Muscles are made to stretch, but if stretched too far, or if stretched while contracting, an injury called a strain my result. A strain can either be a stretching or tear of the muscle or tendon. As said earlier, a sprain is caused by a ligament being stretched too far. This injury often occurs in activities such as running, hiking, and basketball. This stretches the ligaments on the outside of the ankle , called the talofibular and calcaenofibular ligaments.
Sprains are commonly graded according to the extent of the injury.
Grade I and Grade II ankle sprains can usually be treated conservatively with treatments such as icing and physical therapy. Grade III ankle sprains can place individuals at higher risk for permanent ankle instability, and an operation may be a necessary part of treatment. Strains are injuries to muscles or the tendons that attach the muscles to your bones. By pulling too far on a muscle, or by pulling a muscle in one direction while it is contracting in the other direction can cause injuries within the muscle or tendon. Strains can also be caused by chronic activities that develop an overstretching of the muscle fibers.