This is the most common type of ankle sprain. It occurs when your ankle twists outward and the ligaments become over-stretched, torn or even rupture. It is also known as a lateral ligament sprain (since your ankle twists outward, to the side). The more common names are rolled ankle, twisted ankle, sprained ankle, etc.

Inversion sprains are extremely common (up to 25,000 per day) and it is the #1 sports related injury. Most people assume it is a minor injury, but there are a lot of risks involved with an ankle sprain that does not heal properly, which I will cover in more detail below.

Since this is a lateral twisting of the ankle, the most common activities that increase the risk of sprains are sports that require a lot of side to side motion (i.e. basketball, football, soccer, hockey, dance, etc.)

But, inversion sprains are not limited to sports. Many people experience a lateral ankle sprain just stepping off a curb or walking on uneven ground. This is due to the fact that most peoples’ ankles are weak and unstable, either from old injuries that never fully healed or stiff, uncomfortable shoes or braces that weaken the ankles over time.

If you have an inversion ankle sprain and do not fully heal that injury, your ligaments will heal in an over-stretched position, which can keep your ankles weak and unstable for years to come. This can result in chronic ankle instability and significantly increase your risk of sprains.

In addition, a lot of research has suggested that sprained ankles are a kind of gateway injury that leads to other problems. For example, just one sprained ankle can lead to up to 2,000 steps less a day, for life. Sprained ankles can also lead to knee pain (since you will be walking and moving differently) as well as hip and low back pain.

And, as we keep seeing in professional sports, weak calves and ankles also lead to Achilles tendon tears. The reason for this is that when you explode off your feet, the calf is supposed to supply the base of power for that force. However, if the calves are too weak, the Achilles will try to be the base of support, but it’s not meant to do that, so it tears. As you probably know, Achilles tendon tears are s a very serious injury (i.e. Kevin Durant and Kobe Byrant) that can take years to recover from…

If you have weak ankles, you are probably familiar with ankle braces, because they promise to “protect” your ankles. But, ankle braces only serve to further weaken and destabilizes your ankle (they are like a crutch). If you go down this path, it will most likely result in chronic ankle or knee injuries and weaken your ankles so much that you will see significantly decreased balance, speed and agility.

So, it is very important to learn how to heal an ankle sprain properly to protect yourself and get back to full strength.

How to Heal an Inversion Ankle Sprain

While most people rely on rest and ice, studies show that it is NOT an effective treatment. Rest does not strengthen or stabilize ligaments and ice is ONLY meant for short term pain relief (learn more here >>).

Instead, you will need to do a high quality ankle rehab program in order to properly strengthen and stabilize the ankle, while also increasing healthy range of motion. Remember, there will be a lot of damage in the ankle and you have to manually heal the ligaments or else they will stay weak and unstable.

Now, you can watch a few random internet videos and learn some ankle exercises, but we do NOT recommend that… the problem with these videos is that they do not teach proper form (leads to unbalanced muscles in the calf and ankle, which can contribute to chronic pain and increase the risk of injury).

Plus, a few random exercises may only focus on 1-2 areas of the ankle, but miss other vital areas that must be strengthened and mobilized for full and proper healing.

In addition, strength exercises are only a small part of a complete rehab program. You also need to manually remove the swelling and waste that accumulates in the injury. And, you need to properly train proprioception and heal any nerve damage that may have occurred. And finally, you will need to properly deal with any adhesions or scar tissue that may have developed from the injury or years of improper movement and uncomfortable shoes.

So, spending a few minutes a day on a complete ankle rehab system will be extremely worth it. It will teach you how to heal an inversion ankle sprain quickly and fully. It will also improve your overall movement, speed, balance and agility, while helping to protect you from injury, naturally (without ankle braces, wraps or tape).

HEM Ankle Rehab

HEM Ankle Rehab is a complete ankle healing system for inversion ankle sprains as well as all other types of ankle, foot and calf injuries. We designed HEM to ensure it is safe and easy to do for people of all ages and activity levels.

And, you can do every aspect of the rehab program at home, without any equipment. Just follow along with the easy step by step videos or ebook (you get both) on any device. It only takes a few minutes a day…

Within 5-10 days, you will see a big improvement in the strength, balance, stability and mobility of your ankles. It is absolutely worth the minimal time and effort to heal your ankles properly. It will help you move pain free and protect you from future injury.

Some people notice an immediate improvement after just one treatment (making them feel as though they have healed their sprained ankle overnight), while other with more serious injuries take about 5-10 days to get out of pain and heal fully.

But, even that timeframe is very fast for a severe sprained ankle and much quicker than the typical rest and ice approach, which would take months or longer.