Women's Health - UK (2019-07)

14 | JULY 2019 Women’s Health

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(^) Ugh, frustrating, but well done for being
cautious. ‘It’s best to stay patient to allow a full
recovery,’ says PT Bradley Simmonds, whose
clients include Premier League footballers.
‘That’s six to eight weeks’ healing time,’ advises
specialist musculoskeletal physiotherapist
Charlotte Pilgrim. Basically, she adds, you’ve
overstretched your ligament – the structures
that connect bone to bone – like an elastic
band that you’ve tugged too far. ‘You need to
rebuild strength in the muscles around the
ligament,’ she explains. During that recovery
time, you should be working on regaining
mobility – move your feet up and down and in
and out; add a band to the exercises to increase
resistance. ‘Then you can progress to more
functional training,’ adds Pilgrim. ‘For football,
start off with straight-line running, before
working on change of direction. Part of the rehab
process will be making sure that you can tolerate
force through your ankle before kicking a ball.’
She suggests easing yourself in with half a
training session before progressing to a full one

• only then can you move on to a full match.
  And more generally? Simmonds suggests trying
  anti-inflammatory gels such as Voltarol, which
  contains a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
  called diclofenac acid and is available over the
  counter, to give yourself a sporting chance.

Ball

ache

I’ve sprained

my ankle.

How do I ease

myself back

into sport?