Types - Lateral Ankle Sprain, Medial Ankle Sprain and High Ankle Sprain

Grade Severity - Grade I, Grade II and Grade III

1. The most common type of ankle sprain is known as an inversion sprain (or lateral ligament sprain) where the ankle turns over so the sole of the foot faces inwards. When this type of ankle sprain happens, the outer, or lateral ligaments are stretched too far and damaged. About 90% of ankle sprains are inversion injuries. Pain is always on the outside of the ankle, and there is usually no pain on the inside of the ankle joint.

2. A medial ligament sprain is rare but can occur, particularly with a fracture. This happens when the ankle rolls the other way, so the sole of the foot faces outwards, damaging the ligaments on the inside of the ankle, particularly the deltoid ligament.

3. In a high ankle sprain, the ligaments above the ankle joint are also injured. These ligaments, called the syndesmosis ligaments, can also be injured during an ankle sprain.

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Grades of Ankle Injury Severity
When you experience an ankle sprain, it is the amount of force placed on your foot that will determine the grade of the sprain.

Grade 1 sprain: A mild sprain is a known as Grade 1. This occurs when there is slight stretching and some damage to the fibers (fibrils) of the ligament. Usually, you can place pressure on your foot and walk afterward.

• Some stretching or perhaps minor tearing of the lateral ankle ligaments.
• Little or no joint instability.
• Mild pain.
• There may be mild swelling around the bone on the outside of the ankle.
• Some joint stiffness or difficulty walking or running.

Grade 2 sprain: A moderate sprain is known as Grade 2. Here a partial tearing of the ligament occurs. If the ankle joint is examined and moved in certain ways, abnormal looseness (laxity) of the ankle joint occurs.

• Moderate tearing of the ligament fibers.
• Some instability of the joint.
• Moderate to severe pain and difficulty walking.
• Swelling and stiffness in the ankle joint.
• Minor bruising may be evident.

Grade 3 sprain: Finally, a severe sprain is known as Grade 3. In this kind of injury, a complete tear of the ligament occurs. If the examiner pulls or pushes on the ankle joint in certain movements, gross instability occurs.

• Total rupture of a ligament.
• Gross instability of the joint.
• Severe pain initially followed later by no pain.
• Severe swelling.
• Usually extensive bruising.

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Fortunately, H.E.M. dramatically improves on the recovery time and the significantly increases the quality of healing for ALL three types of ankle sprain and ALL three levels of severity. The more serious the injury, the more important it is to rehab your ankle properly. You need to allow the body to heal to the best of its ability and help it along the way. You need to address ALL the different kinds of damage that occur with an ankle sprain and then go about making sure it heals correctly.

Obviously, it is important to strengthen the ankles so that they can withstand increased rolling and twisting forces without over-stretching or tearing and causing an injury. You need to increase the strength of the ligaments and stabilizer muscles in the ankle joint as well as remove the swelling and scar tissue. Then, you have to heal the neuromuscular damage and improve the overall mobility and functionality of the ankle. That is why H.E.M. is so unique and powerful. It teaches you how to recover from a sprain in record time by using the body's most adaptive healing strategies and then protects you from future sprains with a full prehab program. That is what H.E.M. does in a very simple and easy to follow way.