If you are into sports and fitness activities, then you will be well aware of the fact that ankle injuries are quite common and you may know how to avoid them. Ankle sprains, for instance, are often observed in people involved in various sports activities. Sprains involve tearing of ligaments that connect one bone to another and thus assist in stabilizing the joint. In most cases, sports requiring turning, jumping and twisting movements like volleyball, basketball, football, netball as well as aggressive changes of direction associated with tennis, hockey and soccer are regarded as risk factors that can lead to serious ankle sprains. Once the ankle sprain develops, the joint is going to become unstable and may even take quite a long time to heal. Acute ankle sprains are frequently caused by a strong force that is applied to the ankle joint. This leads to excessive movement around the joint area. Sportsmen and women usually become immediately aware of the condition. They may also hear a distinctly audible 'pop' or 'snap' due to stretching or tearing of the specific joint ligaments. Here are some of the major risk factors that may lead to ankle sports injuries. Previously existing ankle injuries that are p