If the ligament was not previously sprained there is a greater chance of the ligament pulling a piece of the bone away from the bone and receiving an avulsion fracture. Even if the athlete has previously sprained an ankle and sustains a severe ankle sprain an x-ray can rule out a fracture. In sports we know that injuries will occur. The fear of an injury should not prevent anyone from articipating in sports. The fear of an injury will only predispose an thlete to injury.
Prevention s always the best policy.
It is important to be in shape, increase trength, eat right, drink plenty f water, and always get plenty of sleep. These habits will help revent injury, but will not uarantee that an athlete will not sustain an injury. The most important issue an athlete faces when an injury has occurred s the physical ehabilitation of the injury. As mentioned previously, once an injury ccurs, the chance of a econd injury occurring increases greatly, especially when it comes to nkle sprains. Once the initial swelling and pain have subsided, exercises need to be introduced.