Sprained Ankle Causes and Risk Factors

A sprained ankle is one of the most common injuries faced by anyone who participates in sport and exercise. As a matter of fact, you don't even have to be engaged in any exercise to suffer from a sprained ankle. It seems that even while minding your own business, an ankle sprain can occur.

If you suffer from ankle sprain or are seeking to prevent its occurrence it is important to listen up! Also, adding a few simple stretches to your fitness program will also help. To learn more about a few stretching techniques you can visit our webiste (click here)

An ankle sprain is commonly associated with sports that require a lot of running, jumping and change of direction. Excesive twisting or turning of the ankle joint results in a rupture of the ligaments that hold the ankle in place.

What is a Sprained Ankle?

An ankle sprain is an injury that results from a twisting action, which stretches or tears the ligaments of the ankle joint. (The term 'Sprain' refers to an injury of te ligaments, as opposed to a 'Strain', which refers to an injury of the muscle or tendon.) Also, ligaments attach bone to bone, where as tendons attach muscle to bone.

Anatomy of the Ankle Joint

The foot and ankle joint is a very complex structure, made up of many bones, ligaments, muscles, and tendons. (As you can see from the diagram below there are many opportunities for an injury of the muscle or tendon).

When an ankle injury does occur it usually affects one or more of the ligaments that help to hold the ankle joint in place. However, if the injury is severe enough damage may also occur to the tendons that attach the muscles to the bones.

There are a number of ligaments that keep the ankle joint in place and prevent a loss of stability. The ligaments that are commonly affected by ankle sprain are the ones located on the lateral side of the ankle. The three major ligaments that help to stop the ankle from rolling forward and outward are the anterior talofibular ligament, the posterior talofibular ligament and the calcaneofibular ligament.

These ligaments can be see in the diagram to the right, and are located at the bottom edge of the circle.

Injuries to the ligaments of the ankle are usually graded into three categories, and these injuries are referred to as: first, second; or third degree sprains.

- A first degree sprain is the least severe. It is the result of some minor stretching of the ligaments, and is accompanied by mild pain, some swelling and joint stiffness. There is usually very little loss of joint stability as a result of a first degree sprain.

- A second degree sprain is the result of both stretching and some tearing of the ligaments. There is increased swelling and pain associated with a second degree sprain, and a moderate loss of stability at the ankle joint.

- A third degree sprain is the most severe of the three. A third degree sprain is the result of a complete tear or rupture of one or more of the ligaments that make up the ankle joint. A third degree sprain will result in massive swelling, severe pain and gross instability.

Causes and Risk Factors

There are a number of causes and risk factor associated with an ankle sprain. One of the most common causes is simply a lack of conditioning. If the muscles, tendons and ligaments around the ankle joint have not been trained or conditioned, this can lead to a weakness that may result in an ankle sprain.

A simple conditioning program that helps to even out any imbalances at the ankle will help considerably. A lack of warming up and stretching is another major cause of ankle injuries. There is also a number of other less common causes of an ankle sprain. They include things like wearing inadequate footwear, running or training on uneven ground, and simply standing on, or in something you're not meant to.

However, the most common risk factor associated with ankle sprains is a previous history of ankle sprains. In other words, if you've had an ankle injury in the past, chances are you're going to suffer another one if you don't take some precautions and do some conditioning exercises to strengthen your ankle.