25,000 people sprain their ankles every day.

Cause & Symptoms

A sprained ankle means the ligaments on the outside of the ankle have stretched or torn. Sprains can range from just a brief pain to a severe injury making it too painful to stand.

Repair & Recovery

Tell your ProSports physician how you sprained your ankle. He’ll examine your ankle, and may take X-rays to make sure no bones are broken. Your sprain may have damaged one or more of the three ligaments of the ankle. The number of injured ligaments determines the grade of the sprain: I, II or III. The higher the grade, the longer the recover time and more immobilized the ankle needs to be during recover.

For any sprain, you should follow the R.I.C.E treatment plan:

• Rest your ankle. Avoid walking on it at all.
• Ice the ankle. This keeps the swelling down.
• Compress the ankle. This immobilizes the area.
• Elevate the ankle above the heart for 48 hours.

The swelling should go down in a few days. Putting weight on the injured ankle shortly thereafter can be helpful in the healing process. Be sure to ask your ProSports physician about safe strategies for rehabilitation.

Your doctor will prescribe a rehabilitation routine to enhance the strength and flexibility of the injured ankle. It’s essential to complete the entire rehabilitation program, to return the ligaments to full strength and to lessen the chances of re-injury.