A broken foot is medically known as a “sprained ankle”. It is an injury in which the muscles, ligaments and even the joint capsule around the joint are stretched and torn by an external force that causes the foot and ankle to exceed its maximum range of motion, resulting in pain, swelling and limping. The incidence of ankle sprains is high! Ankle sprains have the highest incidence of all sports trauma disorders! It accounts for approximately 16% or more of all sports injuries, with one ankle sprain in about 10,000 people every day. That’s 5,000 cases per day in the UK, 27,000 in the US and 130,000 in China! Causes of ankle sprain injuries Usually what we call a broken foot is a ligament injury or rupture, with lateral ankle ligament injuries being the main cause and medial ligament injuries being less common. The lateral ankle ligaments include the anterior talofibular ligament, the heel-fibular ligament and the posterior talofibular ligament, which prevent the ankle from dislocating forward and backward and from overturning inward. A common cause of injury is inversion of the ankle joint and simultaneous inward rotation of the foot with sprain, with the anterior talofibular ligament being the first to rupture; if the violence persists, the heel fibular ligament will then rupture. Rupture of the posterior talofibular ligament is rare. The sprain is followed by lateral swelling, pain and, in severe cases, ecchymosis, with limitation of movement and even inability to walk with weight. Grading of ankle sprains There are usually 3 grades of ankle injury depending on the severity of the injury. Grade 1: There is stretching of the ligaments, only microscopic damage to the ligament fibers and mild pain. Weight bearing is possible as long as it is tolerated; no splinting brace is needed; isometric contraction exercises are feasible; full range of joint mobility exercises and muscle strength training can be performed if tolerated. Grade 2: Partial rupture of ligament fibers, moderate pain and swelling, limited mobility, and possible joint instability. Immobilization with splinting or bracing, physical therapy, and muscle and joint mobility exercises are required. Grade 3: Complete ligament rupture with significant swelling and pain and joint instability. Braking and rehabilitation are the same as grade 2, but the rehabilitation time is longer and in a few cases surgery is required.