Grade III lateral ankle sprain results in what?

Grade III lateral ankle sprain results in what?

• A. Mild stretching of ATFL.
• B. Isolated deltoid ligament injury.
• C. No ligament damage.
• D. Complete rupture of the ATFL, CFL, and posterior talofibular ligaments causing severe pain and marked instability.

Answer: (D)

Grade III is about a complete tear of the lateral ligament complex of the ankle. The outside stabilizers—the anterior talofibular ligament, the calcaneofibular ligament, and the posterior talofibular ligament—can tear fully after an inversion injury, leading to severe pain, swelling, and a noticeably unstable ankle that’s hard to weight-bear. This level of damage fits the description of a complete rupture with marked instability, which is exactly what Grade III represents. The other scenarios describe milder injuries (a simple stretch) or injuries to a different structure (the medial deltoid ligament), or no ligament damage at all, which don’t match the severity implied by Grade III.

Grade III is about a complete tear of the lateral ligament complex of the ankle. The outside stabilizers—the anterior talofibular ligament, the calcaneofibular ligament, and the posterior talofibular ligament—can tear fully after an inversion injury, leading to severe pain, swelling, and a noticeably unstable ankle that’s hard to weight-bear. This level of damage fits the description of a complete rupture with marked instability, which is exactly what Grade III represents. The other scenarios describe milder injuries (a simple stretch) or injuries to a different structure (the medial deltoid ligament), or no ligament damage at all, which don’t match the severity implied by Grade III.