Our Pediatric Sports Medicine team discusses Ankle Sprains.

Ankle sprains are one of the most common injuries and frequently happen when athletes are playing on an uneven surface. The ankle will be swollen and painful and bruising may occur later on.

They occur when an athlete rolls the ankle when stepping and landing on an uneven surface. This happens frequently in basketball when a player jumps for a shot or rebound and lands on another player's foot. Ankle sprains can also happen when playing football, soccer, and other field sports on a field with an uneven surface.

When this happens the ligaments on the side of the ankle get strained and can even tear.

The outside or lateral aspect of the ankle is more likely to be sprained. This area will be swollen and painful. There can also be bruising which occurs 1-2 days later.

The best thing to do initially is ice the affected area. You should also keep the ankle elevated in an attempt to decrease swelling.

One of the hardest things for parents is to determine whether their child needs an X-ray. If the ankle is deformed rather than swollen, or if the pain is unbearable when the child is not bearing weight, then you should have the injury evaluated immediately. If this is not the case then the best thing to do is allow 24 hours using rest, elevation and ice. Your child should be evaluated to determine when they can return to play.

At Johns Hopkins All Children's Sports Medicine program, we can help get athletes back in the game by providing evaluation of ankle injuries and when necessary we can fit athletes with appropriate braces and physical therapy when needed.

More on physical therapy:

Our goal at Johns Hopkins All Children's Sports Medicine is to get our patient back to participating in their favorite activities, including sports. Therefore, within physical therapy we also assess and work to correct biomechanics; proper techniques for lifting, squatting, running, throwing and so on. Depending on the patient's prior activity level and needs for returning to sport, we also progress their exercises and give them the knowledge to continue strengthening after discharge from physical therapy by providing a thorough home exercise program, customized to each patient.

Physical therapy at Johns Hopkins All Children's is provided in an atmosphere developed for teen athletes with a one to one ratio for the highest quality of care needed for maximum outcomes and return to play.