Most ankle sprains happen when your foot suddenly twists inward as you run, turn or fall. You sometimes hear a pop or a tear.

How bad your injury is depends on how much damage you've done to the ligaments around your ankle joint.

There are several ligaments in your ankle. You may have injured one or more of them. Doctors sometimes decide how seriously you've sprained your ankle using these different grades:

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Watson-Jones R.
Fractures and joint injuries.
Churchill Livingstone, London, UK; 1976.

 

 

 

 

 

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People who have a high-arched foot or bow legs are more at risk of spraining their ankle. You're also more likely to get a sprained ankle if you've had one before. You can also get an injury known as a strain. This is different to a sprain. A strain happens when you stretch or pull a muscle rather than a ligament.

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