Your ankle is swollen and sore, and you still have to get to the car, the kitchen or the bathroom. Can you put your weight on it?
The short answer
It depends on what your provider tells you, and the advice can be strict. MedlinePlus says: "You may be asked to place only part or none of your weight on the bad ankle." So for some people the answer is partly, and for others it is not at all.
How the aids work
The same MedlinePlus page lists the tools that make this possible: "To help your ankle heal, your provider may treat you with a brace, a cast, or a splint, and may give you crutches to walk on." Crutches are the piece that lets you follow a limit on weight. You still move around, and the ankle gets some relief.
You do not need training to follow an instruction like "partial" or "none." You do need to ask what your provider means by it, because only they know how much your ankle can take.
Settling how much weight the ankle may take
At the visit, find out how much weight is allowed, for how long, and whether you will use a brace, cast, splint or crutches. Readers around Wood Dale can raise those points with any clinician they see.
For more background, Cleveland Clinic has a page on the sprained ankle, another on sprains and another on high ankle sprains. MedlinePlus has a page on strains and sprains.
A note for a first sprain
Not walking on it can feel like overkill when you are in a hurry. It is a short instruction, and you can follow it, with crutches if they are offered.