Ankle Sprains

Thousands of people experience the pain of a twisted ankle every day. It doesn’t happen just to athletes, either. This injury affects the elastic structures in our ankles called ligaments. The ligaments of our ankles work to hold our joints together and protect them twisting or rolling the wrong way. If they are accidentally stretched farther than normal through a twist, roll, turn, or bend, they can tear and become damaged, resulting in a sprain.

How Did This Happen?

If you live an active lifestyle, you’re more at risk than most. This injury is especially common in teens who are physically active, partaking in sports and activities that require rapid shifting movements of the feet and ankles. When the sole of the foot remains planted on the floor, and the ankle continues to roll, the ligament is over-stretched. Ankles generally turn outward and the outside ligaments are pulled too far.

The severity of sprains is different from one individual to the next and can vary from sprain to sprain. Different activities, varying amounts of pressure applied, and difference in the force behind the motion all determine how bad the sprain is. You may have heard a “pop” or may have fallen to the floor when you were injured, because the damaged ligaments couldn’t take the strain.