High Ankle Sprains

When an athlete rolls his or her ankle, the resulting injury is called an inversion sprain. Another type of sprain is known as a high ankle sprain which are common to hockey players. These injuries occur slightly above the ankle to the tendons that attach the lower leg bones (tibia and fibula) to the ankle. Typically, this happens when the skate blade catches a rut and the ankle rolls inside to outside (eversion). Pain often becomes worse when you flex your foot upward, such as when going up or down stairs. Unfortunately, high ankle sprains often take a while to heal—usually at least 6 weeks, and sometimes much longer.