What are the symptoms of a sprained ankle?

Sprained ankle is actually a common clinical disease of ankle sprain. Most of the time, this situation is caused by accidental injury. Therefore, we remind everyone to take more precautions when doing high-risk sports, wear appropriate protective gear, and do warm-up exercises to prevent or reduce the occurrence of sprained ankle. So what are the symptoms of a sprained ankle? The following content will give you a detailed introduction.

Ankle sprain is the most common sports injury, accounting for approximately 40% of all sports injuries. The ankle joint is composed of the distal ends of the tibia, fibula, and talus. The ankle cavity is formed by the medial and lateral malleolus and the posterior edge of the tibia, and the saddle-shaped articular surface on the talus is located in the ankle cavity. The saddle-shaped articular surface of the talus is wide at the front and narrow at the back. The wider part enters the ankle hole during dorsiflexion, and the narrower part enters the ankle hole during plantar flexion. Therefore, the ankle joint is slightly loose in the plantar flexion position. Its anatomical and physiological characteristics determine that the ankle joint is more prone to inversion and eversion sprains during plantar flexion.

Because the fibula of the lateral ankle is longer and the ankle hole is deeper, while the tibia of the medial ankle is shorter and the ankle hole is shallower, the ankle joint is more prone to inversion sprains, and injuries to the lateral ankle ligaments, including the anterior talofibular ligament and the calcaneofibular ligament, are more common. Although ankle valgus sprain is not common, it is very serious when it occurs. If a rupture occurs, it will generally cause ankle instability, and is often accompanied by other ligament injuries and fractures.

The clinical manifestations of ankle sprain include pain and swelling at the sprain site immediately after injury, followed by skin bruising. In severe cases, the affected foot cannot move due to pain and swelling. In a lateral ankle sprain, pain worsens when the patient tries to invert the foot. With a medial deltoid ligament injury, pain worsens when the patient attempts to evert the foot. The pain and swelling may disappear after rest, but ankle instability and repeated sprains may occur due to ligament laxity.

Now you have seen the symptoms and causes of sprained ankle. Moreover, sprained ankle is an everyday emergency, so we need to know some emergency measures, such as cold compress, hot compress, local massage, fixed braking, etc. Instead, eat more protein and vitamin foods (beans, milk, vegetables) in your diet, which can effectively prevent osteoporosis.