Ankle sprains are a common risk for anybody, especially for athletes and those who
exercise regularly. The ankle is a complex area joint and because of its position,
it's at a great risk for injury. Sprains are the most common injury for an
ankle, but there are different types of sprains and they each have different effects
on the joint. Before you can effectively treat an ankle injury, you'll need
to know how to identify each type.
The Basics of an Ankle Sprain
Ankle injuries are often misunderstood. Many people confuse sprains and strains,
but these are two very different injuries. Strains involve a tearing of the muscle
or tendon while sprains are more common and they involve a tearing of the ligament
as the result of a severe twist. Ligaments differ from muscles or tendons in that
they attach bone to bone while the others attach muscle to bone.
The ankle joint has several different ligaments that keep it in place and keep the
body stable. Most of the ligaments are positioned on the outside of the ankle, but
there are a few on the inside, too. The three main ones are the anterior talofibular,
the posterior talofibular and the calcaneofibular ligaments.
First Degree Ankle Sprains
Ankle sprains fit into three categories. A first degree ankle sprain is the least
severe of the three. The injured ankle in this situation might lose some joint stability
as the result of a minor stretching of the ligament, but the injury does not last
long. The person might also feel some slight pain and stiffness in the joint.
Second Degree Ankle Sprains
With a second degree sprain, the ligaments get stretched more and there is usually
some slight tearing that occurs, too. The ankle area swells up and there is more
pain than with a first-degree sprain. The ankle joint also loses stability with
this category.
Third Degree Ankle Sprains
Finally, a third degree sprain is the most serious and causes the most pain and
swelling. In this case, at least one of the ligaments in the ankle joint gets completely
torn. Massive pain, swelling and instability accompany the third degree sprain and
it takes longest to recover from this one, too. Ironically, though, since one or
more of the ligaments get severed, the nerve endings lose feeling in the ankle area
and the extreme pain generally disappears soon after the injury occurs.