This results in a protrusion of bone which can be visually evident on examination. In some instances, the fractured piece of bone is moved out of position. In most cases, the surrounding soft tissue provides enough support to keep the bone in place. Swelling is common in both a fracture and a sprain, but a fracture results in a piece of bone becoming unstable from the rest of the bone. Be sure to also check the fifth metatarsal bone, which is located on the outside of the foot.В This is commonly fractured during an ankle sprain, but also easily missed. Pressing upwards along the ankle bone is not going to commonly produce pain in the setting of a sprain. Although ligament injuries can cause pain at the edges of those bones (because it is where they attach), a fracture will have pain in a much larger area. The ankle is made up of the fibula (outside bone), tibia (inside bone), and the talus, which is the part of the foot connected to the ankle. Can you walk on a broken or fractured ankle?

But what exactly is a sprain?В An ankle sprain isnвЂ™t as straightforward as a fracture.В It involves some level of damage to a ligament, whose role is to support the interaction between two bones.В The damage can be a partial tear, complete tear, or stretching of the ligament.В This results in pain and instability of the joint. It is a break or interruption in bone continuity. Unfortunately, the things we subconsciously hold synonymous with a sprain can also happen with a fracture.ДЄlthough there are many variations of a fracture, the definition is quite simple.

With almost every sprain there is an ominous вЂњpopвЂќ or significant bruising.ДЇor the 25,000 people who suffer from an ankle sprainВ each day in the United States alone, it is possible that the popping sound or bruise that covers the entire outside of the foot may be a fracture instead. If you have ever played basketball, tennis, volleyball, or even walked on an uneven sidewalk, you may have been a victim of an ankle sprain.

The long dark sprained ankle