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Whatis an ankle sprain?
An ankle sprain is an injury to the ligament in the ankle. The ligaments are structures that control excessive movement
of the joint. When an ankle sprain happens, the ligament is stretched too far, and is either partially or completely torn. A
sprained ankle occurs following a sudden sideways or twisting movement of the foot. It can occur during athletic events
or during everyday activities. All it takes is an awkward step or an uneven surface to cause an ankle sprain--that is why
sprained ankles are among the most common orthopedic injuries. Orthopedic doctors see patients for ankle sprains
very often, and it is the most common foot and ankle injury.
Ankle sprains are classified as grade 1, 2, and 3. Some of the most common causes of ankle injuries are: lack of
conditioning, lack of warming up and stretching properly, previous history of an ankle sprain, inadequate shoes, and
uneven ground.
Depending on the amount of damage or the number of ligaments that are damaged, each sprain is classified from
mild to severe. The amount of force that is placed on the ankle helps classify which grade of sprain is suffered.
A mild sprain or one that causes slight stretching with minimal damage to the fibers in the ligament is considered a
Grade 1 sprain.
When there is some tearing of the ligament and the ankle joint moves in abnormal ways, it is noted to be a Grade 2
sprain.
The final classification is Grade 3 sprain and includes severe injuries. These are ones where complete tears of a
ligament and the presence of instability are experienced. Usually bruising will occur around the ankle but this can be
prevented by putting ice on it and not putting it into hot water.
Symptoms
Tissue injury and inflammation occur when an ankle is sprained. Blood vessels become "leaky" and allow fluid to ooze
into the soft tissue surrounding the joint. White blood cells responsible for inflammation migrate to the area, and blood
flow increases. The following are signs of inflammation:
• Swelling, due to increased fluid in the tissue, is sometimes severe.
• Pain: The nerves are more sensitive. The joint hurts and may throb. The pain can worsen when the sore area is
pressed or the foot moves in certain directions (depending upon which ligament is involved) and during walking or
standing.
• Redness and warmth: Caused by increased blood flow to the area
Common symptoms associated with an ankle sprain are pain with swelling and bruising. The degree of symptoms
tends to correlate well with the extent of the damage to these ligaments.
• Grade I ankle sprains cause stretching of the ligament. The symptoms tend to be limited to pain and swelling.
Most patients can walk without crutches, but may not be able to jog or jump.
• A grade II ankle sprain is more severe partial tearing of the ligament. There is usually more significant swelling
and bruising caused by bleeding under the skin. Patients usually have pain with walking, but can take a few steps.
• Grade III ankle sprains are complete tears of the ligaments. The ankle is usually quite painful, and walking can be
difficult. Patients may complain of instability, or a giving-way sensation in the ankle joint.
Causes
Ligaments are injured when a greater than normal stretching force is applied to them. This happens most commonly
when the foot is turned inward or inverted. This kind of injury can happen in the following ways:
• Awkwardly planting the foot when running, stepping up or down, or during simple tasks such as getting out of bed.
• Stepping on a surface that is irregular, such as stepping in a hole.
• Athletic events when one player steps on another player (A common example is a basketball player who goes up
for a rebound and comes down on top of another player's foot. This can cause the rebounder's foot to roll inward.).
• Inversion injuries, in which the foot rolls inward, are more common than eversion injuries (also referred to as a
high ankle sprain), in which the foot twists outward.
• A sprained ankle usually occurs when a person lands from jumping or running on to an uneven surface.
Western medicine treatment
Treatment of sprained ankles is important because returning to normal activities in a timely manner is important for
most patients.
• Self-Care at Home. Care at home can help reduce pain and aid healing. Because most of the pain is caused by
inflammation, the goal is to reduce and prevent inflammation.
• Rest prevents further injury and avoids stress on already inflamed tissue.
• Ice is the best treatment, ice counteracts the increased blood flow to the injured area, reduces swelling, redness,
and warmth.
• Compression. Provides support and helps prevent inflammation by using elastic wraps to immobilize the ankle.
• Elevation (keeping the injured area up as high as possible) will help the body absorb fluid that has leaked into the
tissue.
• Anti-inflammatory pain medications to reduce the pain and combat the swelling.
Alternative Medicine
There is a significant progress using alternative medicine in this area.
If you want a referral of an expert alternative medicine practitioner in your
local area, please use our free referral service by calling our toll-free at
1-888-919-1188, or e-mail us to wei@weilab.com, or click the button
at the right to have us contact you.
