However, there are times this movement can cause damage to ligaments, tendons, blood vessels, and cartilage in the ankle. He shared these five signs of an ankle sprain and why to seek medical attention for this common injury. One of the most obvious signs of any injury involves pain. When it involves an ankle sprain, it often affects the area of the ankle with damage.
For example, if you sprain your deltoid ligament, the inside of your ankle will hurt. This discomfort often feels sudden and sharp and worsens when bearing weight. It can also vary in intensity depending on the extent of tissue damage. Sprained ankles occur when you damage the strong ligaments supporting your ankle joint. In many cases, this causes the ankle to swell and even bruise almost immediately.
As with pain and tenderness from a sprain, you can usually expect swelling or discoloration in the area with ligament damage. National Athletic Trainers' Association position statement: Conservative management and prevention of ankle sprains in athletes.
Journal of Athletic Training. How to care for a sprained ankle. Safran MR, et al. In: Instructions for Sports Medicine Patients. Philadelphia, Pa. Porter DA, et al. Principles of rehabilitation for the foot and ankle. Accessed May 27, Related Ankle sprain Sprained ankle.
Mayo Clinic Press Check out these best-sellers and special offers on books and newsletters from Mayo Clinic. Taping your ankle or wearing a brace during exercise can help protect your ankle. Wearing hiking boots or other high-top, lace-up shoes for support may also help. But use caution. Don't force your foot into a boot if you feel a lot of pain or discomfort. If your ankle is still unstable after rehab, or if the ligament damage is severe, your doctor may recommend surgery to repair the torn ligaments.
Rehab exercises can begin soon after the injury. You can try to walk or put weight on your foot. You may need to use crutches until you can walk without pain. Depending on your pain, you can also begin range-of-motion exercises while you have ice on your ankle. These exercises are easy to do—you just trace the alphabet with your toe. This helps the ankle move in all directions. Ask your doctor about other rehab. Stretching, strength training, and balance exercises may help the ankle heal totally and may prevent further injury.
Ankle sprains occur when ligaments that connect the bones in the foot, ankle, and lower leg stretch or tear. There are different types of ankle sprains. An inversion injury, the most common cause of ankle sprains, occurs when the ankle rolls outward and the foot turns inward. It results in stretching and tearing of the ligaments on the outside of the ankle. In an eversion injury, the ankle rolls inward and the foot turns outward, damaging the ligaments at the inside of the ankle.
In a "high" ankle sprain, a less common type of injury, ligaments that join the two lower leg bones together above the ankle, called the syndesmosis, are injured. This usually happens if the foot is forced up, or if the leg is forcefully twisted while the foot is planted. This injury can occur either by itself or with an inversion or eversion sprain. If the ligaments of the syndesmosis are injured, the sprain is more severe and takes longer to heal.
Damage to the ligament varies from simply stretched or slightly torn to completely torn. Your doctor will grade your sprain accordingly. People usually feel immediate pain at the site of an ankle sprain. Often the ankle starts to swell immediately and may develop bruising. The affected area is usually tender to touch and may feel "wobbly" or unstable. The severity of your symptoms usually depends on how much tearing has occurred. In more severe sprains, you are often not able to walk or even put weight on your foot, and your ankle may feel unstable.
You usually have extreme pain at first, but some people start to feel better fairly soon. If a sprain does not heal correctly, your ankle joint may be more likely to be injured again or the pain may not go away. This often occurs with even a slight trauma, such as stepping off a curb or walking on uneven pavement.
Some people complain of persistent pain and swelling. Watch closely for changes in your health, and be sure to contact your doctor if you are not getting better after 1 week.
If your pain is mild and you are able to put some weight on your foot, you may follow the recommendations in the Treatment Overview and Home Treatment sections of this topic. Early treatment followed by rehabilitation exercises help your ankle heal properly. If treatment recommendations are not followed, your ankle may stay weak and unstable.
Your doctor will ask you when and how the ankle sprain occurred and ask about any prior injuries. Next, your doctor will examine your foot, ankle, and lower leg and even your knee to see if any other injury occurred. He or she may ask you to move your foot up and down and to take a few steps if possible.
Your doctor will then carefully try moving your foot and ankle to see if the ligaments are intact and what movements cause pain. If your sprain is mild, an X-ray may not be taken. If your sprain is more severe, you may need X-rays to evaluate the ankle. X-rays can help your doctor find out whether you have any ligament tears, broken bones, or bones that have moved out of their normal positions.
X-rays are often taken for children because of potential injury to the bone's growth plate and possible disruption of normal growth. Doctors may take X-rays of both ankles so they can compare the injured ankle with the one that is healthy.
Be safe with medicines. Read and follow all instructions on the label. Enthesopathy refers to pain and inflammation around your joints. This includes your wrists, knees, and ankles. Here's how to recognize and treat it. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect.
Sprained vs. Medically reviewed by Angela M. Sprained ankle Sprain vs. What does it mean if you have a sprained ankle? What does it mean if you have a broken ankle? How can you tell the difference between a broken ankle and a sprained ankle? What does a diagnosis involve? How are these ankle injuries treated? What can help with your recovery?
The bottom line. Read this next. Treatment Tips for Your Sprained Ankle.
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