Hello, What I understand from the history is there is a probable ligament Injury and to rule out this we need to do some special clinical test and maybe an MRI to understand the extent of the ligament injury around the ankle which is very common. Now x-rays are something which cannot reveal anything about the ligaments or muscles but only the bones. For soft tissues, we need to depend upon the CT or MRI scan. If this is the ligament injury then post knowing the extent of the ligament injury we have to decide either surgery is needed or not. In most cases no surgery is advised. With proper physical therapy and sports retraining of the ankle the player can go back to the game. This method takes some time but definitely provide excellent results. Being a Sports therapy specialist I have seen cases and they have recovered much better and still, in sports, they are now. Now you mentioned about using a brace and trying to wear sports shoes and pain started this is common as the muscle will be restricted that will the major cause of the pain. Coming to muscles of the foot, we need to understand that muscles undergo physiological and mechanical changes due to injury to a ligament. Some are stronger and some are weaker. We need to figure out the weaker ones and find out the exercises which suit well for the entire group of muscles to equally function for stabilizing the ankle joint while in sports. Try to meet up some good sports therapist or maybe you can provide me with more details so I can help you much precisely. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further. Take care Regards, Jay Indravadan Patel, Physical Therapist or Physiotherapist