What is the quickest way to heal a sprained ankle?

Well to deal with inflammation and swelling, alternate heat and cold to the area. If you just sprained it, stay off it and elevate and get xrays. If you didn’t just sprain it and it hurts you, consider physical therapy and birkam yoga (which is especially good for healing sprains).

Actually, ice the first 48 hours…rest it and elevate it as much as possible too…

The RICE method is tried and true: rest, ice, compression, elevation. Don’t walk on it!

Ice and elevation to take down the swelling, and anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen (use as directed, of course) to help keep the inflammation down and help with the pain, and time to allow it to heal.

Stay away from the heat it will feel good (only) while applied but it encourages swelling. @marinelife RICE plus @YoBob ibuprofen is an excellent formula.

The latest mnemonic is PRICE (Protection, rest, ice, compression, elevation) where the “protection” bit is to stop doing any activity that can make the sprain worse. This inherently includes use of crutches as @marinelife indicated.

I have had a number of sprains and if you don’t allow them to heal, you end up spraining the ankle again. If you do this enough times, other damage can occur. I have had ankle surgery and am due to have another one after a lifetime of ankle sprains—so it really pays to take this type of injury seriously!

Do NOT walk around on it. I can’t even count the number of sprains I’ve had (two ankle surgeries, on my second set of crutches that I own, enough braces and stuff to outfit a shop). This is the single most important thing you can do for it to prevent further injury and prolonging healing time. Wrap it up, ice it if you need it, pain meds if you need it. But stay off it!