Want more iVillage? Sign up for our
Newsletters
Ankle Sprain - Exams and Tests
SYMPTOMS & TREATMENTS
- Overview
-
Health Tools
- FAQs
- Cause
- Symptoms
- When to Call a Doctor
- Exams and Tests
- Treatment Overview
- Home Treatment
- Other Places To Get Help
- Related Information
- References
- Credits
Your doctor will ask you when and how the ankle sprain occurred and ask about any prior injuries.
Next, your doctor will examine your foot, ankle, and lower leg and even your knee to see if any other injury occurred. He or she may ask you to move your foot up and down and to take a few steps if possible. Your doctor will then carefully try moving your foot and ankle to see if the ligaments are intact and what movements cause pain.
If your sprain is mild, an X-ray may not be taken. If your sprain is more severe, you will need X-rays to evaluate the ankle. X-rays can help your doctor find out whether you have any ligament tears, broken bones, or bones that have moved out of their normal positions.
X-rays are usually taken for children because of potential injury to the bone's growth plate and possible disruption of normal growth. Doctors may take X-rays of both ankles so they can compare the injured ankle with the one that is healthy.
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: May 19, 2011 |
| Medical Review: | William H. Blahd, Jr., MD, FACEP - Emergency Medicine Kenneth J. Koval, MD - Orthopedic Surgery, Orthopedic Trauma | |
© 1995-2011 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
Welcome to Care Circle, an exclusive tool to help you take care of yourself and your loved ones. Here's how it works:
- Create profiles for yourself and your loved ones.
- Select the topics and conditions that interest each of you.
- Get customized news updates, original content, tools, and expert advice for each Care Circle member delivered directly to your personalized homepage.
The information you input is strictly private; you choose who has access to your Care Circle.
How do I add myself or someone else to my care circle?
Click on "Add someone." Fill out the short profile. Choose an avatar. Select the topics and conditions that interest this person from the pulldown menu. You can select as many as you want, but you must choose at least one. Click on "Add Someone" again. You should start getting updates immediately.
How do I save content to my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab of the person for whom you're saving content. Put your cursor over the piece of content that you want to save; a disk icon will appear in the righthand corner. Click on the disk and the piece of content will be moved to a save folder.
How do I add additional topics and conditions for someone in my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab for the person whose preferences you'd like to update. Under "Add More to Follow," select additional topics and conditions.
How do I delete topics and conditions for someone in my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab for the person whose preferences you'd like to update. Under "Follows," scroll over the topic or condition you want to delete. An "X" should appear on the righthand side. Click on the "X" and the topic or condition will be deleted from the list.
To manage your Care Circle, Please
Sign In.
