Sprained Ankle Treatment

Sprained ankles are one of the most common medical conditions in the United States. In fact, research by Herzog, et al. shows that there are estimated to be 2 million ankle sprains in the United States each year. This may even be a significant underestimate because numbers are based on emergency room visits, which do not take place for many sprained ankles. Interestingly, half of the ankle sprains treated in emergency departments in the United States were not from sports participation. So, if you think that you are completely safe from a sprained ankle because you do not play sports, think again!

Let’s take a look at the anatomy of the ankle. The image below shows the lateral or outside of the ankle. Pay particular attention to the three ligaments that are shown: the anterior talofibular ligament, posterior talofibular ligament, and the calcaneofibular ligament.

Laboratoires Servier, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

When you sprain your ankle, it typically involves a rolling motion, usually with your ankle rolling outwards.