Ankle sprains are the most common musculoskeletal injury, resulting in millions of lost work days every year. Ankle sprains can take 6-8 week to heal enough to return the patient to normal function, resulting in lost wages, lost productivity, and decreased quality of life. Just recently, a 40 year old welder suffered a grade 3 ankle sprain as he slid into second base while playing in a weekend softball tournament. A traditional treatment regiment would  result in 5-8 week before returning to work, plus another 6-8 weeks of rehab. The treatment would look like the following:

1. 7-10 days – Immediately joint immobilization with walking boot and crutches.
2. 7-14 days – Transition to decreasing immobilization with walking boot and decrease use of crutches.
3. 2-3 weeks – Weaning off the walking boot and full weight bearing in a shoe.
4. 4-6 weeks – Return to light sports activities (jogging, biking, swimming)
5. 6-8 weeks – Return to full
6. 2-4 weeks after injury – Begin bearing weight with a walking boot for support.
7. 2-3 weeks after injury – Start physical therapy for range of motion and muscle strengthening.
8. 6-8 weeks after injury – Return to work in a lace up soft ankle brace worn under steel toed boots.

That is a lot of time and money lost for a softball tournament. 3-4 paycheck are gone from this worker’s income and 6-8 week of productivity are lost by his employer Luckily for this weekend warrior, he went to a clinic that recently started prescribing the TayCo External Ankle Brace for grade 2 and 3 ankle sprains, and his journey back to normal life through functional recovery was much better for the patient, his family, and his employer. Here is how he recovered.

1. 8 days – Joint immobilization with fixed TayCo External Ankle Brace and crutches.
2. 9 days after injury – When the swelling and symptoms decreased, the TayCo External Ankle brace was converted to a Range Of Motion (ROM) brace by removing a few screws. The patient was able to walk with functional support provided by the brace.
3. 2 weeks after injury – Return To Work in a TayCo external ankle brace worn over his steel toed boots with some limitations.
4. 4 weeks after injury – Work without limitations using the TayCo external ankle brace worn over his steel toed boots.
5. 8 weeks after the injury – Full Recovery. Return to normal functionality without the use of the TayCo External Ankle Brace.

With the TayCo external ankle brace, this welder was able to get back to work faster, start providing for his family sooner, and contributing to the success of his company after only 2 weeks, which could have taken up to 8 weeks with traditional prescription methods. Because the brace fits over the steel toed shoe or safety shoe he was able to get back to work sooner than ever before. In fact, functional recovery has been shown to speed up the recovery process because the surrounding muscles do not have a chance to atrophy as they do with restricted movement. The TayCo external ankle brace offers functional recovery with the necessary support to put you back In your normal activities. Contact a sales representative to find out how TayCo external ankle brace can put you back in the game sooner and with a higher quality of life.