Is it a fracture?
A green, amber and red table for football while a cast is on.
Read about playing with a castChild Sprained Ankle: When Can They Play Football Again?
Kit, Rules & Safety
Check first, then kick.
If your child has rolled an ankle and is asking to play, this page gives you a simple check, a slow way back and the signs that need a doctor first.
Getting a child with a sprained ankle back to football starts with waiting until they can walk comfortably and the swelling has gone. Then build back in stages: walking and balance with a hop test, then jogging and an easy zigzag, then ball play without tackles (Sheffield Children's advice on a sprained ankle; Manchester's children's ankle injury guidance). Most sprains and strains feel better after about 2 weeks, but the NHS says to avoid strenuous exercise such as running for up to 8 weeks (the NHS page on sprains and strains). See a doctor if they cannot put weight on it or it is getting worse (NHS), or if they still cannot walk reasonably well after 5 to 7 days (Sheffield Children's).
I have been the dad who said it looked fine because the child was begging, and it cost us a week.
Sort it in two minutes
Sprained Ankle in a Child: When to See Someone First
The NHS lists the signs of a possible fracture and the signs that need a call (the NHS page on sprains and strains). The table below rewords them for a parent. It does not replace them.
| What to do | What you see |
|---|---|
| Call 999 or go to A&E | They heard a crack when it happened, the ankle looks out of shape, there is numbness or tingling, or the skin looks pale or blue or feels cold (NHS). |
| Call NHS 111 | Pain or swelling is getting worse, they cannot put weight on it, or it is not getting better with home care (NHS). After 5 to 7 days they still cannot walk reasonably well (Sheffield Children's). After 2 weeks they still cannot walk without support (Manchester). |
| Carry on at home | Pain and swelling are slowly improving and they can walk with a little care (Sheffield Children's). |
The table shortens the NHS lists, so read the full page and, when in doubt, ask a clinician. If the ankle turns out to be broken, see football for a child who ends up in plaster.
Check, don't guess
Is the Ankle Ready? Five Checks, Taken in Order
When your child can play football after a sprain depends on the ankle, not the calendar. Sheffield says most children bear weight within 3 to 5 days. The NHS lists being unable to put weight on the ankle as a reason to call 111 with no time limit, so do not wait out those days if they cannot put weight on it. The Sheffield leaflet also says "when you can walk comfortably on the ankle you can start running" (Sheffield Children's advice on a sprained ankle).
These five checks are the tests for moving on through the first two stages of the way back below, so take them in order and not all in one sitting. Do them on a calm day, on a flat floor, with the swelling gone. Walk, balance and hop are the stage 1 test. The jog and zigzag come at stage 2, once the first three are calm, and need two cushions.
- 1
Walk. Across the room and back with no limp.
- 2
Balance. Stand on the sore leg for 10 seconds, then on the good leg to compare.
- 3
Hop. Hop on the sore leg 5 times, watching for pain or unsteadiness (Manchester).
- 4
Jog (stage 2). A light jog on the spot, then across the room.
- 5
Zigzag. Jog in a zigzag around two cushions. They should "run easily in a zigzag" (Manchester).
"Shall we do the walk, balance and hop checks first, then see about jogging?"
If there is any pain, wobble or limp, stop and wait a few more days, then try again. A child who has been told to rest by a clinician follows the clinician, whatever the check says.
The hop and zigzag tests come from one hospital page and are not a validated test for garden football. The balance step is this page's own wording, though the Sheffield leaflet names balance exercises from about 1 week.
Slow, soft, one step at a time
Return to Sport After an Ankle Injury: A Five-Stage Way Back
I used to think the day the swelling went down was the day they could play. A short rest week taught me that a calm ankle and a ready ankle are two different things.
