Service Details

Ankle sprain

What is an ankle sprain?

A sprained ankle means one or more ligaments on the outer side of your ankle were stretched or torn. If it is not treated properly, you could have long-term problems.

The most common ankle sprain occurs on the lateral or outside part of the ankle. This is an extremely common injury which affects many people during a wide variety of activities. It can happen in the setting of an ankle fracture (i.e. when the bones of the ankle also break). Most commonly, however, it occurs in isolation.

What are the symptoms of an ankle sprain?

Patients report pain after having twisted an ankle. This usually occurs due to an inversion injury, which means the foot rolls underneath the ankle or leg. It commonly occurs during sports.

You may have a sprained ankle if you notice the following symptoms in the ankle:

• swelling
• tenderness
• bruising
• pain
• inability to put weight on the affected ankle
• skin discoloration
• stiffness

What are the risk factors for an ankle sprain?

Some people are predisposed to ankle sprains.

1. Heel posture: In people with a hind foot virus, which means that the general nature or posture of the heels is slightly turned toward the inside, these injuries are more common. This is because it is easier to turn on the ankle.
2. Past history : In those who have had a severe sprain in the past, it is also easier to turn the ankle and cause a new sprain. Therefore, one of the risk factors of spraining the ankle is having instability. Those who have weak muscles, especially those which run along the outside of the ankle, may be more predisposed.