What to Do if You Sprain Your Ankle: The Peace and Love Protocol

Spraining your ankle is a common injury that can happen unexpectedly—whether it’s from sports, an accidental misstep, or even just walking on uneven terrain. While the immediate pain and swelling can be overwhelming, how you treat the injury plays a critical role in your recovery. Thankfully, there’s an approach that helps guide you through the healing process with care and consistency: the Peace and Love Protocol.

This protocol breaks down key steps to promote healing, reduce complications, and ensure your recovery is as smooth and speedy as possible. Let’s walk through each step and explain how you can implement them for the best results!

P: Protect

The first thing you should do when you sprain your ankle is protect it. Immediately after the injury, it’s important to reduce movement to avoid further damage. Allow your ankle to rest for the first couple of days. This helps limit additional bleeding, prevents overstretching of tissues, and keeps the injury from worsening.

However, while protection is important, prolonged immobility isn’t helpful in the long term. Extended rest can lead to tissue weakness, making it harder to recover fully. Instead, use pain as your guide to gradually introduce controlled movement. Early movement is essential to prevent stiffness and promote healing, so be sure to start reloading the ankle with gentle, gradual movements once you feel ready.

E: Elevate

Elevation is another key practice for managing a sprained ankle. By elevating your ankle above the level of your heart, you help fluids drain from the injured tissues, which can reduce swelling. While research on its effectiveness is still mixed, it’s a low-risk practice with potential benefits for your recovery.

Try to elevate your ankle whenever you’re resting. Even small amounts of elevation can assist with managing swelling, so don’t skip this step, even if it’s just for short periods during the day.

A: Avoid Anti-Inflammatory Modalities

It might be tempting to grab some anti-inflammatory medication (like ibuprofen) or ice your sprained ankle for relief. However, research suggests these methods can actually slow down the body’s natural healing process.

Inflammation is a critical part of tissue regeneration. It helps your body repair the damaged tissues, and by inhibiting it, you could delay the healing process. Similarly, while ice can provide temporary pain relief, it may disrupt essential healing mechanisms like angiogenesis (the formation of new blood vessels) and collagen production.

Instead of relying on these modalities, focus on rest, elevation, and gentle movement to help your body heal naturally.

C: Compress

Compression helps limit swelling and can also support the injured tissues, making it easier to manage the injury in the first few days. Use an elastic bandage or a compression wrap to apply moderate pressure, but avoid wrapping it too tightly. The goal is to provide support without restricting circulation. Proper compression keeps the ankle stable without hindering the healing process.

E: Educate

One of the most important aspects of recovery is education. Understanding what your body needs to heal—and what it doesn’t need—can make a significant difference. As healthcare providers, we emphasize active recovery over passive treatments. Studies show that active recovery methods—like movement and exercise—are much more effective.

Learning about the healing process and setting realistic expectations helps you take an active role in your recovery, avoiding over-treatment and supporting long-term success. It’s important to remember that healing takes time, and being patient is key!

Love: Soft Tissues Need Love After the Initial Days

Once the acute pain begins to subside (usually after the first few days), it’s time to shift your focus to the Love phase. This is where the healing process really kicks into high gear!

L: Load

When your ankle is ready, loading it with movement and exercise is crucial. Loading helps build the strength and capacity of the tissues. Without it, the tissues remain weak, making the ankle vulnerable to re-injury.

Start loading your ankle gradually. This doesn’t mean pushing yourself to pain—just moving within your comfort zone. As your ankle tolerates more load, you can increase the intensity, which helps to promote tissue repair and remodeling.

O: Optimism

Maintaining an optimistic mindset is crucial to your recovery. Psychological factors like fear, anxiety, and catastrophizing can actually make symptoms worse and slow down healing. By staying hopeful and focusing on progress, no matter how small, you can speed up your recovery.

It’s easy to get frustrated, especially if healing feels slow at times, but remember: a positive outlook boosts the body’s healing ability. Stay hopeful, set small goals, and celebrate the victories along the way!

V: Vascularisation

Your body needs good circulation to heal. Vascularisation refers to the process of blood flow and the formation of new blood vessels that supply healing tissues with the nutrients they need.

To help improve circulation, engage in pain-free cardiovascular activities like walking, cycling, or even swimming. These activities promote blood flow to the injured area, which supports healing while also improving your overall mood and motivation.

E: Exercise

Exercise is the foundation of your rehabilitation once the acute pain subsides. Evidence shows that exercise helps restore strength, mobility, and proprioception (your sense of joint position). By progressively strengthening the muscles, ligaments, and tendons around the ankle, you not only improve function but also reduce the risk of re-injury.

The key is to start slow, gradually increasing difficulty based on how your ankle feels. Always listen to your body and avoid pushing through pain. Exercise should always be tailored to your recovery progress.

The Peace and Love Protocol for Fast, Full Recovery

Spraining your ankle can be frustrating, but by following the Peace and Love protocol, you’re setting yourself up for a quicker, more successful recovery. Begin by protecting and elevating the injury, avoid ice and anti-inflammatory drugs if possible, and compress the injury gently. Transition to the Love phase as the swelling goes down, focusing on gradual loading, maintaining optimism, and boosting circulation. Finally, exercise is key to rebuilding strength and functionality.

Your body is resilient. With the right approach, patience, and care, you’ll be back on your feet and performing at your best in no time. Stay active, stay optimistic, and give your ankle the love it deserves—your recovery is just around the corner!

If you have any questions or need personalized guidance on your ankle recovery, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at (785) 842-7325 or Schedule your appointment online.  We're here to help you heal and return to your peak performance.