Sprains or strains are most likely to occur if you:
- over-reach
- change direction suddenly
- slow down or accelerate suddenly
- fall and land awkwardly
- collide with an object
- experience a blow to a joint
Ankle sprains can occur if you 'go over' onto the outside of your foot. This causes your whole body weight to press down suddenly on the outer ligament of your ankle which can stretch or tear it. Ankle sprains sometimes occur when walking or running over rough or uneven ground.
Sport
Sprains and strains often occur during sporting activities. This is because many sports involve physical contact, sudden acceleration and deceleration, and have an increased risk of injury.
Sports injuries can occur when a person begins to take part in a sport for the first time and their muscles are not used to the physical stresses involved.
Alternatively, experienced athletes may injury themselves when they are at the peak of their training because the increased demands on their muscles can suddenly cause them to become strained.
Competitive athletes, such as sprinters, long-distance runners, gymnasts and footballers have a high risk of recurring muscle strains due to the intense nature of their training and the overuse of specific muscle groups.
Children are also at risk of getting sports injuries because they are still developing physically. For example, the female shape changes significantly during puberty (the gradual progression from a child to a sexually developed adult, which in girls is usually between ages 10 and 16). As the hips widen, exercise can put pressure on different parts of the legs and feet, which can sometimes lead to injury.
However, while sporting activities have an associated increased risk of injury, it is important to remember that they also have important health benefits and can help to increase a child’s confidence and self-esteem.
See the Health A-Z topic about Sports injuries for more information.
Risk factors
There are a number of factors that make you more likely to develop an injury. These are described below.
- Poor conditioning - a lack of regular exercise can make your joints less flexible and more likely to sustain injury.
- Poor technique - the way that you distribute your weight when walking or running, or the way that you land after jumping can increase your risk of injuring your knee or ankle.
- Fatigue - when your muscles are tired, they are less likely to provide good support for your joints. When you are tired you may also find it difficult to control your body's movements accurately, which increases your likelihood of stressing or over-extending a joint.
- Inadequate warm up - warming up before exercise helps loosens your muscles and increases your range of joint movement, lowering your risk of sustaining a ligament injury. Not warming up properly before exercising increases your risk of injury.
