of subacute/chronic lateral ankle sprains, these techniques improved ankle range-of-motion, decreased pain and improved function. ankle exercises to prevent sprains or re-injury from occurring, strengthening and stretching exercises should be done through a full range of ankle motion. to improve ankle mobility, ankle circles can be performed by extending the legs in front of the body and then moving the foot up and down, side to side, or rotating the foot in a circle. another common exercise to improve mobility, as well as proprioception, is to use the toes to draw the letters of the alphabet in the air. most importantly, the lateral aspect of the ankle joint should be strengthened with eversion exercises (i.e., underside of the foot is turned outward against resistance) to improve lateral ankle stability. stretching is also an important component of a strengthening program, to help maintain joint flexibility. balance and stability training are especially important to retrain the ankle muscles to work together to support the joint. this includes exercises that are performed by standing on one foot and using the injured ankle to lift the body onto its toes. to further enhance balance and stability, exercise devices such as the wobble board can be used, progressing from double-leg to single-leg stance, first with eyes open and then with eyes closed, for enhanced effectiveness. flexibility exercises flexibility exercises include a towel stretch and writing the alphabet with the toes, which will increase the range of motion. strengthening exercises ankle strengthening exercises are step ups and walking on toes which will strengthen the muscles around the swollen area. rehabilitation exercises to strengthen the ankle has been shown to reduce the risk of re-injuring. exercise prescription isn’t clearly understood and deserves further research. balance exercises balance exercises include the use of a balance board, which helps the whole body function to maintain balance. the use of balance boards has been shown to produce significantly positive results in gaining proper balance. while performing balance exercises, the activity can be altered by using a single legged stance instead of a double legged stance, by opening or closing one's eyes, or changing the surface of balance to stable or unstable. this exercise can also be used for primary prevention of ankle sprains, as a meta-analysis exploring it's efficacy in prevention showed that there is a significant decrease in ankle sprain incidence among those who perform these exercises compared to people who don't. agility exercises rehabilitation exercises for an ankle sprain plyometrics exercises such as squat jumps and power skipping should not be implemented until the ankle has regained full agility. other strategies that can be used to prevent ankle injury include: ensure proper warm-up prior to stretching and activity; when running, choose level surfaces and avoid rocks or holes; ensure that shoes have adequate heel support; if high-heeled shoes are worn, ensure that heels are no more than two inches in height, and avoid heels with a narrow base. prognosis most people improve significantly in the first two weeks. however, some still have problems with pain and instability after one year (5–30%). re-injury is also very common. there are currently no published evidence-based criteria to inform rts (return to sport) decisions for patients with a lateral ankle sprain injury. return to sport decisions following acute lateral ankle sprain injury are generally time-based. mild sprains (grades 1-2) relating to over stretching or partial tears typically begin to feel better in a few days to a week and heal by six weeks. more severe ankle sprains (grades 2-3) involving a full tear or rupture could take more than a few weeks or months to fully recover. the mean time patients return to sports is 12.9 weeks. average time to return to work after injury range from less than one week to two months. epidemiology adolescents vs general population ankle sprain instances ankle sprain epidemiology- u.s. military vs general population ankle sprains can occur through either sports or activities of daily living, and individuals can be at higher or lower risk depending on a variety of circumstances including their homeland, race, age, sex, or profession. in addition, there are different types of ankle sprains such as eversion ankle sprains and inversion ankle sprains. overall, the most common type of ankle sprain to occur is an inversion ankle sprain, where excessive plantar flexion and supination cause the anterior talofibular ligament to be affected. a study showed that for a population of scandinavians, inversion ankle sprains accounted for 85% of all ankle sprains. most ankle sprains occur in more active people, such as athletes and regular exercisers. previous ankle sprains when an ankle sprain occurs, subsequent ankle sprains are much more likely to follow. the rate of recurrence is particularly high for athletes in high-risk sports. the most widely recommended preventative measures for recurring sprains are wearing ankle-protective gear (tape, or ankle brace) and implementing exercises designed to strengthen the ankle and improve one's balance (e.g., balance ball exercises). in a review article of ankle sprain prevention research, the authors reference a season-long study on a group of soccer players. 60 players wore ankle-protective (tape or ankle-braces) throughout the soccer season, and another 171 players were enrolled in the control group, as they wore no ankle protective gear. at the end of the season, 17% of the players who did not wear ankle braces/tape sprained their ankles, while only 3% of the players who wore protection incurred the same injury. amongst the players who sprained their ankles and did not wear ankle-protective gear, 25% had a history of previous ankle sprains. another peer-reviewed article references a study which concluded that ankle exercising could decrease the risk of recurring sprains by 11%. age in a study comparing the prevalence of ankle sprains between age, race, and sex, individuals who were aged 10–19 years old had highest instances of ankle sprains. it can be suggested that adolescents are more physically active, which leads to higher chances of ankle sprains. since sports deal with high utilization of the ankle, over 50% of ankle sprains are due to sport-related injuries. ankle sprain incident rates of average males to females u.s. military moreover, average ankle sprains for the general u.s. population are estimated at 5–7 ankle sprains for every 1000 person-years; however, a study showed that for military cadets, instances for ankle sprains were about 10 times those of the general population male vs. female another study comparing sex influences on ankle sprains found that male and female counterparts had similar incidence rates of ankle sprains. however, at a specific age range of 19–25 years old, males were found to have a substantially greater rate of ankle sprains than females. furthermore, at ages 30 and over, females showed a higher incidence of ankle sprains than males. from this, it can be said that age and activity levels are better indicators of ankle sprain risks than gender.