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The ligaments on each side of your ankle joint, which attach all the bone structures in your ankle to each other, are commonly injured in an ankle sprain.

The bony bumps on the sides of your ankle are connected to each other by ligaments and also attach to the your anklebone (talus) and the heel bone (calcaneous).

An ankle sprain is one of the most common sports injuries. When a twisting or rolling force bends your foot too far in any direction, the ligaments that hold the joint in place can be stretched past their normal position and the tissue can be damaged. The ligament can pull off its attachment to the bone, the bone can break, or the middle of the ligament can tear or stretch.

The two ankle ligaments most commonly sprained are called the anterior talofibular ligament, which connects your talus to your smaller lower leg bone (fibula), and the calcanealfibular ligament, which connects your fibula to your heel bone.

Physicians often rate the severity of ankle sprains with a three-point scale that is based on the amount of ligament damage:

Grade I: Stretched ligaments.

Grade II: Partially torn ligaments.

Grade III: Completely torn ligaments.

In the majority of ankle sprains, people twist their ankles inward (inversion), damaging the ligaments on the outside of the ankle. Ankles are less frequently sprained by an outward (eversion) ankle twist that damages the ligaments on the inside of the ankle.

It also is possible to sprain your ankle by bending your foot too far up or down. In some cases, ligaments on both the outside and inside of your ankle can be damaged.

For more information on common injuries of the active individual, visit ActivePain.com. Check out Active Pain Council's Diagnostic Tool. This tool allows the active individual to further analyze injuries and take strides to prevent such pain in the future.