My good friend sprained her ankle in high school and she repeatedly sprains it every few years…running to catch her train home from work, walking on the beach with her kids, and mis-stepping on the soccer field.

An ankle sprain occurs when the ligaments (usually on the outer ankle) get overstretched, resulting in pain, swelling, weakness, and difficulty walking initially. Although eventually healing occurs, the ligament never returns to its original length. Here is a great analogy: a ligament is like a rubber band. When it’s brand new, it’s tight and when you stretch it, it returns to its original size. However, if you take the rubber band and stretch it too far, it will get tiny little tears in it. From then on, the rubber band will always have damage to it and be more susceptible to further tearing. A ligament is very similar. Although when the ligament over stretches or tears it heals in the sense that scar tissue lays down and new collagen fibers grow, it never returns to its nice stable, tight length. As a result of this, chronic ankle sprains are a possibility.

There are measures to take to help prevent recurring sprains. Strengthening all of the muscles surrounding the ankle using resistance bands, body weight, and gravity will help provide dynamic stability and help make up for what the ligaments cannot do. Balance retraining exercises using uneven surfaces, wobble boards, and foam surfaces while balancing on one leg, catching or throwing balls, or pulling resistance bands will help retrain the joint receptors that maintain balance and help prevent the ankle from rolling. Proper footwear and the use of orthotics (if biomechanical problems exist at the foot and ankle) can also help prevent ankle sprains.

I think it’s extremely important that you work individually with a physical therapist following an ankle sprain, even a mild one. This will allow you to address scar tissue, loss of motion, flexibility, strength, and balance issues right away, and could prevent you from sustaining repeated sprains down the road.