An ankle sprain occurs when you overstretch or tear one of the three types of ligaments you have in each ankle. Sometimes, it's only a minor issue, while other times it could require surgery. Fortunately, Dr. Luis Perez of Hollywood Podiatry Associates, serving Pembroke Pines & Hollywood, FL, is available if you should happen to develop a sprained ankle or an ankle issue in general.

Types

A sprained ankle is mild to severe, depending on how much you overstretched or tore the ligament. When our practitioner tells you about the severity, you'll be told you either have a grade one, two, or three sprain. With a grade one, your ligament is only stretched slightly, or you have a small tear. A grade two sprain is a moderate one, which occurs when you have a partial tear. On the other hand, if you have a grade three sprain, you have a full ligament tear.

The type of sprain you have is decided by the location, specifically described by how the ankle rolled when you sustained the injury. Specifically, an inversion sprain happens when your ankle pulls toward the center, which could injure lateral ligaments. If you have an eversion ankle sprain, it means your ankle rolled outward. The injury will occur to your deltoid ligaments.

Another possible sprain is a high sprain, which affects the syndesmotic ligament — the ligament between the tibia and fibula of each leg.

Causes 

A sprain occurs when you extend a ligament beyond its limit and cause it to either become stretched or torn.  

Different movements that use your ankle are what cause a sprain in this joint. For instance, you could develop an eversion sprain if you run or jump, particularly on uneven surfaces. These aren't common, though. 

An inversion sprain is the more common variety because of the weak lateral ligaments. It could arise from running, jumping, or walking and twisting your ankle. Playing sports like soccer or basketball are the more common activities that lead to this type of sprain.

A high ankle sprain could occur from basketball, hockey, skiing, or American football.

Getting Treatment

When visiting Hollywood Podiatry Associates, serving Pembroke Pines & Hollywood, FL, and the neighboring communities, we'll diagnose if your issue is a sprain and its severity by assessing it and possibly performing imaging to rule out other issues or better understand the severity of your sprained ankle.

Contact Us for More Information

Hollywood Podiatry Associates, serving Pembroke Pines & Hollywood, FL, and the surrounding areas, has Dr. Perez who can diagnose a sprained ankle and provide treatment for healing. That way, you can return to living life as normal without the pain and other symptoms.

Call 954-923-1800 for more information.