Case study · Sports Ankle Recovery
Back On Track
10 weeks · 16 sessions · Treated by Dr. Nora Ellison
The starting point
Jess, 24, an amateur league winger, rolled her ankle badly mid-season — a grade-two lateral sprain with a very impatient coach. She needed more than healing: she needed proof she would not re-injure it the first sprint back.
The challenge
Significant swelling, no single-leg balance, and the classic athlete trap: feeling better at week four while the ligament was still vulnerable. Returning too early would have ended her season for real.
The approach
- Weeks 1–3: protection and swelling control, pool sessions to protect fitness, no running.
- Weeks 4–7: progressive loading — balance, hops, change-of-direction drills with strength testing.
- Weeks 8–10: graded team training minutes, bracing plan, and formal return-to-play testing against her pre-injury baselines.
Results
- Full return to competitive matches in week 10.
- Single-leg hop symmetry of 96% at clearance testing.
- Finished the season with no recurrence — and a pre-season screening booked.
“They held me back exactly when I needed holding back, then pushed me exactly when I was ready. I trust the process completely.”