why you cannot run. However, I would recommend getting an ankle brace or an Ace bandage and wear it whilst walking or running. Put the brace on and do some slow walking, fast walking, and then try some jogging. See how it feels. If you have pain, stop running. If the brace helps, gradually work your way back up. Do not try to run two miles. Work slowly and build up from there.