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What Causes Ankle Sprains?
By S. Baselice
eHow Contributing Writer
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Generally, ankle sprains are caused by a forceful and uneven twist of the foot to one side. This most often occurs while running or exercising when the foot can be positioned at an angle to the leg and planted on uneven ground. Hikers frequently suffer from ankle sprains while climbing up or down a trail. This is because the ground is very uneven and there are loose rocks scattered around the trail. Another main cause of an ankle sprain is when the ankle rolls over the foot, or the foot tilts on edge, so to speak, and the ankle bone slips over it to one side. This injury happens more often on flat ground while running or playing basketball.
Tendons and Muscles
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There are many tendons and muscles that work together in the ankle and foot, so any number of them can be injured during a sprain. If you suffer from a mild ankle sprain, there is a good chance that you have bruised one of the smaller muscles lining the major tendons in the ankle. Major ankle sprains that cause severe pain and swelling often involve injury to one of the tendons that line the bones in the ankle. The twisting motion can stretch and pull tendons in ways they were not meant to be pulled. When this happens, the area swells and becomes very painful.
Bones and Tendons
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Sometimes the pressure of the ankle snapping one way or the other when the foot slips out of place is enough to cause an ankle sprain. This is due to the bones (either the tibia or fibia) being pushed into the tendons or muscles inside the ankle itself. A hard bone being pressed forcefully against a softer tendon will cause damage to the tissue. This is why you feel so much pain when your foot rolls over, yet your ankle does not contact the floor or any other object. Sometimes the tibia, the main bone in the leg, or the tibula (the smaller leg bone) will contact the talus, the small bone in the foot, pinching muscles and tendons in between and causing a major ankle sprain.
eHow Article: What Causes Ankle Sprains?
