Coming from a nurse, I highly recommend you DO NOT play badminton even if you do "slow footwork or no footwork". We all have a tendency when we play badminton to sometimes push our selves a bit too much because we're used to a much higher level of play. That one moment where you do a lunge or half lunge, then your ankle gives out and sprains again, is the worst case scenario. Spraining your ankle 3 times in a 1 month span will cause very serious damage to your ligament and could result in permanent damage and hinder you in a way you may never recover again. Also coming from personal experience of repeated sprains on my right ankle (though wearing a stable ankle brace helps IMMENSELY), it took me a few years to completely play pain free and feel like it was normal (my ankle would be sore if I played hard for too long) because I kept insisting on playing a couple times a week with a sprained ankle. Also, don't get those elastic flimsy ankle braces. Get ones that you can lace up. You should feel like you can barely move your ankle (but don't cut off circulation!) Learn from others, take 4-6 weeks off at least to let your body do the healing while doing RICE like others have mentioned. You want to play badminton for the rest of your life I assume. 6 weeks is time invested to insuring your future! Also, ibuprofen is a bit preferred over paracetamol (acetaminophen) for it's anti inflammatory properties for ligament healing. The only time ibuprofen slows healing is in bone-related injuries according the most recent studies. So it should be fine! Acetaminophen does not have anti-inflammatory effects, so it's not quite as good for your injury.
So I'm quite confused about my injury right now. It's been a few days since I've done it and: - There is swelling, but no bruising - I have a good range of motion - I can bear my full body weight on the foot - The outside edge, at the back of the ankle feels weak (between the ankle and achilles) - It is more comfortable for me to walk on the ball of my foot at the moment, like as I can use the inside edge for support - There is only very minor pain - The ankle is not tender, despite swelling, I have applied pressure to different points with just two fingers - There is some soreness further up the calf, at the back, in-line with the weakened area I'm wondering if I got lucky and did a level 1 with some muscle damage, rather than a level 2 sprain. I have hyperlaxity in a number of my ligaments. Honestly the pain and swelling aren't as bad as the last time I did this, but last time there was less weakness, more constriction of movement, and more pain (although the immediate pain was less, when my ankle actually went it hurt like a so-and-so). Even though I shouldn't even think about it, I still went on court yesterday and won a number of games, despite being incredibly slow from protecting my ankle. I'm keeping it elevated while I sleep, compressed during the day with an ankle brace. Eating lots of protein. Might start on the NSAIDs and ibuprofen gel to reduce the swelling ASAP. Maybe I should miss my first week of uni and stay in bed to expedite the recovery. If I'm right then that week in bed could get me back to 70%, which while I wouldn't want to go on court and play properly, would allow me to walk and be properly mobile again. What's BC's opinion?
ok, you sure got some messed up priorities... so you went to play a few games, and now you say you should take a week of classes to expedite recovery?!?! wth! you should not have played at all! anyways, that's my opinion... i'm pretty sure more opinions are gonna chime in soon...
IF it's the only choice you have, one week of complete rest is better than none. 1) Place with ankle brace 2) Continue ICE 3) Ibuprofen (take minimum dose), and take with food preferably, and don't take it too close to lying down. 4) Play "lazily" while on court. And be very mindful about not lunging too far or putting too much weight on it. But so we're clear, best option is to rest at least 4 weeks. 3 may be okay.
Absolutely, yesterday when I had to go on court I was playing very 'lazily' and carefully. It's quite difficult to do what you want when you can't move for the shuttle properly! What do you think about what I've described? Everything I'm reading says that level 2 sprains can keep you off of that foot for a while, generally quite painful, but I'm mostly just a bit swollen and weak. Reckon I might have gotten a bit lucky?
Yeah. you probably did get lucky. It doesn't seem like a serious sprain. However even a sprain like yours can take months or a year to completely heal if you continually stress it by even playing LIGHT badminton. edit: it's more the fact that you sprained your ankle twice in a one month span that is worse than anything else. And playing more badminton increases increases the risk of spraining your ankle a third time.
