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Physiotherapy · Ankle sprain

Sprained ankle physio in Phuket

Rolled your ankle, maybe on holiday? Our physios check for a fracture, get you walking early, then build balance, strength and hopping so you return to sport with an ankle you trust.

For a fresh sprain, getting back to padel, football, Muay Thai or running, and ankles that keep giving way.

Book a free physio assessment

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Rated 5.0 from 57 Google reviews

What the research says

Pain gone is not the finish line

Ankle sprains are the most common sports injury, and many people shrug them off.1,2 The worst pain can ease quickly, so the rehab stops. But balance and control take longer.

  • 40%

    of young adults had signs of chronic ankle instability a year after their first sprain, in one study.3

  • 1 in 6

    people sprained the same ankle again within a year of a first sprain, in pooled studies.4

  • 1 in 2

    Only about half of people who sprain an ankle get it checked.2

The goal is an ankle you trust, and a lower risk of the next sprain.

How we work

Screen it, protect it, train it

We check for a fracture or high ankle sprain first. Then we keep rest short, get you walking in a brace, and build balance, strength and hopping step by step.

  • Short protection, early walking

    Long rest is not needed. Most sprains do best with a brace or tape and early walking.2 For a severe sprain, a below-knee cast for up to 10 days sped recovery in one trial.5

  • Balance and brace for sport

    Balance training and wearing a brace or tape for sport are the two best-supported ways to lower the risk of another sprain.2 We keep the balance work going after you are back in sport.

  • A measured return, not a date

    Before cutting, jumping or contact sport, we test balance, hopping, strength and confidence.1,6 Your results decide when you return.

  • Honest dosing

    If your sprain is simple, you may only need one visit, a brace and a written home program. We save supervised blocks for severe sprains, cutting sports and repeat sprains.

Your recovery

Five phases. Milestones move you on.

Times are typical for a moderate sprain. Phases overlap, and a simple sprain may move faster.

  1. 01

    Typically day 0 to 10

    Protect and move early

    Your physio checks for a fracture and a high ankle sprain and gets you walking, usually in a lace-up or semi-rigid brace. Raise the foot and use compression for swelling; ice only for comfort.2

    Move on whenA fracture and high ankle sprain are ruled out, you walk without crutches with little or no limp, and swelling is steady or going down.

  2. 02

    Typically weeks 1 to 4

    Restore motion and strength

    Getting the ankle bending fully and the calf, outer ankle and hip muscles strong again: knee-to-wall lunges, band work, heel raises and single-leg work. Hands-on joint work if the ankle is stiff.7,8

    Move on whenKnee-to-wall lunge within 2 cm of the other side, pain-free single-leg heel raises, normal stairs, and 20 seconds on one leg with eyes closed.

  3. 03

    Typically weeks 2 to 8

    Balance and control

    A coach guides your balance training with your physio overseeing it: a balance ladder, reaching drills, heavy calf work and walk-jog intervals. Exercise programs after a sprain lowered repeat sprains in pooled trials.9

    Start hopping whenEyes-closed balance with 0 to 1 errors, heel raises at 90% of the other side, 20 minutes of jogging and no giving way for 2 weeks.

  4. 04

    Typically weeks 3 to 10

    Power and agility

    An S&C coach builds hops in every direction, landings, sprints and cuts from planned to reactive, and drills for your sport.

    Ready for testing whenHops in every direction without pain or wobble, confident single-leg landings, and full-speed sprints and cuts green the next morning.

  5. 05

    When you pass the test

    Return to sport

    Your physio runs the return to sport test across pain, ankle function, confidence, balance and sport performance,6 and agrees a brace or tape plan with you. Then a sport ladder back to full matches.

    The testPain 2 out of 10 or less in sport drills, ankle bend and calf strength close to the other side, balance and timed hop tests in range, and a full session on green.

Finish 8 weeks of balance work, even after you return. In one trial of 522 athletes, a home balance program cut repeat sprains from 33% to 22% in a year, mostly in people no clinician had treated.10 Still catching, locking or swelling after about 6 weeks? Tell your physio.

Between sessions

Check your ankle the next morning

Use this after every new step, like a longer walk, your first jog or your first hops. Compare with how the ankle felt before the session.

