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Hiker sitting with one foot raised on an alpine path, companion beside them, hut far down the valley

I have injured my ankle on a hiking trail

One wrong step, a stabbing pain – and the road is still far away. Rest, cool, keep it still and make an honest decision: walk out yourself or call for help.

First

  1. Stop at once and sit down where you are safe. Do not try to “walk it off” – every extra step can make the injury worse.
  2. Cool it if possible: put on a cloth soaked in cold water, never ice directly on the skin. Raise the foot and keep it still.
  3. Leave the boot on if it fits well – it gives support. If the joint looks crooked, is numb or cold, do not try to straighten anything and do not put weight on it.
  4. If you cannot bear weight safely: call 112 (in the Austrian mountains also 140). Only walk on if you can walk safely without severe pain.

Call emergency services if

  • You cannot bear weight, or only with severe pain
  • The joint is crooked, badly swollen or something sticks out
  • The foot is numb, tingling, cold or changing colour
  • An open wound at the ankle
  • The way back is long, steep or it will soon be dark
  • Signs of hypothermia

Emergency numbers for Austria · Change region

What is happening

Twisting an ankle is one of the most common injuries when hiking. Usually it is a strain or sprain of the ligaments, but sometimes a torn ligament or a broken bone. From the outside it often cannot be told apart reliably – even a broken ankle may at first only hurt and swell.

The situation becomes dangerous less through the injury itself than through what happens next: anyone who limps on can fall and injure themselves more seriously. Anyone who sits still in the terrain for a long time gets cold. And anyone who calls for help too late may end up waiting in the dark.

Lay first aid is simple: stop loading it, keep the joint still, cool it (no ice directly on the skin) and raise it. A well-fitting hiking boot gives support and usually stays on. With visible deformity, numbness or an open wound, nothing is straightened – that is a case for the emergency call.

The hardest question is: can I walk out myself? Only if you can bear weight safely, the way is short and easy and there is enough daylight left. Otherwise calling for help is the right decision – mountain rescue and the ambulance service exist for exactly this.

Step by step

  1. Phase 1

    Straight away

    • Stop and sit down in a safe place – away from drop-offs, mountain-bike paths or rockfall.
    • Do not put further weight on the foot and do not “test” whether it holds.
    • Look without moving it much: is the joint crooked? Is there a wound? Can you move and feel your toes?
    • With deformity, numbness, a cold or pale foot or an open wound: call 112, in the Austrian mountains 140.

  2. Phase 2

    The first half hour

    • Cool: soak a cloth in cold stream water and lay it on, renewing it regularly. Cold pack or snow only with fabric in between and for no more than about 20 minutes at a time.
    • Raise: rest the foot on your pack.
    • Keep still: leave the boot on if it fits well. Apply an elastic bandage or triangular bandage only loosely – toes must stay warm and pink.
    • Keep warm: jacket on, sit on your pack or mat.
    • After about 20 to 30 minutes, check honestly: can I bear weight safely without severe pain?

  3. Phase 3

    Walking out – only if it is safe

    • Choose the shortest and easiest way to the nearest road, hut or cable car – not necessarily the planned one.
    • Take load off with poles or a sturdy branch; in a group, share out the luggage.
    • Walk slowly, rest often, take special care downhill.
    • If the pain increases, the foot swells badly or it gets dark: stop and call for help.

  4. Phase 4

    Waiting for rescue

    • Give your exact location and stay reachable. Save battery.
    • Stay visible: bright jacket, for a helicopter raise your arms in a Y shape.
    • Insulation from below and wind protection, emergency blanket around the body.
    • Check the toes regularly: if they become numb or cold, loosen the bandage.
    • After the rescue or descent, have it examined by a doctor – even if it gets better.

★ Pro tips

What experienced people do differently: proven practice from mountain rescue, fire services, lifeguards and civil protection that beginners rarely know.

  1. Up with the good, down with the bad

    On steps going up, lead with your good foot and bring the injured one after it. Going down, lower the injured foot first (with a pole) while the good leg holds your weight. That way the injured ankle never has to lift or catch your full weight alone.

  2. Set your poles up as crutches

    Lengthen your poles for descents so you can brace further ahead. Plant both poles at the same time as the injured foot, so your arms take part of the load. Short steps and frequent breaks – this tires the arms fast.

