Sprained ankles are probably the most common traumatic injury—by some estimates, as many as 25,000 people per day fall victim. You can wind up with a sprain in almost any circumstance where you fall awkwardly or lose your balance: slipping on the ice, taking a tumble on the basketball court, misjudging a curb—you get the idea.

Rehabilitation is crucially important after a sprain in order to make a full recovery and regain pre-injury levels (or as close as possible) of strength and mobility. Without proper rehab a bad sprain could lead to chronic pain, and even permanently weaken the muscles, tendons, and ligaments supporting the joint.

Shortly after the injury, your physician will start you on a rehab plan. Following that plan carefully is of vital importance. Do too much, and you may impair the healing process. Do too little, though, and it may be harder in the long run to regain strength and protect yourself against re-injury in the future.