Information gathered from the Mayo Clinic , emedicinehealth.com , orthopedics.about.com and wikipedia.org
An ankle sprain is an injury to the ligament in the ankle. The ligaments are structures that control excessive movement
of the joint. When an ankle sprain happens, the ligament is stretched too far, and is either partially or completely torn. A
sprained ankle occurs following a sudden sideways or twisting movement of the foot. It can occur during athletic events
or during everyday activities. All it takes is an awkward step or an uneven surface to cause an ankle sprain--that is why
sprained ankles are among the most common orthopedic injuries. Orthopedic doctors see patients for ankle sprains
very often, and it is the most common foot and ankle injury.
Ankle sprains are classified as grade 1, 2, and 3. Some of the most common causes of ankle injuries are: lack of
conditioning, lack of warming up and stretching properly, previous history of an ankle sprain, inadequate shoes, and
uneven ground.
Depending on the amount of damage or the number of ligaments that are damaged, each sprain is classified from
mild to severe. The amount of force that is placed on the ankle helps classify which grade of sprain is suffered.
A mild sprain or one that causes slight stretching with minimal damage to the fibers in the ligament is considered a
Grade 1 sprain.
When there is some tearing of the ligament and the ankle joint moves in abnormal ways, it is noted to be a Grade 2
sprain.
The final classification is Grade 3 sprain and includes severe injuries. These are ones where complete tears of a
ligament and the presence of instability are experienced. Usually bruising will occur around the ankle but this can be
prevented by putting ice on it and not putting it into hot water.
Symptoms
Tissue injury and inflammation occur when an ankle is sprained. Blood vessels become "leaky" and allow fluid to ooze
into the soft tissue surrounding the joint. White blood cells responsible for inflammation migrate to the area, and blood
flow increases. The following are signs of inflammation:
• Swelling, due to increased fluid in the tissue, is sometimes severe.
• Pain: The nerves are more sensitive. The joint hurts and may throb. The pain can worsen when the sore area is
pressed or the foot moves in certain directions (depending upon which ligament is involved) and during walking or
standing.
• Redness and warmth: Caused by increased blood flow to the area
Common symptoms associated with an ankle sprain are pain with swelling and bruising. The degree of symptoms
tends to correlate well with the extent of the damage to these ligaments.
• Grade I ankle sprains cause stretching of the ligament. The symptoms tend to be limited to pain and swelling.
Most patients can walk without crutches, but may not be able to jog or jump.
• A grade II ankle sprain is more severe partial tearing of the ligament. There is usually more significant swelling
and bruising caused by bleeding under the skin. Patients usually have pain with walking, but can take a few steps.
• Grade III ankle sprains are complete tears of the ligaments. The ankle is usually quite painful, and walking can be
difficult. Patients may complain of instability, or a giving-way sensation in the ankle joint.
Causes
Ligaments are injured when a greater than normal stretching force is applied to them. This happens most commonly
when the foot is turned inward or inverted. This kind of injury can happen in the following ways:
• Awkwardly planting the foot when running, stepping up or down, or during simple tasks such as getting out of bed.
• Stepping on a surface that is irregular, such as stepping in a hole.
• Athletic events when one player steps on another player (A common example is a basketball player who goes up
for a rebound and comes down on top of another player's foot. This can cause the rebounder's foot to roll inward.).
• Inversion injuries, in which the foot rolls inward, are more common than eversion injuries (also referred to as a
high ankle sprain), in which the foot twists outward.
• A sprained ankle usually occurs when a person lands from jumping or running on to an uneven surface.
Western medicine treatment
Treatment of sprained ankles is important because returning to normal activities in a timely manner is important for
most patients.
• Self-Care at Home. Care at home can help reduce pain and aid healing. Because most of the pain is caused by
inflammation, the goal is to reduce and prevent inflammation.
• Rest prevents further injury and avoids stress on already inflamed tissue.
• Ice is the best treatment, ice counteracts the increased blood flow to the injured area, reduces swelling, redness,
and warmth.
• Compression. Provides support and helps prevent inflammation by using elastic wraps to immobilize the ankle.
• Elevation (keeping the injured area up as high as possible) will help the body absorb fluid that has leaked into the
tissue.
• Anti-inflammatory pain medications to reduce the pain and combat the swelling.
Alternative Medicine
There is a significant progress using alternative medicine in this area.
If you want a referral of an expert alternative medicine practitioner in your
local area, please use our free referral service by calling our toll-free at
1-888-919-1188, or e-mail us to wei@weilab.com, or click the button
at the right to have us contact you.
Information gathered from the Mayo Clinic , emedicinehealth.com , orthopedics.about.com and wikipedia.org
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