Jamaal Charles' injury is a high-ankle sprain; 'It doesn't look to be a real severe one'

The Kansas City Chiefs lost Jamaal Charles and Eric Berry to ankle sprains in Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos. Reid confirmed that on Monday but said that Charles had a high ankle sprain.

Fantasy: Picking up Knile Davis would be a good move

"It doesn't look to be -- and these things take time -- but it doesn't look to be a real severe one," Reid said of Charles' ankle injury, "but it does have the component of a high ankle sprain. What does that mean? We'll see here."

High ankle sprains can often be multi-week injuries but it really just depends on the severity of the sprain. The Chiefs will practice on Wednesday through Friday at which point we can start to get an idea whether Charles will play. But again, with other players this is often a multi-week injury. We'll just have to see with Jamaal.

If Charles can't go or he's limited, Knile Davis would see a much larger role. Davis had 22 carries in Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos, including a couple of explosive plays. The Chiefs offense often flows through Charles so this is obviously a blow to the Chiefs if he misses any time. I was impressed with the job the Chiefs did hanging with the Broncos in Denver without him though.

The Chiefs play the Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots an San Francisco 49ers before their Week 6 bye.

What is a high ankle sprain?

I took this from SB Nation's medical expert Dr. Ali Mohamadi, who wrote this last year about Darren McFadden and a high ankle sprain. His words below.

The recovery time for ankle injuries is notoriously slow due to the complex nature of the joint itself. A high ankle sprain involves injury to the syndesmotic ligaments of the ankle, which are responsible for holding the lower ends of the tibia and fibula (lower leg bones) together. Injuries to these ligaments are usually more serious than to other areas of the ankle, causing significant pain and difficulty bearing weight. The severity of and prognosis for recovery from ankle sprains are often a source of confusion, primarily due to misunderstanding over what exactly the different "grades" of sprains actually mean.

In brief:

• A Grade 1 sprain is a mild sprain that occurs when there is slight stretching and some damage to the fibers of the ligament. Individuals can usually place pressure on the foot and walk afterward.
• A Grade 2 sprain is a moderate sprain where a partial tearing of the ligament occurs. If the ankle joint is examined and moved in certain ways, abnormal looseness (laxity) of the ankle joint occurs.
• A Grade 3 sprain is a severe sprain in which a complete tear of the ligament occurs. If the examiner pulls or pushes on the ankle joint in certain movements, gross instability occurs.

If in fact McFadden suffered a high ankle sprain, it is likely to be a Grade 1 sprain, which could require anywhere from one to four weeks of recovery time; a Grade 2 or 3 sprain, in which there is some degree of looseness of the ankle joint, could take longer and even require surgery if the tear is complete.