The men’s NCAA basketball tournament—aka March Madness—has begun, and will culminate in the final four games right here in Houston this year. The nationally-ranked men’s and women’s teams are almost pro quality when it comes to treatment for their injured players, so it wouldn’t surprise us to learn that they use laser therapy for ankle sprains to get team members back on the court faster.

Laser treatments have been around a while, but as new equipment and treatment modalities evolve, they just keep getting better. Our Class IV K-Laser has the longer wavelengths and higher power output to reach deeper into the ankle tissues, to the ligaments and tendons that have been damaged.

You know what happens in a sprain. Your foot rolls or twists, and the ligaments are stretched too far or even torn during the injury. The early protocol involves RICE therapy (rest, icing, compression, and elevation) to keep swelling to a minimum as well as reduce inflammation and pain, but additional treatment may be needed unless the sprain is very mild.

You will want to have us check out your injury, because it is easy to mistake a fracture for a sprain, and you want to make sure you are treating the injury correctly. We can also evaluate whether therapy with our K-Laser will help the ankle heal more fully. You want to be sure of that, since lax ligaments make ankle instability and repeat sprains more likely in the future.

Laser treatments are quick (usually under a half hour), painless (although you may feel some warmth at higher wavelengths), and safe (there are no known side effects). The light beams penetrate your tissues and work on a microscopic level to stimulate cell function and healing. This increases circulation and nerve function, reduces swelling and inflammation, and relieves pain. Combined with a period of non-weight bearing, and then physical therapy to recondition the joint, they may be the quickest way to get you back on your feet again.

Parker Foot & Ankle is Houston’s pioneer in using laser therapy for a variety of foot conditions. Call our office today at (281) 497-2850 and let our friendly staff answer your questions and schedule your appointment. You can also use our contact form to set up a visit, and check out our service areas and patient library to find out more about sprains and laser treatment.