Southern Sky District

Scout Skills: Sprained Ankle!

If you suffer an ankle sprain during a hike and must keep walking, don’t remove your shoe or boot. It will support your ankle, and if you do take it off, the injury may swell so much that you won’t be able to put your footwear back on. Reinforce the ankle, boot and all, with a triangular bandage, neckerchief, of some other strip of cloth.

As soon as you no longer need to walk, take off your shoe and rest with your leg raised. Reduce swelling with cold wet towels or an ice pack. The compression of an athletic bandage might also help. Seek medical help. — The Official Boy Scout Handbook Eleventh Edition, 1998