Check three things: swelling at the same spot and time of day, pain on walking and stairs, and stability, whether it felt wobbly or gave way.

  • Green: progress

    Swelling, pain on walking or stairs, and wobble are no worse than before the session. Move on to the next step.

  • Amber: hold

    A little more swelling or soreness that settles within a day. Repeat the same load, or change the surface or speed.

  • Red: step back

    Swelling or pain lasts into the next day, or the ankle gave way. Drop back a step and tell your physio within 48 hours.

Get medical help today if

  • You cannot walk four steps, or pressing the ankle bones hurts
  • Midfoot pain, bruising underfoot, or you cannot push off
  • Pain between the shin bones, or below the knee
  • Calf pain, heat or swelling in your lower leg
  • Breathless, chest pain or coughing blood: call 1669
  • An open wound, or a misshapen, cold or numb foot: call 1669

Walking still very painful at day 3 to 5, or a teenager tender just above the outer ankle bone? See a doctor this week.

Keeps giving way?

When the ankle keeps rolling

If your ankle keeps giving way, feels wobbly on uneven ground, or you have sprained it again and again, you may have chronic ankle instability. In trials, exercise improved how unstable ankles worked, more clearly with programs longer than four weeks.11

Guidelines advise a thorough exercise program before surgery, and we refer you for a surgical opinion if it does not settle.2 For sport, we combine a brace or tape with balance and strength training.2,7,8

15%

re-sprained wearing a semi-rigid brace for sport for a year, in one trial12

27%

re-sprained with home training alone, in the same trial12

Patient reviews

What our patients say

Rated 5.0 from 57 Google reviews

  • “Came to see K. Meaw after a thigh injury due to overuse by playing tennis, I wasn’t able to walk and she helped me recover in 3 sessions plus taught me about strengthening my muscles to do sports.”

    GERARDO TAYGoogle review

  • “I honestly can’t thank Karim at Optimisefit enough … I’ve lived in five different countries and, unfortunately, had to deal with many injuries, so I’ve seen quite a few physios over the years. But no one has ever come close to the level of knowledge, care, and clarity that he brings.”

    Unfiltered OpinionsGoogle review

  • “Optimise is a fantastic set up, I have been working with Khun Meaw on a physio front, and she is awesome and really gets to the root of the problem and starts from there – could not recommend highly enough. Having seen a couple of different physios on the island, Khun Meaw is certainly number 1.”

    Jamie AllworkGoogle review

  • “I have been working with Khun Meaw on some strengthening exercises for my shoulders, hips and knees. … Her goal has been to give me the tools I need to work on my specific areas of need and not to keep me in an endless cycle of needing help……so professional and a joy to work with.”

    Catlin McCrackenGoogle review

  • “I started seeing Khun Maew last August for a knee issue and within 15 minutes she had identified a multitude of issues I’d been dealing with for more than 20 years … I have been pain free for 6 months and am now in the gym working to rebuild my mobility and strength.”

    Michelle LawlorGoogle review

  • “Great Physiotherapy. Khun Meaw helped me very professionally with my the post-op rehab of my knee after ACL and Meniscus repair. She is very kind, knowledgeable and helpful. Really recommend her and Optimize!”

    ELIH HectorGoogle review

  • “I had an impingement in my shoulder an Karim solved it within three sessions! Really amazing! I can only recommend going there.”

    Julian BarthGoogle review

Read all 57 reviews on Google

Questions

Ankle sprain questions

I rolled my ankle on holiday in Phuket. Can you help?

Yes. One visit can check for a fracture or high ankle sprain, refer you for an X-ray if needed, and give you a brace plan and a home program to take with you. Flying home soon? Know the calf and breathing warning signs above.

It’s just a sprain. Won’t it heal by itself?

Pain can settle fast, but balance and control take longer. In pooled studies, about 1 in 6 people sprained the same ankle again within a year of a first sprain.4

Should I rest it in a boot for a few weeks?

Long rest is not needed. Most sprains do best with a brace or tape and early walking.2 If a severe sprain needs a below-knee cast, it is for 10 days at most.2,5

Does ice make it heal?

Use ice for comfort if you like, but guidelines see no role for rest, ice, compression and elevation alone. Early walking and exercise are linked to a quicker recovery.2

Once it stops hurting, can I play?

