Whether you are a trained athlete or a weekend warrior, you know your rough and tumble world could come back to haunt you. The instant you feel the crunch or pull you know you will be on injured reserve for at least a few days. Or perhaps the injury comes from a forceful gardening maneuver such as lifting a shovel full of soil and pitching it into a wheelbarrow. General therapy consists of resting, icing, and elevating the affected area to reduce swelling and inflammation. When you twist your ankle suddenly you can sprain it, which means you have stretched or torn the ligaments that support the ankle.
Ligaments are bands of fibrous tissue that connect bones and hold joints together.
Your doctor can rotate your foot to determine its range of motion and check the alignment of the ligaments by gently feeling your ankle. Grade 1 sprains are treated by wrapping with an elastic bandage. Grade 3 sprains also require casts, but may also require surgical repair. While sprains affect ligaments in joints, strains or muscle pulls affect the muscles and tendons attaching the muscle to bone. In both cases the affected soft tissue is stretched or torn.