How long does a sprained ankle take to heal?
The ankle is an important weight-bearing joint of the body, as it supports your full body weight and is instrumental in standing both while stationary and during movement. A sprain occurs when the ligaments surrounding the joint are stretched beyond normal ranges or tear. See your doctor immediately if you suspect a sprain, as ignoring your injury or not treating it correctly can stretch a three to four month recovery period into a year or more. Definition of a Sprain jQuery(document).ready(function(){ jQuery(‘#jsArticleStep1 span.image a:first’).attr(‘href’,’http://i.ehow.com/images/GlobalPhoto/Articles/5471943/390620_Full.jpg’); }); Anatomy of an ankle sprain A sprain is defined as a partial or complete tear of one or more ligaments that hold the bones of the foot and ankle together. Sprains cause swelling and bruising and result in instability of the ankle. As most ankle sprains are caused by the ankle rolling outward, sprains typically involve the anterior talofibular ligament (ATF
