What Is an Ankle Sprain?

A sprained ankle occurs when there is stretching or partial or total tearing in one or more of the ligaments that support and stabilize your bone ankles. Ligaments are made up of strong bands of tissue that cross over your joints and connect the bones in your body to each other – a tear in any of the ligaments in your ankle is considered an ankle sprain. Unlike a muscle pull, a sprain can result in swelling and a loss in your ankle’s range of motion.

Your ankle allows you to propel your body. It is a specialized hinge joint that works to get you around in a smooth and effortless motion. When healthy, you don’t normally notice the importance of your ankle to your daily activities. However, with injuries, you quickly discover that your ankle is essential to your very ability to walk normally. Sprained ankles can also cause a lot of pain and take time to heal and treat properly.

Ankle sprains are caused when the ligaments that support the joints in your ankle are suddenly twisted or stretched too far sideways; it often takes surprisingly little to cause a sprained ankle. For example, imagine coming down awkwardly on your ankle as you walk or run, or picture rolling an ankle as you move side to side, or visualize stopping suddenly and feeling your ankle give out. All of these can cause a minor to major ankle sprain.

A sprained ankle can be extremely common in all sports, such as:

  • football
  • fitness walking
  • hockey
  • gymnastics
  • volleyball
  • basketball
  • baseball
  • running
  • track and field events
  • rugby
  • tennis
  • field hockey
  • soccer

Ankle Sprain Treatment

What to do for sprained ankle? There are many healing and recovery options available for sprained ankle treatment, including both medical and home treatments. Depending on how severe your sprained ankle is will help determine the appropriate ankle sprain treatment. If you are interesting in reading further about sprained ankle treatment and what you should do, please visit our Ankle Sprain Treatment and Therapies page.

Related Sprained Ankle Articles:
Ankle Pain Causes & Symptoms
Severity of an Ankle Injury
Ankle sprain treatments and therapies
Sprained ankle prevention tips

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