Ankle Sprains

An ankle sprain refers to tearing of the ligaments of the ankle. The most common ankle sprain occurs on the lateral (outside) part of the ankle. There’s a good chance you may have sprained your ankle at some point while playing sports or stepping on an uneven surface — some 25,000 people do it every day. It can happen in the setting of an ankle fracture (when the bones of the ankle also break). Most commonly, however, it occurs in isolation.

Symptoms

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. Patients will complain of pain on the outside of their ankle and various degrees of swelling and bruising. Depending on the severity of the sprain, a person may or may not be able to put weight on the foot.

Causes

As noted above, these injuries occur when the ankle is twisted underneath the leg, called inversion. Risk factors are activities, such as jumping/cutting sports like basketball and soccer, in which an athlete can come down on and turn the ankle or step on an opponent’s foot.

Some people are predisposed to ankle sprains. These injuries are more common in people with a high arched foot. This is because it is easier to turn on the ankle.

Diagnosis

Ankle sprains can be diagnosed fairly easily given that they are common injuries. Pain on the outside of the ankle, tenderness and swelling, and an ankle with an inversion-type injury may indicate a sprain. In these patients, normal X-rays also suggest that the bone has not been broken and instead the ankle ligaments have been torn or sprained.

It is very important, however, not to simply regard any injury as an ankle sprain because other injuries can occur as well. For example, the peroneal tendons can be torn. There also can be fractures in other bones around the ankle. Make an appointment to see Dr. Oheb for a full evaluation.