🚀 go-pugleaf

Two questions:

   a.  How to prevent them?

   b.  What to do when you get them?

These two questions are the result of my most recent sprain.  It seems that
I sprain one or the other of my ankles every 6 months or so.  This most
recent sprain occured on Friday evening (in the cold dark, of course) as 
I was cranking back to home.  A little rock or bulge in the road caused the
outer edge of my left foot to twist down and in.  I twinge just remembering
it.  This is the usual type of sprain.  Something on the inside of the foot
prevents it from landing normally and causes the outside of the foot to twist
down and in.

After the usual cursing, screaming, etc, I was able to hop/hobble the 1/2 mile
or so back to the house.  My ankle was already swelling by the time I took of
my shoe.  First thing was to take 3*200mg of ibuprofin, take a shower ('cause 
I was freezing), and then I put one of those cold jelly-like bags around my
ankle.  

Since Friday night, I've taken 200 or 400mg of ibuprofin every 4 hours or so
and I've given up the jelly-like bag for a big bowl of ice and water at about
the same interval.  I try to keep my ankle/foot in the ice water for 10/15
minutes (hurts like hell to put the foot in, but that gives way to numbness in
2/3 minutes).   And I've kept the walking down to a minimum - though 4 football 
games on TV was a bit much.  

Oh yes, the swelling has come down a bit and the ugly, blue bruise has begun
to show up.  I can see the blue best on the inside of the ankle, though the
discoleration has spread to the top and outside of the ankle.

So, any suggestions on treatment (ice pack, jelly wrap, ice/water, times of
freezing, ibuprofin vs asperin, elevating, wraps, etc....) and on prevention
(goofy exercises, stretches, shoes, braces, wraps, etc....) would be greatly
appreciated!

I will post the results of these questions.

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 Joseph Stewart
 Senior Applications Engineer (FIGARO+, FIGt, FIGraph)
 Template Graphics Software (TGS)
 959 Concord Street 
 Framingham MA 01701-4613 (USA)
 508-872-8700 x340
 joes@tgs.com -- tgs!joes
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