Inclusion criteria:
Patients aged between 18 and 50 years
Patients with Grade 1 or 2 ankle sprain
Patients with an acute ankle sprain, meaning the injury occurred between 7 days and 1 month ago
Presence of symptoms such as swelling or pain on the lateral side of the ankle, limited ankle range of motion, and tenderness over the lateral ligaments
Minimum literacy level, with the ability to read and write at least at a middle school level
Exclusion criteria:
Patients with syndesmotic injury in addition to the ankle sprain.
Patients with a history of surgery or fracture in the lower limbs within the past year.
Patients who had sustained an acute injury to the musculoskeletal structures of other lower limb joints within the past three months that affected joint integrity and function—such as a sprain or fracture—and had missed at least one day of their usual physical activity.
Patients with neurological disorders such as stroke, multiple sclerosis (MS), or neuropathy.
Individuals who had experienced an ankle sprain within the past 12 months.
In the treatment of ankle sprains, initial protection is typically provided for one to two weeks, followed by the use of bandages or tape, which does not interfere with our study. However, patients using foot or ankle orthoses were excluded from the study.