With all due respect, but that is one of the most unreasonble and most uprofessional things that I have read in here in a long time. Even thinking about going on court while your ankle is still swollen and feels weird gives me the shivers. I can only reinforce what [MENTION=65743]Tactim[/MENTION] has written. It's quite obvious that your ankle had not been fully recovered from the first incident from mid of August. You ignored all warnings and went on court only 2-3(?) weeks after it happend and what did you earn yourself? A second sprain within less than 3 weeks. So guess what will most probably happen if you continue like this without letting it really heal properly. You are gambling with your health and it makes me feel quite weird to watch it from a distance.
On a related note, it has been 5 weeks since I sprained my ankle. I rested it for 4 weeks with no playing as all. Now the swelling has gone down a lot, but it is still visible around the ankle joint at the front and side when compared side by side with my left. It still looks light purplish in some areas and I can feel some discomfort if I press down on those areas too hard. Then again, I can rotate my ankle fine, balance and jump on my right foot fine. It feels as though I cannot rotate my ankle fully when you go from flat foot to tip toes anf a bit more in that direction. Noting the above, I played a light session with a support and watched how I lunge and it seems fine... but i take extra care on the range of motion my ankle can take and how I land. Take an extra step before a lunge when necessary etc. Hoping that over the next 2-3 weeks and light play, I can be more confident in the court...
Nah the sprains were 5-6 weeks apart, and I had quite a lot riding on being in my best shape. The first one happened after i had just taken a break to heal and recover after a long training period. First one was early August, and my ankle had felt fine for the last few weeks. It wasn't strapped because there was no swelling, pain, or weakness. I put it down to some bad luck because I'd been out of the game for a while. Anyway, as long as I'm not utterly daft trying to play full court singles, and fully understand my limits (and I very much do) then there's no damage I would do on court that I couldn't do off court. Stairs and the gap between the train and the platform are more likely to cause me an issue right now haha. Anyway, I just needed to show a team I was capable of playing well. I've already withdrawn from the tournament next weekend, so now I can rest properly
After not spraining my ankle for 3 years or so and having it fully healed to the point where I played without my ankle brace for awhile, I sprained my ankle again. I went to the gym and forgot my badminton shoes, but I knew it wasn't going to be a very strenuous session because of the people who played there. I decided to play in my running shoes for a couple hours. Instantly regretted my decision when I went for a deep lunge and I sprained my ankle. Thankfully a relatively minor sprain with no bruising and I could bear weight with some moderate pain. I suppose it's a useful lesson to you all. Take the extra time to go back home and grab your shoes and don't think that it's too inconvenient. The risk of wearing improper shoes and injuring yourself is far too high and now I will be out of action for about a month while I go through the Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation to heal as fast as possible. That and even the months to follow, I will be forced to wear a brace again. Lesson learned!
^ Fortunately that was a mild sprain. Should never ever play in runners. My badminton shoes are always in my car's trunk, so I never forget them.
In the previous club league match last weekend I was facing an opponent who was wearing Nike Free running shoes. Yes, those ultra-light, no-support barefoot shoes... for badminton. I could literally see how his feet were slipping around inside and how hard he was struggling during stop-and-go movements. I couldn't resist to talk to him after the match and warmly recommending him to buy some proper shoes. It's hard to believe, but apparently none of his clubmates have given him this advice before. Good shoes are the most important tool on court by far! And the more issues you already had with your ankles, the more important it is. Like visor, I will never again step on court in anything else than proper badminton shoes.
Yup. It's frustrating because I've been so good about it the last few years until I made one bad decision, and it only takes one time to muck it up.
It only takes a small wrong decision to cause trouble. So consider yourself lucky that it ended up in a mild sprain rather than serious damage. Lesson painfully learned!
Hi, first post! Don't know if it's a sprained ankle, but it's hurts I began playing a month ago, and was experiencing some stiffness in my left ankle. But I didn't take care of it! Then, for some reason, my joint behind the outer ankle bone started hurting pretty badly after a set of leg press in the gym. So the ankle wasn't twisted or anything. I've had pains for a week now. It hurts when I walk, and the joint is sore, all the way down to where it connects to the foot. No swelling, just tenderness. Does it some like sprained ankle?
I'm new to this sport. What makes badminton shoes so important? I am currently using a pair of "minimalist running shoes" (google it for picture) that have extra thin soles to allow foot mobility. I always found shoes with thick soles increases risk for twisting ankles, would you agree?
