Saquon Barkley sustained an ankle injury in Week 2. The Giants pulled off a massive comeback win against the Cardinals, however, Barkley has a sprain in his ankle.
There were no other surprises from the scans, potentially establishing his status to return to action as week-to-week depending on his recovery.
Most ankle injuries-roughly 80 percent of cases-can be treated conservatively. If just the outer ligament is injured, we can typically reduce pain and swelling with a combination of ice, wraps and rest to lessen the chance of further tearing the ligament.
Sprains not adequately rehabilitated, untreated, or repeat injuries can cause chronic ankle instability-a condition marked by persistent discomfort and a giving way of the ankle from stretched or torn ligaments. Balance and stability training is especially important to retrain the ankle muscles to work together to support the joint and to help prevent recurrent sprains. These exercises may involve various degrees of balance challenge, such as standing on one leg. Surgery is sometimes also needed depending on the degree of instability or the lack of response to nonsurgical approaches.
Ankle sprains can be classified by the severity of injury and depending on the grade of injury, the following rehabilitation steps are suggested.
GRADE 1:
Stretch or partial tear of a ligament
Symptoms: Mild pain/swelling. No instability. No loss of function
Treatment: Rest, Ice, Physical therapy
Return to Activity: Approximately 2 weeks
GRADE 2:
Incomplete tear of ligament
Symptoms: Moderate pain/swelling. Bruising. Pain with weight bearing
Treatment: Rest, Ice, bracing/taping, Physical therapy
Return to Activity: Approximately 3-4 weeks
GRADE 3:
Complete tear of ligament
Symptoms: Severe swelling/bruising. Instability and loss of function
Treatment: Rest, Ice, Bracing/taping, Physical therapy, Surgery
Return to Activity: Approximately 6-10 weeks
