If there is one joint routinely injured, it is likely that the stabilizing tissue is more lax (that is why it is prone to twisting, and each time can make the next more likely).

PT is great at dealing with this. Often they have the child work on strengthening the muscles nearby which may be more weak, and stretching the muscles in counterpoint which may be more tight. This can help stabilize the joint and relieve some opposing pressures on it that make for suboptimal performance.

I recommend this place, they were great!

https://www.mclean.palmercare.com/

I get this - when I was younger, I would find myself occasionally flat on my back. My ankle would roll at the slightest thing. Only recently I learned that it is because certain muscles are weaker than others. Try that first. I've never had to have surgery and I'm still pretty athletic.

No respectable doctor will jump directly to surgery for a 17 year old who hasn’t even done PT. PT is your first step.

Most likely PT.

Get an mri. She probably has a bone bruise.

You don’t want her to have surgery?

Is it swollen constantly? Any bruising? If so, surgery is likely. If not, then PT. I am not a doctor but have 2 athletes with years of ankle injuries.

I would try PT before even considering surgery.

Lately, 17 year old DD has been having ankle pain where her ankle feels tight and it occasionally rolls randomly when she walks and hurts for a few minutes. And she’s an athlete so it’s affecting her playing. When she was 6, she did sprain her ankle pretty badly (moderately) after she tripped and fell while running while playing outside. She got a boot at the doctors that she had to wear for a few eeeks and the doctor said it was healed after she was done wearing the boot for a few weeks. There was no other issues after until a few years later when she was 9. She was at recess at school walking when all of a sudden she rolled her ankle and it really hurt, so we took her to get it checked out and they performed an x-ray and said it was a small sprain so they wrapped it. She hasn’t had any ankle sprains since but what she’s experiencing now is most likely due to the multiple sprains. I’ve made her an appointment with the orthopedics to get her ankle checked out but I’m a bit nervous for her and not sure what to expect. I don’t want her to have to brace surgery. What should I expect?