Sprained Ankle

So 3.5 weeks ago while visiting the Cancer, I sprained my ankle while walking a friend home. It's the same ankle I sprained back in mid-2014, but this time I felt my ankle give way as I stepped off the curb to cross the road.

(Previous incident was due to falling down the steps of a bus, sprained my ankle when it got caught between the steps and the back door of the bus.)

Anyway 3.5 weeks later my foot is still swollen (albeit not as swollen as the first 3 days, and I now can wiggle my toes a little bit). I've seen 3 doctors so far, and the third one told me it's a ligament tear, which will take about 6-8 weeks to heal properly. I've only just started wearing an ankle guard again (wore it the first 3-4 days but stopped when it aggravated the swelling.

My question is, for those of you who have had this before, what did you do (or not do) during the 6-8 weeks and do you think an ankle boot would be a good idea at this point? (I've been wearing slippers to work for the last 3 weeks and frankly I'm getting sick of feeling only partially dressed for work.)

Posted by Distilled
In 2014 how do you know it was just a sprain?

If you've seen 3 docs and they all have a different opinion I would suggest an Mri. Toe wiggles and stuff like that basically determine if something is broken, and from then on it breaks down into ligament and tendon damage by range of motion.

A ligament tear can be serious stuff.

I went for an x ray and saw a doc in 2014. But after a month the sprain healed right up.

I think this time it's worse cos it's the same ankle.

I'm seeing a physio later tonight to get things sorted.

Posted by xyinsaturn
I hope it gets better ramsies



I had a sprained ankle and it became a problem for the other leg.

Anyways, I had to wear comfortable shoes and elevate my sprained foot as much as possible. Are you using a crutch? Avoid wearing flat footwears with no cushion.

Even when the ankle has healed, give it another few months wearing comfortable shoes.

Yes, overcompensation by the other leg. I was afraid the other leg would give in during the first 2 weeks.

Posted by Distilled

Posted by xyinsaturn

Posted by Ram416

Posted by xyinsaturn
I hope it gets better ramsies



I had a sprained ankle and it became a problem for the other leg.

Anyways, I had to wear comfortable shoes and elevate my sprained foot as much as possible. Are you using a crutch? Avoid wearing flat footwears with no cushion.

Even when the ankle has healed, give it another few months wearing comfortable shoes.

Yes, overcompensation by the other leg. I was afraid the other leg would give in during the first 2 weeks.

You need orthopedic shoes. Avoid ankle boots, at least not anytime soon. Give it 6 months. Walking/standing is straining enough for the feet/ankle, so you need to have good long rest for that ankle to heal fully.

Orthopedics change the alignment of your body.

Sports and physio people won't suggest them until they know the exact issue.

Not trying to be rude, I play sports and am going through an injury.

😢

Insoles will help though.

click to expand

I am looking at ortho shoes as well, it's partly also because I have levoscoliosis which doesn't help matters lol

Posted by Distilled

Posted by Ram416

Posted by Distilled

Posted by xyinsaturn

Posted by Ram416

Posted by xyinsaturn
I hope it gets better ramsies



I had a sprained ankle and it became a problem for the other leg.

Anyways, I had to wear comfortable shoes and elevate my sprained foot as much as possible. Are you using a crutch? Avoid wearing flat footwears with no cushion.

Even when the ankle has healed, give it another few months wearing comfortable shoes.

Yes, overcompensation by the other leg. I was afraid the other leg would give in during the first 2 weeks.

You need orthopedic shoes. Avoid ankle boots, at least not anytime soon. Give it 6 months. Walking/standing is straining enough for the feet/ankle, so you need to have good long rest for that ankle to heal fully.

Orthopedics change the alignment of your body.

Sports and physio people won't suggest them until they know the exact issue.

Not trying to be rude, I play sports and am going through an injury.

😢

Insoles will help though.

I am looking at ortho shoes as well, it's partly also because I have levoscoliosis which doesn't help matters lol

I don't know what that is, but it seems like something with spine.

I asked about ortho and mine said no.

But every injury is different.

Just thought I'd throw it out there in case.

It's a bummer either way.

click to expand

Levoscoliosis is curvature of the spine to the left. Have had it since i was a kid.

