Ankle sprain
An ankle sprain is an injury that can cause the soft tissues that surround the ankle joint to overstretch.
Ligaments are tough bands of tissue which connect the bones of the leg to the foot, holding together the ankle joint and providing support. They have specific boundaries which they can stretch to and when you go beyond this, this can result in a tear.
The most common injury occurs to the ligaments on the outside of the ankle, known as the lateral ligament complex. You can also injure the ligaments on the inside of your ankle (medial ligament complex) and very occasionally above your ankle joint in between your tibia and fibula (syndesmosis). Which ligament is affected usually depends on which direction your foot is forced into during the initial injury.