We've all experienced it - whether you were running, jumping, or just walking - the agony of a twisted ankle. Rolling your ankle over is not only painful, it can linger, leaving your ankle weak and more susceptible to re-injury. The most common ankle sprain, the inversion sprain, occurs when you roll your ankle inwards, putting immense pressure on the tight fibrous ligaments that connect the bone tissues in your ankle and feet. It is likely that you have only stretched the ligaments. While this can be excrutiating, it is important to keep in mind that with proper treatment, you can recover fully and get back to your active lifestyle!

Upon spraining your ankle, you will experience sharp, localized pain that may persist for a few days, but should gradually subside and become more bearable. In these initial stages, it is important to reduce the swelling and control the pain as much as possible. The RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) method is a tried and true treatment for sprains. The best way to heal is to reduce swelling and rest, the RICE method does exactly that and speeds healing time. Our cold/warm compression wraps allow you to actively treat yourself using the RICE method. They work because they interrupt and slow nerve and cell function in the damaged area. Once blood vessels are damaged they can no longer carry oxygenated blood to the damaged tissue. This causes cells to break down. The deep cold provided by our compression wraps slow cell function thereby reducing cellular break-down. Furthermore, because cold compression numbs the nerves, our wraps also reduce pain!

When treating an ankle sprain, it is important for the injured ligaments to fully heal. Repeated mild sprains lead to thickening of the ligaments and irritation of the ankle joint. Recurring ankle sprains, caused by a progressive weakening of the ligaments, can lead to a chronic condition called 'ankle instability'. Furthermore, constant re-injury means longer healing time and increased scar tissue build-up in your ankle. Scar tissue is hard, inflexible, and tough to get rid of. The more scar tissue that develops, the more you lose the range of motion for that ankle. As scar tissue develops, it's likely you will experience chronic pain or arthritis. Scar tissue means that your ankle doesn't perform as well as it once did and it makes it prone to injury again and again.

Our cold compression wraps are state of the art! The high quality plush neoprene design provides a snug, more comfortable fit for optimized compression therapy. It is designed specifically to mold to the unique curves of the ankle, delivering targeted relief and maintaining even heat or cold. Additionally, you can position the flexible, removable gel packs exactly where you need relief. Unlike other wraps on the market, the stay-soft gel conforms to your ankle. When pressure is applied, this specifically formulated, non-toxic gel will not migrate away from the injured site, which is a common issue with gel packs. Put simply, when you apply the wrap to your ankle, the gel is forced to stay in place. There is nothing else available like it!

To heal quickly, and completely, after the initial stages of swelling have been controlled, it is beneficial to apply heat to the area. Heat promotes blood flow which flushes the injured tissues of cellular waste, while providing nutrients to the torn tissues. Furthermore, heat enables the muscles, tendons, and ligaments to move more freely. When it's time for more aggressive rehabilitation (stretching and activity), heat therapy warms the muscles in the injured area to increase the range of motion and allow for a safer, more thorough stretch. An additional benefit to this versatile product is that it also enables hot therapy. Simply place the gel packs in a container of water and heat in the microwave. Once heated, put them in their nylon cases and position them to deliver targeted relief to fit the unique curves your ankle. You can purchase extra hot/cold packs to compliment your wrap. For added convenience, keep a set at room temperature for immediate heat use and store another pair in the freezer for quick cold applications.

To accomplish all of these things: minimize pain, reduce swelling, limit scar tissue, and increase range of motion, ultrasound is the answer! For complete rehabilitation, ultrasound provides deep penetrating heat, up to 3 inches deep, to the injured tissues. Adding ultrasound to the proven success of the RICE method means you are getting the best possible therapeutic healing treatment available! When weighing the risk and cost of alternate treatments there is simply no substitute for the URICE method. Therapeutic kits from MendMeShop empower you with the healing tools necessary to relieve the pain of tendon, ligament, and muscle inflammation and dramatically speed healing.

The faster and stronger you heal your ankle, the less chance there is for re-injury. Untreated ankle injuries lead to further complications such as arthritis, which is something you want to avoid at all cost. Radiant energy and ultrasound dramatically increase the blood flow and reduces inflammation in the injured area. This is blood flow that your ankles don't receive when at rest. The ankle is primarily tough dense tissue and bone that normally receives very little blood flow. This is largely why ankle injuries take so long to heal. As one of the most active parts in your body, the constant motion is what keeps the blood flowing through that area. When you rest, like you have to, the lack of activity and the edema (swelling) restricts your blood flow when you need it most. You need to reduce the swelling and stimulate the blood flow so your ankle gets the nutrition and oxygen it needs to properly heal. Inflammation around the area can create extreme pain and reduced mobility.

Ultrasound waves stimulate blood flow to speed healing and clear away the inflammation causing the pain. As well, our medicated gel delivers additional pain relieving and anti-inflammatory ingredients directly into the ankle, providing even more relief.

A Black Body Radiant Energy Kit is one of the most helpful tools for an injured tendon. Through the absorption of radiant energy, tissues are safely and gently heated - increasing blood flow within the treated area. Your body's natural response to this increased temperature is to try to maintain a condition of homeostasis - a balanced environment or state of equilibrium throughout the body. To do this, your body responds with a rapid increase in blood flow to the area (this is known as vasodilation), increasing the supply of nutrients to injured cells and flushing out toxins (including lactic acid, commonly found in trigger points) to promote healing. Our Thermotex Platinum Pain Relief Device provides effective, non-invasive, non-addictive pain relief with no side effects.

If you suffer from mild inflammation or pain after certain activities or movements use ultrasound therapy when you complete the activity and then rest and elevate your area of injury. Limit the application of ultrasound to a couple of treatments per day (the manual will recommend treatment frequency depending upon the injury). In between ultrasound treatments, maximize your pain relief and injury recovery by using the Thermotex Personal Therapy System. Proven Performance, Proven Relief - only found at MendMeShop.com. If you have been given a treatment plan by your health professional, make sure you adhere to it to ensure pain free living. In general, people who are committed to their therapies and exercises will have the best medical outcomes.