By Richard Russell, James Cochrane Practice:

Q. I’ve got a pain in my ankle – please help me?

A. There are lots of causes of ankle pain. However, you can usually ease the pain yourself – and here are a few ideas that you should try to help relieve the pain.

These are things that if you do go and see a GP, they are likely to suggest, so try them yourself first and see if it helps.

First - rest and raise your ankle when you can. While this can be difficult as we lead such busy lives, it will help

Put an ice pack (or bag of frozen peas) in a towel on your ankle for up to 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hours. Try and wear wide comfortable shoes with a low heel and soft sole. Also use soft insoles or heel pads in your shoes.

Try wrapping a bandage around your ankle to support it – you can also buy support bandages or tubes to help provide support.

If you can, try regular gentle stretching exercises. Do stop if it proves too painful though.

You can take paracetamol to control the pain.

However, there are a few things NOT to do as well.

Do not take ibuprofen for the first 48 hours after an injury.

Try not to walk or stand for long periods of time.

Definitely do not wear high heels or tight pointy shoes – they could make things worse.

If you need some further advice, go and see your local pharmacist. The pharmacist can advise you on the best painkiller to take, any insoles and pads for your shoes and any treatments that may be available for common skin problems.