The ankle joint is the main weight-bearing joint that first comes into contact with the ground during sports and is one of the most vulnerable joints in daily life and sports. The incidence of ankle sprains accounts for approximately 40% of all sports injuries. It is estimated that the incidence of ankle sprains can be as high as 10% of emergency room visits, with one “ankle inversion injury” occurring in every 30,000 people every day and approximately 2 million people each year. Ankle sprains are characterized by pain at the sprained area, followed by swelling and petechiae on the skin around the ankle. In severe cases, the foot is immobilized due to pain and swelling. Patients with ankle sprains go to the hospital to have their ankle photographed, and most of them do not find a fracture. As a result, some patients with severe ankle sprains will have recurrent ankle sprains months later, leading to persistent ankle pain, which is then very difficult to treat. Many patients wonder how ankle sprains can be so troublesome. Why is it so? Before we explain the above, let’s understand the anatomy of the ankle joint. The lateral ligaments of the ankle are weaker, the outer ankle is longer than the inner ankle, the talus is wider in the front and narrower in the back, and the narrowest part of the talus is located in the ankle cavity when the ankle is plantarflexed, resulting in reduced bony stability, and the muscle strength of the inversion of the ankle is greater than that of the external rotation. In a few cases, injury to the medial deltoid ligament occurs in the valgus position of the ankle. In severe cases, injury to the inferior tibiofibular joint may be combined. In addition to ligament damage, intra-articular cartilage may also be damaged in ankle sprains. Ankle ligament injuries can be classified into three degrees depending on the severity: degree I, minor ligament strain, mild swelling and pressure pain, no instability, and little to no loss of function; degree II, partial ligament tear, significant swelling and pressure pain, and mild to moderate instability; degree III, complete ligament rupture, severe swelling and pressure pain, loss of function, and significant instability. When an ankle ligament is injured, if it is accurately diagnosed early and properly treated early, normal motion can be fully restored. However, if the diagnosis is delayed early and treatment is delayed for several months, the ligament will lose the opportunity to repair itself and it will be difficult to heal, and sometimes surgery has to be taken in order to heal. More seriously, according to the research results of sports medicine experts in China in recent years, nearly 30% of ankle “sprain” patients are combined with intra-articular cartilage and synovial injury, these intra-articular injuries, if not diagnosed early and take effective protection and treatment measures and prematurely resume sports, it is likely to cause irreversible joint damage, affecting future walking and activities. These injuries, if not diagnosed early and treated with protective and therapeutic measures, may cause irreversible joint damage and affect future walking and activities. Since ankle injuries often occur during sports, you should not be careless after a sprained ankle! They will make an accurate judgment of your injury through special physical examination and some auxiliary tests such as MRI and ultrasound, and give you the most suitable treatment plan. In terms of treatment, acute ankle sprains are usually treated conservatively, based on the principles of RICE (rest, rest; ice, cold; compression, compression bandage; elevation, elevation of the affected limb). In the early stage of injury, this principle should be strictly observed, and supplemented with drugs and physiotherapy to promote swelling. 3 weeks to use braces or protective gear for relative braking and protection, try to avoid weight-bearing, can actively move the toes and perform isometric contraction of calf muscles under non-weight-bearing conditions to promote swelling. After the acute phase has passed, active full range of motion exercise and weight bearing can be started gradually, and proprioception can be exercised on the inclined walking board to strengthen the strength of the peroneal muscles to enhance the stability of the ankle joint and avoid reoccurrence of sprain in the future with ankle instability. However, for the treatment of ankle sprain with degree III ligament injury, surgical repair of the ruptured ligament is required to restore the stability of the ankle joint and ensure its normal physiological function. For ankle sprains with articular cartilage damage, it is best to perform cartilage repair surgery as soon as possible to avoid further expansion of the damage.