For a return to sport after an ankle injury, a child needs these five stages in order. Only move on when the last column is true.
| Stage | What it looks like | Move on when |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Walk and balance | Walking and balance at home, then the five-hop check, with no jogging and no football. | The walk, balance and hop checks are calm, with no pain and no limp. |
| 2. Jog and zigzag | Jogging in the garden, no ball. | The jog and zigzag checks are calm and there is no pain that evening. |
| 3. Ball at the feet | Soft passing and dribbling on grass, no turns at speed. | No pain or swelling next morning. |
| 4. Play, no contact | The usual garden games, with no tackles and no big jumps from a height. | Comfortable for a whole session. |
| 5. Full play | Back to everything, including tackles. | A clinician or club agrees, if it was a bad sprain. |
The NHS says to avoid strenuous exercise such as running for up to 8 weeks to limit the risk of re-injury (the NHS page on sprains and strains). Manchester says full recovery is typically up to 3 weeks and most children are back to normal activity within 3 months (Manchester's children's ankle injury guidance).
These sources do not agree and this page cannot settle it. The last column of the table is the test for moving on from each stage, so treat it as the minimum, not as proof of recovery. If your child's clinician or the NHS 8-week caution says to wait longer, wait, especially before the jogging and ball stages.
If pain returns at any stage, go back a step. The stages are the page's own reading of the sources, not a tested programme. For the first game itself, the guide to a gentle first game back after any pause works here too.
What is known and what is not
What the Guidance Says, and Where It Stops
The NHS page on sprains and strains describes home care and says most sprains and strains feel better after 2 weeks. It advises avoiding running and other strenuous exercise for up to 8 weeks and lists the signs that need 111 or 999. It covers all ages, so it is not written for a child playing football.
Sheffield Children's advice on a sprained ankle says most children bear weight within 3 to 5 days, adds exercises from about 1 week and puts walking before running. It says to see a doctor if the child cannot walk reasonably well after 5 to 7 days. This page does not use its 3 to 5 days as a reason to wait if a child cannot put weight on the ankle, which the NHS lists as a 111 sign.
Manchester's children's ankle injury guidance gives the hop test of 5 hops and the zigzag run, and says full recovery is typically up to 3 weeks. It is one hospital's advice, not a validated test.
These are hospital and NHS leaflets, not a study of five-to-nine year olds in garden football, and they cannot say how long your child needs. No source tested the five-stage return, which is this page's own reading.
The NHS page also lists medicines for pain. This page gives none, so ask a pharmacist or GP. If the pain is at the back of the foot instead, see a sore heel.
Quick answers
Common Questions About a Sprained Ankle and Football
When can my child play football after a sprained ankle?
When they walk comfortably, hop five times without pain and run an easy zigzag, which come in stages: walking, balance and hopping first, then jogging and the zigzag, then ball play (Sheffield Children's; Manchester). The sources give different recovery times (NHS; Manchester).
What is the hop test for a child's ankle?
Ask them to hop on the sore leg five times, watching for pain or unsteadiness (Manchester). It is one hospital's check, not a validated test.
When should my child go to A&E with a sprained ankle?
If they heard a crack, the ankle looks out of shape, or there is numbness, tingling, or cold, pale or blue skin (NHS).
How long does a sprained ankle take to heal in a child?
Most children bear weight within 3 to 5 days (Sheffield Children's), but a child who cannot put weight on it needs NHS 111 (NHS). Manchester says full recovery is typically up to 3 weeks (Manchester), while the NHS says to avoid strenuous exercise such as running for up to 8 weeks (NHS).
Should my child wear football boots after a sprain?
Ask the clinician who saw the ankle. This page gives no footwear or support advice.
Keep going
Where to Go From Here
Three places to go next, depending on what you need. A sore knee after football is different, and when to see a GP about knee pain covers it.
Ready for a first game back?
A play, light play or rest table and a gentle first game.
Read about a first game backSore heel instead?
A pain traffic light and kit-first home care for heel pain.
Read about heel painTonight's five minutes
Run the check before the next kickabout.
Start with walk, balance and hop, and stop at the first one that hurts. Jog and zigzag wait for stage 2. Move up through the stages only when each stage's last column is true.