What can you do to prevent repeated ankle sprains?

A sprained ankle is the most common injury in sports. Most people recover over several weeks and don’t have any long-term issues. In this Ask Dr. Geier video, I discuss what you can do if you have suffered repeated ankle sprains.

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Chloe asks:
I’ve been a volleyball player for about 6 years now. I play school and club volleyball. I sprained my ankle at least one time in each season. I wear a lace up brace on both ankles during games because of my tendency to sprain my ankles. I’ve sprained my left ankle 4 times and my right about 6 times. They just keep getting weaker and weaker. What should I do to prevent ankle sprains happening so much?

Typically, you can recover from a sprained ankle with ice, rest, an ankle brace and time. Often, the muscles around the ankle become weak. Then it’s possible that you suffer a second – or third or more – ankle sprain.

Often, physical therapy can help regain strength of the muscles around your ankle. A physical therapist helps restore balance and proprioception – a brain’s sense of where the ankle is in space. Working with a physical therapist can help you recover more quickly from a sprained ankle but also help you avoid repeated ankle sprains.

Sometimes surgery can be necessary, especially if the ligaments are so damaged that the ankle is unstable. If you have suffered multiple ankle sprains, it’s worth seeing an orthopedic surgeon to learn what options can help you overcome the problem.

[DrDavidGeier]

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[spyda]

Super late guys, but i am a massage therapist who also practices MMA consistently and plays basketball as more of a hobby and i will say i have had about 8-10 sprains on the SAME ankle, it is very stressful and demotivating especially when you are feeling at your peak in your respective sport to roll your ankle but i promise you all, calf raises, anterior tibialis raises, and really anything such as air squats etc. That improved my Overall flexibility seemed to be the key for me. Dont give up and dont be afraid to rehabilitate EVEN IF YOU FALL! Get up and as long as you dont feel any serious pain, PUSH YOURSELF!

[leclerc]

I've sprained my ankle about 4-8 times and it's getting really weak. Everytime i run or put preasure i like mini sprain it. It happens really often but the pain goes away after a few days

[kyriakoskyrx]

I sprained my ankle skateboarding once my last sprain was healed.

[mjrodriguez]

I am clumsy so I keep rolling my ankle it’s gotten to the point where my knee is getting affected. My mom told me I was fine and to keep running for soccer. This happened 2 years ago. I keep using my ankle brace but it doesn’t help very much anymore though.

[jackTR]

How come this video has this title and actually gives no answer or exercice ?
Cant beleive it was finished straight there :)
Thanks for the effort :)

[-berberry]

I've sprained my same ankle like 12 times. I hate it. The fall...painful as hell every time.

[angiehh]

You’re right, physical therapy greatly helped me after a severe sprain. I was carrying a load down the stairs and missed the bottom step. My ankle was huge and I almost passed out from the shock of the fall. Took months to get better. Just sprained it again this week when it rolled on uneven flooring and threw me in the floor. I feel like I’m prone to sprains! It was the same ankle and I still had my boot to wear. I’m frustrated. My ankles are super bendy and flexible. I’m sick of sprains and I’ve only had 2! Lol

[AJxxxxxxxx]

This has been a common thing for both my right and left ankles in the military, I’m scared what this means for my feature because the sides of my feet look like the muscles grew back in a deformed way

[lacihickman]

I play the rack in my high school band rack is the very important part of the pit

[mznshah]

I'm a football(soccer) player, I've sprained my right ankle 6 or 7 times, and i can feel that my ankle is not that strong. I don't wanna go for a surgery, is there any other way to get better

[Soaring_Tofu]

I sprained my ankle skateboarding really badly I could not walk for a few days properly and it took a long time for it to feel normal again. I noticed after it was healed that it seemed some what larger than my non-injured ankle. I followed the RICE method of rest ice compress and elevate. I’ve been skating recently and I just rolled the same ankle today. I wouldn’t say I sprained it but I rolled it. It’s painful and I’m looking at methods to prevent this from happening again it’s very painful and upsetting because it sets me back from progressing and dialing in my tricks. As a side note it’s my front foot for skateboarding which sucks because it’s the exact motion I need to use in order to perform most tricks; that being a slight flick or bending of the ankle in order to make the board turn. All in all my experience has really sucked with this one particular ankle.

[zombiepawcreationz]

I have sprained my ankle almost 15 times but my family says its due to me being overweight. Even after I lost alot of the weight I was still spraining my ankle and when I wrapped it up in a stiff wrap it still sprained somehow. I was wondering if surgery would be the best option or should I try physical therapy first? Please help if you can!

[shawnm.]

I’m a basketball player and I’ve sprained my right ankle 3 times in 3 months and I don’t know why I roll my ankle so much

[HenrikMyrhaug]

I sprained my right ankle a couple of weeks ago while playing volleyball, but luckily it wasn't very bad, and healed in less than a week. Today, I sprained my left ankle in a very similar way, but luckily it was even milder, and I expect it will heal in only a couple of days. I am starting to get worried though, since I have never sprained my ankles multiple times like this, despite doing sports like parkour and basketball, which require strong ankles.

I wonder if my issue is with the shoes, since I feel like they are too thick, but rigid, causing me to land on my heel a lot. It seems like I am overcompensating by landing much more forward, which has caused me to roll each of my ankles forward once now.

[PiyushSharma-clyw]

I got several sprain on both of legs and ig 10-15 sprains in both of leg, Its a little bit frustrating but the choice is yours if u wanna continue or you can give a excuse to yourself and get out so U are the ine to make decisions and my recommendations is that do spend money on yourself like good shoes and therapy sessions to improve your bones, game and confidence.

[dipalibasu]

I have sprained my ankles for 4 times in a row and after each ankle sprain it is taking 2-3 months to recover. Today I am writting this comment rolling up a bandage on my right ankle. Just when I recover from an ankle pain and I go out for playing soccer my ankle gets sprained again

[hologram]

I sprained my ankle 4 times in a row, right after each other and it hurts but I deal well with it. I think I recover from pain pretty well. But I have a question. I had a severe fall a few years ago and when I fell, all I could see from the patch where I hurt myself was white stuff like tissue and it was barely bleeding, however it was deeper then all of my other cuts. After the incident, I got a bump after it had healed. Even after 3 years, it is still there. I’ve tried scar reducers but they didn’t really work. Is there any way to properly get rid of it, without surgery?

[TASIAawful]

I was just getting over a very bad ankle strain 6 weeks of not walking and now I’ve hurt it again 😢 I just can’t believe this what a nightmare I hope it will be ok in a few days it’s not as bad as last time

[rangergamer]

I bent my ankle while playing volleyball twice .
My left leg get swollen.
I wanted to recover quickly to help my team.
I'm the ace of my team..✌️✌️