OVERVIEW

What Is an Ankle Sprain?

An ankle sprain is an injury to the ligaments of the ankle. These ligaments hold part of the ankle in place and connect it to other bones in the leg and foot.

Ankle sprains are very common injuries.

When you sprain your ankle:

• Swelling and pain can occur almost right away.
• Moving the ankle can be hard.
• Putting weight on the leg can hurt.

Types of ankle sprains

There are two types of ankle sprains:

• Inversion ankle sprains — occurs when the ankle rolls inward and injures the outer lateral ligaments.
• Eversion ankle sprains — occurs when the ankle rolls outward and injures the inside medial ligaments.

Inversion ankle sprains occur more commonly.

The ankle area has three sections — lateral, medial, and high. All three areas of the ankle are prone to painful sprains.

• Lateral ankle sprains — the most common type — injure the ligaments that prevent your foot from rolling inward toward the arch of the foot.
• Medial ankle sprains injure the ligaments that keep your foot from rolling outward.
• High ankle sprains — sometimes called "tib/fib" sprains — injure the ligaments that hold your two leg bones together at the top of the ankle. A forceful, upward movement of the foot and ankle causes this type of ankle sprain.

Ankle sprain causes and risk factors

Some common causes of ankle sprains include:

• Wearing the wrong type of shoes for your sport. This puts you at risk of twisting your ankle.
• Placing unusual stress to the ligament. This could be from walking or running on an uneven surface, jamming your foot, or twisting your ankle in an odd way.

High impact sports - running, jumping, climbing, or kicking, can put you at risk for an ankle sprain.

SYMPTOMS

Ankle Sprain Symptoms and Diagnosis

Symptoms of an ankle sprain may include: 

• Pain
• Swelling
• Bruising
• Warmth
• Tenderness to touch 
• Unable to put weight onto the foot or walk comfortably

Your physician will perform an exam of your ankle. 

The physician may order an x-ray, to rule out any broken bones in the ankle or foot.

Ankle sprains are graded based on the amount of damage to the ligaments of the ankle.

• Grade 1= ankle ligaments are stretched out but not torn
• Grade 2= ankle ligaments are stretched and partial tearing has occurred
• Grade 3= ankle ligaments are completely torn

TREATMENT

Ankle Sprain Treatment

• P = protect your injury from further damage by using a splint or brace
• R = rest your injury for 2-3 days
• I = ice.
• C = compress the area with an elastic bandage to limit swelling
• E = elevate the injury above the level of your heart

If the ankle sprain affects your ability to walk, you may need crutches while you heal.

Other treatment may include:

• Working with a physiotherapist to restore range of motion
• Strengthening and balancing exercises

Check field, floor and surface conditions before you play and wear the proper footwear for your sport.

 

 

 

Content supplemented by UPMC Sports Medicine