How can you prevent a sprained ankle

Imagine you're playing basketball in P.E class. Everything is going well, you're scoring points, your friends, and you are having fun, and it's a blast! Suddenly, you land on the ground, and your ankle turns in an awkward way. You grasp your ankle while screaming like a ghost had crept up on you in the night. The P.E teacher rushes towards you with an ice pack, trying to convince you it's not that bad and you will get through it. But suddenly you cannot put any weight on your ankle, and you heard any crack. Ironically, this is what happened to me not so long ago

Well, today I am going to tell you how you can prevent such a thing from happening to your ankle. 

First, let's explore the meaning of a sprain. It’s not a bone break. Sprains often affect the ligaments; very rarely, there can be some occurrence on the bone. But you also might be asking, what’s a ligament? Ligaments are tough bands of fibrous tissue that connect all the ankle bones together, making them very stable. The reason why walking on the ankle feels like a burden is due to its reliance on stability from the ankle joint. Therefore, when you return from your injury, stability is a hard ability to regain. 

The main causes of ankle sprains can be ankle rolling in weird directions, at least that’s what happened in my case, but 3 other causes are generally common. The first and most common is an unusual inward roll. This can occur when you land on the ground or run and plant your foot, and the ankle bone tilts outwards and goes to a close 90-degree angle with the leg and ankle. The next ones are possible but less common, such as when your foot plants but the body keeps moving, or an immense amount of pressure and force on the ligaments. 

Ankle sprains tend to happen during sports requiring quick direction changes. Conditions or actions on foot leading to ankle sprains can also be, landing in a wrong position from a jump, stepping on uneven surfaces, missing a step, someone stepping on your foot, and a slippery foot. 

Although quick directions on your foot causes ankle sprains, several more movements can cause damage. A sudden twist, hyperextension, inversion, and at times eversion. 

The reason why the ligaments are damaged is due to their excessive range of motion, tears in the ligaments, a non-flexible ligament, and weak ankle muscles, making the result of less support.

After experiencing an ankle sprain, there is a higher chance of another sprain. Weak ankle ligaments and poor balance are bound to happen in the majority of scenarios. Many don’t know, but fatigue in your ankle will be much more common. You must wear proper shoes with a good grip, and it's a necessity to warm up before any sport. 

There are a variety of levels or grades in the context of a sprained ankle. Grade 1 being a mild stretch, this could somewhat challenge your ability to walk and do daily activities, but not drastically. Grade 2 is a partial tear. This is where some sort of support is needed on your foot, as walking will be very difficult at first. A grade 3 sprain is a full tear. This will stop you from doing most activities for months and at times, years. Swelling and feelings of instability are bound to occur with this injury. 

When recovering, you shall ice and keep the area compressed. Physical therapy shall only be taken when advised by your doctor.

Spraining and rolling your ankle is one of the most common sports injuries. It is important to wear the right shoes and use good technique when playing a sport. I recently also sprained my ankle and am in the process of recovering. From experience, I can tell you recovering is no fun, and you must avoid it at all costs.