  3. Give the messenger a written note

    If someone has to go for help, write it down first: exact position (coordinates), what happened, the injured person's condition, the time, and who is waiting. Under stress, details get lost. Whoever stays, stays at the agreed spot.

  4. Expect to be much slower

    With an injured ankle, the walk takes many times the usual time. Weigh that honestly against the daylight left. If it won't quite fit, calling for help now beats calling in the dark.

What to watch out for

  • Fracture or sprain?

    Nobody can say for sure in the field. Severe pain directly over the bone, being unable to take four steps, or deformity suggest a fracture. Then do not bear weight.

  • Bandage too tight

    An injured ankle keeps swelling. A bandage that fits at first can cut off the blood later. Check the toes again and again: colour, warmth, feeling.

  • Ice directly on the skin

    Ice, snow or cold spray directly on the skin can cause frostbite. Always put fabric in between and only cool briefly.

  • Getting cold while waiting

    Someone sitting with an injury barely moves and cools down quickly – even on a cool summer's day. Insulation from below matters more than a third jacket.

Common mistakes

  • Limping on to “still make it”.
  • Taking the boot off and then being unable to get it back on.
  • Straightening a crooked joint yourself.
  • Wrapping the bandage too tightly.
  • Going for help alone and leaving the injured person without an agreement.
  • Calling for help too late, so that rescuers have to come in the dark.

Prepare in advance

  • Wear sturdy, broken-in hiking boots with good tread.
  • Take a small first aid kit with an elastic bandage, triangular bandage and emergency blanket.
  • Pack trekking poles – they also take load off after an injury.
  • Take a first aid course and refresh it regularly.
  • Leave your route and return time; in Austria know the alpine emergency number 140.
  • Tired legs cause accidents: plan breaks and turn back in good time.

Special consideration

Children
Children often find it hard to describe pain. If a child refuses to put weight on a foot after a fall, take it seriously. A child can be carried over short distances – on longer routes rather call for help.

Sources

  • European Resuscitation Council Guidelines 2021: First Aid · European Resuscitation Council – Resuscitation (journal), 2021
  • International First Aid, Resuscitation, and Education Guidelines 2020 · International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) – Global First Aid Reference Centre, 2020
  • International Commission for Alpine Rescue (ICAR) – recommendations and information (organisation website) · ICAR – International Commission for Alpine Rescue
  • Wilderness Medical Society Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Out-of-Hospital Evaluation and Treatment of Accidental Hypothermia: 2019 Update · Wilderness & Environmental Medicine (Wilderness Medical Society), 2019
  • 112 – the European emergency number · European Commission
  • Notrufnummern (oesterreich.gv.at) · Bundesministerium für Finanzen – Amtshelfer oesterreich.gv.at

Your situation

Can you bear weight?
Who is with you?
Phone signal
Weather
Time of day

Matching entries

0 rules apply

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Basics for this situation

Why: Always applies to this situation – regardless of your answers.

All rules of this situation (9)

  1. [not active] If Can you bear weight? = Yes, painful but safe

    First cool and rest, then test slowly. Choose the shortest, easiest way to the nearest road or hut, take load off with poles and have someone with you. If the pain gets worse: stop and call for help.

  2. [not active] If Can you bear weight? = No / deformed / very severe pain

    Do not bear weight and do not try to straighten anything. Keep the foot still in the least painful position, pad around it with a jacket or jumper, stay warm and wait for rescue.

  3. [not active] If Who is with you? = Alone

    Alone, the emergency call matters even more. Give your location, stay reachable and attract attention when you hear other hikers.

  4. [not active] If Who is with you? = With others

    One person looks after the injured person, one makes the call. Nobody goes for help alone. Do not carry the injured person unless they are in immediate danger – it is harder and riskier than it looks.

  5. [not active] If Phone signal = No signal

    Without signal: still try 112 – the emergency call uses any available network. Otherwise give the alpine distress signal, ask other hikers or, in a group, send two people for help.

  6. [not active] If Phone signal = Signal available

    After the emergency call, save battery and keep the phone free for call-backs from the dispatch centre.

  7. [not active] If Weather = Cold, wet or windy

    Someone sitting still with an injury cools down quickly. Put everything on, sit on your pack, keep the wind off – cool only briefly and only the injured spot.

  8. [not active] If Weather = Hot

    Find shade or make some with a jacket or tarp and drink regularly while you wait.

  9. [not active] If Time of day = Dusk / night

    With an injured ankle, never walk over uneven ground in the dark. Save your light for being found.