With the improvement of living standards in society, people have a renewed understanding of the concept of health, focusing not only on survival time but also on quality of survival, and the number of people participating in daily physical exercise is increasing. As a result, we envision a consequent increase in the number of patients with ankle sprains, with an increase in the proportion of severe sprains. According to statistics, ankle sprains account for 20% to 40% of all sports injuries. Statistics from the United States show that about 23,000 people (about 1 person per 10,000 people) suffer ankle sprains every day in the United States, and about 70% of people suffer repeated sprains after the initial sprain. In general, mild injuries can be cured by simple conservative treatment, and moderate injuries can be cured by external fixation of ankle foot brace or cast. However, about 15-20% of patients have severe or moderate ligament injuries that are not properly treated, resulting in loss of ankle stability, sometimes requiring surgery to re-establish ankle stability. Unfortunately, patients and even some physicians do not recognize the seriousness of this injury, resulting in delays in diagnosis and treatment. Foreign statistics show that about 55% of patients do not go to the hospital after a sprain and place themselves on their own, which may explain the high percentage of people with ankle sprains that result in joint instability. Patients with ankle instability often experience sprains and even fear when walking, severely affecting their quality of life. Each sprain can cause re-injury to the joint. Moreover, the unstable ankle joint produces abnormal distribution of intra-articular stress when moving, accelerating the wear of articular cartilage, all of which can lead to secondary osteoarthritis. Patients with advanced ankle osteoarthritis often end up needing joint fusion or arthroplasty. Foreign studies have confirmed that ankle instability is an important factor in the development of osteoarthritis. Another study showed that only 40% of patients with initial sprains had articular cartilage damage, while up to 70% of patients with repeated sprains had articular cartilage damage, and the degree and extent of cartilage damage was greater. Therefore, early rehabilitation and, if necessary, surgery to rebuild the stability of the ankle joint can not only reduce the patient’s pain and improve the quality of life, but more importantly, prevent further aggravation of the disease and delay or prevent the occurrence of advanced osteoarthritis. So, what should be done after ankle sprain? The first step is to determine the extent of the sprain yourself. If you have severe pain around the ankle joint after a sprain, or even if you cannot stand, you should go to the hospital promptly for a detailed examination. If the pain around the ankle joint is obvious after the sprain, but you can insist on walking, conservative treatment can be given first, including bed rest, elevation of the affected limb, cold compress with an ice pack and compression bandage. 3 days later, if the pain is still heavy, local swelling and pressure pain are obvious, and there are subcutaneous bruises around the ankle joint, you need to go to the hospital for further treatment. If there is no obvious swelling or pain around the ankle joint immediately after the injury or after the above treatment, you can gradually walk with weight and no special treatment is needed for the time being. In the future, it is important to observe whether the ankle is frequently sprained, whether the ankle joint feels weak or unstable, and whether there is frequent swelling and pain around the ankle joint. If you have any of these abnormalities, you need to go to the hospital, preferably to a specialized foot and ankle surgery or sports medicine department for treatment. At present, there is an international controversy on whether to perform early rehabilitation training or strict braking for 1-4 weeks before rehabilitation training for mild to moderate injury of the ligament around the ankle joint. In conclusion, we should pay attention to the treatment after ankle sprain and not be careless to avoid regret.