Conditions We Treat
Ankle sprains heal — but they leave behind chronic instability and reinjury risk if you don't rebuild proprioception and strength. We see a lot of patients who sprained an ankle months or years ago, never did rehab, and now keep rolling it. Early PT shortens the recovery and prevents the reinjury pattern.
Acute sprain: get evaluated within the first week. Early controlled loading and proprioception work outperforms rest-ice-and-wait. Chronic ankle instability (recurrent sprains, the ankle giving way) responds to a 6–12 week structured program — we see it a lot in runners and recreational athletes who never rehabbed an old sprain.
Sixty-minute evaluation. Ankle range of motion, ligament integrity tests, strength testing, single-leg balance (eyes open and closed), hop test if appropriate, gait screen, and screening of the hip and core. We rule out hidden problems (high ankle sprain, peroneal tendon injury, base of fifth metatarsal fracture).
Early controlled mobility (no prolonged immobilization for most grade I-II sprains). Manual therapy for ankle and subtalar joint mobility. Progressive strengthening of the peroneal, calf, and intrinsic foot muscles. Proprioception and balance training. Return-to-activity progression with sport-specific demands.
Medicare, CareFirst, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Tricare. Self-pay $150. Capitol Hill, Bethesda, and in-home.
Same-week evaluations at Capitol Hill, Bethesda, and in-home throughout the DMV.
Book an Ankle Sprain EvalGrade I sprains: 1–3 weeks. Grade II: 3–6 weeks. Grade III: 6–12 weeks or longer. Full return to sport (with proprioception and strength rebuilt) typically takes longer than pain resolution.
We use the Ottawa Ankle Rules at evaluation. Most sprains don't need imaging. If the rules trigger, we refer for X-ray.
Almost always because the original sprain never got proper rehab. Proprioception and strength deficits persist long after the pain resolves. We can fix it.
Useful during the acute phase and during sport during rehab. Most patients can transition off the brace once strength and proprioception are rebuilt.
Not initially. We progress you back to running over a few weeks based on milestones — pain-free single-leg hop, normalized gait, full strength.