How long does a high ankle sprain take to recover?

In light of Jeremy Maclin’s recent high ankle sprain, we look at the time frame of recovery from such an injury.

The Kansas City Chiefs‘ playoff hopes are alive and well. After a thorough 30-0 thrashing of the Houston Texans, many in Kansas City were beginning to hope for a deep play off run and maybe even a Super Bowl appearance. Much of these hopes, however, are dependent upon good health, and during the comfortable win over Houston, the Chiefs potentially lost a major offensive star in Jeremy Maclin to a high ankle sprain.

After initial fears of a torn ACL, this is good news for the Chiefs. But, how will the high ankle sprain effect Jeremy Maclin and the Chiefs? What is the recovery time from such an injury and is it possible to play through it?

Unfortunately for the Chiefs, a high ankle sprain is much nastier in comparison to its lower counterpart. A high ankle sprain means that the syndesmotic ligaments, which help stabilize the fibula and tibia, have been damaged in some way. Consequently, a bad high ankle sprain could cause significant issues with weight bearing, particularly in changing direction.

This will be a particular issue for Maclin, who’s game revolves around his smooth route running, something that will be severely hindered, even if he is able to play through it.

A low ankle sprain usually takes 1-3 weeks to recover. A high ankle sprain, on the other hand, can take up to four to six weeks to recover, depending on the severity. There is a wide range of recovery times, as detailed in this table, and consequently, it is highly uncertain as to whether Maclin will be available in a week or four weeks.

It is possible to play through such an injury, if the sprain is of the kinder variety. Roddy White was able to play in Week 1 of the 2013 season with such an injury, however, he was much slower coming in and out of his breaks and only played 37 snaps. Peyton Manning suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 7 of the 2014 season and didn’t miss any games.

Clearly, this is much more of an issue for Maclin than Manning. However, it does offer hope for Kansas City. It doesn’t look good for Maclin’s availability come next weekend against the Patriots, however, if the Chiefs are able to beat New England, Maclin could return for the AFC Championship, and could certainly be available for the Super Bowl. There is much doubt over Maclin’s availability right now, but there is hope. This will be a news story to follow closely over the next week.