I sprained my ankle playing basketball.  How should I care for it?
user
I suggest using RICE:  Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation.  It’s pretty common for people to just ice it, but we don’t really know how much of an effect this has.  Here’s a paper by Dr. D. R. Chou of Harvard medical school summarizing a review of 11 studies on compression vs. ice for ankle sprain treatment.  
In this review, for example, in a study that included people treated for ankle sprain with compression plus rest vs. no treatment, the relative risk of a recurrent sprain was reduced from 1.43 (95% CI: 1.06 to 1.94) to 1.12 (95% CI: 0.88 to 1.45).  In another study, people in a compression group had fewer days off work (1.45 vs. 3.23) and made a more rapid recovery.  In general, compression appears
assistant
Should I ever put heat on my ankle?
user
Compression + heat does have evidence to show that it is better than compression alone for ankle sprain recovery, although I do find the evidence for heat more mixed.   One study that compared hot compress, cold compress, and no compress on people who had had their ankles stretched, found that both compression techniques were better than no treatment at all, although the hot compress group had a bigger improvement.  A study of children who had had their ankles stretched did find a larger recovery rate with cold compress and no compress than with heat and cold compress, and a more rapid return to sports.  There was a surprising negative result from a trial of children treated with ice vs. heat, but here was a mix of ankle and knee sprain patients, and the “heat” was “normal saline warmed in hot water bottles”, which I can’t imagine is effective.
assistant
How long should I wait before I start walking on my ankle?
user
This is an interesting question.  For injured ankle ligaments, it can be best to not walk, but to use crutches or a cane.   For ankle sprain, it’s very important to wait at least 48 hours after the injury before you start using the ankle.  Dr. Robert Heidtman, a podiatrist, found that between day 1 and day 4, there is a short spike in the chance of re-injury.
assistant
I sprained my ankle playing basketball.  How should I care for it?
user
I suggest using RICE:  Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation.  It’s pretty common for people to just ice it, but we don’t really know how much of an effect this has.  Here’s a paper by Dr. D. R. Chou of Harvard medical school summarizing a review of 11 studies on compression vs. ice for ankle sprain treatment.  
In this review, for example, in a study that included people treated for ankle sprain with compression plus rest vs. no treatment, the relative risk of a recurrent sprain was reduced from 1.43 (95% CI: 1.06 to 1.94) to 1.12 (95% CI: 0.88 to 1.45).  In another study, people in a compression group had fewer days off work (1.45 vs. 3.23) and made a more rapid recovery.  In general, compression appears
assistant
Should I ever put heat on my ankle?
user
Compression + heat does have evidence to show that it is better than compression alone for ankle sprain recovery, although I do find the evidence for heat more mixed.   One study that compared hot compress, cold compress, and no compress on people who had had their ankles stretched, found that both compression techniques were better than no treatment at all, although the hot compress group had a bigger improvement.  A study of children who had had their ankles stretched did find a larger recovery rate with cold compress and no compress than with heat and cold compress, and a more rapid return to sports.  There was a surprising negative result from a trial of children treated with ice vs. heat, but here was a mix of ankle and knee sprain patients, and the “heat” was “normal saline warmed in hot water bottles”, which I can’t imagine is effective.
assistant
How long should I wait before I start walking on my ankle?
user
The research on this question is mixed.  Many studies of ankle sprains ask people to walk on their ankle while it is still swollen, which may be painful and/or not very helpful in the healing process.  Some studies ask people to sit with their leg in a flexed position (usually “slightly flexed”), and sometimes ask them to sit in a different position every few hours.  In some of these studies, people who sat with their ankle in the flexed position walked a little less later than people who sat with their ankle at a more extended position, but the difference is not very large, and it’s not clear if this applies to less serious ankle sprains.
assistant
I sprained my ankle playing basketball.  How should I care for it?