If there is a lot of swelling/bruising/pain especially following the trauma then an X-ray should be administered to rule out any fractures.
Stiffness in the ankle maybe present due to scar tissue or bony growths, therefore an X-ray or MRI scan may be suitable to establish if this is the case.
The outlook is generally very good for ankle injuries.
So long as there is no significant damage e.g. fractures or ruptured ligaments/tendons – pain should be considerably better after a week or two, and so long as a rehabilitation program is administered reoccurrence should not take place.
A study showed that after an ankle sprain a person is 72% likely to sprain the same ankle again if no rehab is undertaken!
