Ankle Sprain

What is an ankle sprain?

An ankle sprain is one of the most commonly sustained lower limb injuries, with up to 70% of people experiencing this in their lifetime. Pain can affect one’s ability to simply walk without pain, undertake social activities, work and hobbies. 

Most ankle sprains improve within 6-8 weeks but the recovery time depends on the degree of injury you sustain. This means that recovery can take anything from a few weeks to several months. The good news, however, is that the condition is very rarely serious and there are things that you can do to set you up for a successful recovery. 

A sprained ankle is an injury that occurs when you roll, twist or turn your ankle in an awkward way. The tissues commonly injured in an ankle sprain are the ligaments. Ligaments are tough bands of connective tissue which help stabilise the joint by stopping unwanted movement. 

A sprained ankle occurs when the ligaments are forced beyond their normal range of motion. Most sprained ankles involve injuries to the ligaments on the outer side of the ankle.

Symptoms may include:

• Pain, especially on weight bearing activities.
• It may be painful to walk (particularly uphills or on uneven surfaces), go up/down stairs and to kneel (with the toes pointed).
• Swelling around the outside of the foot and ankle. This can be minor however some people experience a large amount of swelling.
• You may experience bruising around the outside and/or inside of the ankle and this may spread into the foot and even down to the toes. This can worsen over a few days following the injury.
• The ankle may be tender to touch.