What’s actually happening when you sprain your ankle?
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Ligaments are tough, fibrous tissues which hold bones together. They also restrict the motion of joints to a healthy amount (you wouldn’t want your joints to move too much.)
Ligaments often have fiber bundles that are arranged in orderly parallel lines like you might hold a handful of uncooked spaghetti. This makes them very strong under tension (like a rope).
When a joint moves too far or in a direction that it should not, the ligament is stretched. The fiber bundles can pull away from each other on a microscopic level. Inflammatory cells can then come to the ligament to start the process of repairing damage. In the meantime, they will also bring fluid and swelling and make the ligament stiff and tender (painful).
A picture is worth 100% words.
[Here](https://upload.orthobullets.com/topic/7005/images/awesome_ankle.jpg) is a picture of an ankle without skin or (extrinsic) muscles. Numbers 8 and 9 are common sprains, especially if your roll your ankle inward (inversion).
[Here](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/tendonsligaments-110825102839-phpapp01/85/tendons-ligaments-10-320.jpg?cb=1666010019) is a picture of microscopic structure of a ligament.
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