Article: If you are in a lot of pain or have swelling, consider over-the-counter pain medications, which can reduce pain and swelling.  Use pain relievers such as aspirin (do not give aspirin to children), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB), naproxen sodium (Aleve) or acetaminophen (Tylenol).  Reduce swelling with NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like ibuprofen and naproxen sodium. Analgesics are common medications used to relieve ankle pain from arthritis, sprains, or other injuries. Either take or apply an analgesic to your ankle to relieve pain.  Be aware that analgesics only address pain and won’t reduce swelling.  Rub an analgesic cream on your ankle. You can get over-the-counter topical analgesics under names such as Aspercreme, Ben-Gay, Capzasin-P, Eucalyptamint, and Icy Hot.  Ask your doctor to prescribe a stronger topical analgesic such as Voltaren Gel. This may be especially useful if your ankle pain is from arthritis. If your ankle pain and/or inflammation is due to arthritis in your ankle, ask your doctor to prescribe either an oral corticosteroid or give you an injection. Corticosteroids can relieve pain and inflammation very quickly. Corticosteroids should not be used for acute injuries like sprains. They can impair the healing process and can have many side effects, including high blood pressure, glaucoma, cataracts, headache, weight gain, ulcers, and more. After a few days, start gently moving your ankle. This can help relieve pain, prevent stiffness, and get you back to regular activities.  Rotate your ankle in circles in both directions.  Flex your ankle up and down with your hand.  Ask your doctor if there are any movements or light exercises that can relieve your pain and promote healing. Consider seeing a physical therapist to help stretch and strengthen your ankle. It may relieve your pain and inflammation.  Schedule an appointment with a physical therapist after you’ve tried RICE. Ask the therapist questions you have about exercises you can do at home. Consider that studies have shown the benefits of eccentric stretching, which lengthens muscles, on pain-causing conditions such as tendinitis. If your pain doesn’t go away within a few weeks, schedule an appointment with your doctor. She can help rule out more serious conditions such as a fracture, gout, or arthritis.  See your doctor or go to an emergency room immediately if you can’t put weight on your ankle or it appears broken, have severe pain even when you’re resting, or if your ankle makes a popping sound when you move it.  Visit your regular doctor or an orthopedist, which is a doctor who specializes in structural conditions like sprains and arthritis. Tell your doctor about your symptoms and what type of treatment you’ve been using. Ask her any questions you may have about your ankle pain. Depending on the outcome of your doctor’s appointment, you may need medical treatment for your ankle pain. These can relieve your pain and manage underlying conditions. Some possible medical treatments for underlying causes of ankle pain include:  Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) for inflammatory arthritis (such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis) Biologic response modifiers like interferon for inflammatory arthritis Uric acid-reducing drugs for gout such as allopurinol Drugs that slow bone loss or build new bone for osteoporosis such as denosumab.

What is a summary?
Take an over-the-counter pain reliever. Try an analgesic. Control arthritic pain and inflammation with corticosteroids. Move your ankle. Get physical therapy. See your doctor. Have medical treatments.