Many people are back within days to a few weeks, but full recovery can take months.8 In one small study, a low score on a combined balance, hop and questionnaire test at two months was linked to about nine times the odds of another sprain.13

Does a loose ankle need surgery?

Not usually first. Guidelines advise a thorough exercise program before surgery for chronic instability.2 If it does not settle, we refer you for a surgical opinion.

Physio team

Your physio team

Meaw leads our clinical standards and checks every handover to your coach.

How physiotherapy works here
  • Meaw, Head Physiotherapist at Optimise

    Meaw

    Head Physiotherapist

  • Karim, Physiotherapist at Optimise

    Karim

    Physiotherapist

Also on the team Sukanya, Physiotherapist

Next step

Get the screen and a plan

Message us on WhatsApp to book your free physio assessment. Whether you rolled it yesterday or it keeps giving way, you leave with a clear plan.

Book a free physio assessment

Opens WhatsApp with a message ready to send.

Questions first? WhatsApp +66 65 914 1604

Low back painSciaticaShoulder painKnee arthritisRunner’s kneeACL rehabNeck painTendon painHamstring strainMeniscus tearsHeel painHip arthritisFrozen shoulderRotator cuff tearsKnee and hip replacement
Sources (13)
  1. Delahunt E, Bleakley CM, Bossard DS, et al. Clinical assessment of acute lateral ankle sprain injuries (ROAST): 2019 consensus statement and recommendations of the International Ankle Consortium. Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(20):1304-1310.
  2. Vuurberg G, Hoorntje A, Wink LM, et al. Diagnosis, treatment and prevention of ankle sprains: update of an evidence-based clinical guideline. Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(15):956.
  3. Doherty C, Bleakley C, Hertel J, et al. Clinical tests have limited predictive value for chronic ankle instability when conducted in the acute phase of a first-time lateral ankle sprain injury. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2018;99(4):720-725.e1.
  4. Michels F, Wastyn H, Pottel H, et al. The presence of persistent symptoms 12 months following a first lateral ankle sprain: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Foot Ankle Surg. 2022;28(7):817-826.
  5. Lamb SE, Marsh JL, Hutton JL, et al. Mechanical supports for acute, severe ankle sprain: a pragmatic, multicentre, randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 2009;373(9663):575-581.
  6. Smith MD, Vicenzino B, Bahr R, et al. Return to sport decisions after an acute lateral ankle sprain injury: introducing the PAASS framework, an international multidisciplinary consensus. Br J Sports Med. 2021;55(22):1270-1276.
  7. Doherty C, Bleakley C, Delahunt E, et al. Treatment and prevention of acute and recurrent ankle sprain: an overview of systematic reviews with meta-analysis. Br J Sports Med. 2017;51(2):113-125.
  8. Martin RL, Davenport TE, Fraser JJ, et al. Ankle stability and movement coordination impairments: lateral ankle ligament sprains revision 2021. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2021;51(4):CPG1-CPG80.
  9. Wagemans J, Bleakley C, Taeymans J, et al. Exercise-based rehabilitation reduces reinjury following acute lateral ankle sprain: a systematic review update with meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2022;17(2):e0262023.
  10. Hupperets MD, Verhagen EA, van Mechelen W. Effect of unsupervised home based proprioceptive training on recurrences of ankle sprain: randomised controlled trial. BMJ. 2009;339:b2684.
  11. Zhang C, Luo Z, Wu D, et al. Effectiveness of exercise therapy on chronic ankle instability: a meta-analysis. Sci Rep. 2025;15(1):11709.
  12. Janssen KW, van Mechelen W, Verhagen EA. Bracing superior to neuromuscular training for the prevention of self-reported recurrent ankle sprains: a three-arm randomised controlled trial. Br J Sports Med. 2014;48(16):1235-1239.
  13. Picot B, Fourchet F, Lopes R, et al. Low Ankle-GO score while returning to sport after lateral ankle sprain leads to a 9-fold increased risk of recurrence: a two-year prospective cohort study. Sports Med Open. 2024;10(1):23.

This page is general information based on the research listed here. It is not a diagnosis. Your physio will tailor the plan to you, and your surgeon’s or doctor’s instructions come first. Clinically reviewed by Meaw, Head Physiotherapist at Optimise, November 2026.