kehorner

You need to elevate your ankle above the level of your heart. So not just sitting with it up on a footstool, but laying down with your foot up on a stack of pillows. Also, you can ice for 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off, and repeat that. Bags of frozen peas work well because they conform to the shape of your foot. Just make sure that you don't put them directly on the skin (use a thin towel). Also, even though you may be allowed to walk, you probably will want to spend most of your time with the foot elevated.

After I had ankle surgery, the most important thing I did was keep it elevated. I sat in classes for a month slouching in my chair with my foot up on the desk. For the first several weeks, I had increased swelling, toes turning purple, and pain every time I let my foot hang down for even a few minutes. So just take your time and keep it up as much as possible.

As for a sprain... All of the bones in the foot are held together by ligaments. A sprain is stretching or tearing those ligaments. In order to dislocate your ankle (move the bones out of place) you would have to stretch or tear those ligaments. As long as you didn't tear them all the way through (or, depending on the ligaments involved, even if you did tear some of them) they should heal and just need ice, elevation, and rest.

Hope you have a speedy recovery!