And yes I am in Singapore so it's warm all year round (although right now it's monsoon season and rains almost everyday).

Posted by Taniwha
Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation.

Get a pair of crutches and keep your weight off it for 6 weeks and start going to a physiotherapist. Get your doctor to refer you to an orthopedic surgeon and get an mri scan for them to look at. Ligaments cant heal without surgical intervention so you don't want to make it any worse by walking on it.

Get this kind of crutch, the one that goes under your armpits are horrible and you wont want to use them so yourl just fuck your ankle more.

I have one of these (was using it for a pinched nerve I developed in my lower back, which affected my right leg, a few years back). Looks like it's time to use it again. Damn. I hate using these things.

Sorry to hear this Ram

Are you using ice packs wrapped in a cloth and the homeopathic remedy, arnica is excellent...you can get both the tablets and cream/gel, it helps accelerate the healing process

Get well soon 🙂

Posted by MyStarsShine
Sorry to hear this Ram

Are you using ice packs wrapped in a cloth and the homeopathic remedy, arnica is excellent...you can get both the tablets and cream/gel, it helps accelerate the healing process

Get well soon 🙂

Thanks star.

Yes I am open to homeopathic remedies, thanks. I will look up arnica in the shops here. But if you have more of other suggestions I would be thankful.

I have been using ice packs on my foot almost everyday now, once or twice a day. I think that's partly why the swelling subsided a little bit.

Posted by Raakac
Ankle sprains are worse than broken bones, make sure you visit the doctors quick.

I did. I visited the first one the morning after the fall. He confirmed the sprain.

Visited a 2nd one for X ray and observation. X ray came out clear.

Visited a 3rd one Christmas Eve because my foot was still swollen. He confirmed it was a ligament tear.

Posted by Ram416

Posted by MyStarsShine
Sorry to hear this Ram

Are you using ice packs wrapped in a cloth and the homeopathic remedy, arnica is excellent...you can get both the tablets and cream/gel, it helps accelerate the healing process

Get well soon 🙂

Thanks star.

Yes I am open to homeopathic remedies, thanks. I will look up arnica in the shops here. But if you have more of other suggestions I would be thankful.

I have been using ice packs on my foot almost everyday now, once or twice a day. I think that's partly why the swelling subsided a little bit.

click to expand

No problem Ram

The Arnica is amazing, after I had a c-section, the doc was surprised how quickly I healed, without it, I think it would have taken longer

I think the Arnica gel would be better for you than the cream..you could put it in the fridge, it would be very soothing and together with the tablets, would help

Will have a think and be back later with whatever comes to me

🙂

Ram, I just went to the health shop and bought Arnica30 and A.Vogel Arnica Gel. A few weeks ago, I hurt my right arm when getting down from the attic. It has been hurting badly, in as much I cannot lift a cup without intense pain. I didn't use anything. Anyway I've taken two arnica tabs and rubbed the gel on twice and have noticed a big difference. Try and get some if you can

Icing for inflammation is an outdated remedy. The very doctor who coined the term RICE, Dr. Gabe Mirkin, released an article some years ago that stated ice will, in fact, delay your healing.

You see, inflammation is the body's response to tissue damage. Blood is rushing to the area, because you need the oxygen and nutrients red blood cells provide to heal it, as well as the white blood cells that "clean" the wound. Ice constricts the blood vessels, which keeps the blood from getting to your injury, thus delaying your healing. Inflammation is necessary for healing, therefore ice is not recommended. Compression, elevation, and rest are still acceptable forms of treatment. What I recommend is you seek treatment from a neuromuscular massage therapist who is also certified in lymphatic massage. It's a soft tissue injury, so you need a soft tissue specialist (which would be we therapists).

Ligaments are avascular, which means they have little blood flow. What have we learned about blood? It's needed for healing. Therefore avascular tissues (ligaments, cartilage, tendon, and bone) take longer to heal. Ligaments hold things together, like tendons and bone. Unlike muscle, once a ligament becomes overstretched, say from a strain for example, it remains loose. As a result, the joint is unstable and susceptible to re-injury.

Find a therapist to help your injury heal. From there you have a couple of options:

1. Physical therapists have a saline injection that creates in inflammatory response in the ligament which can help it return to its normal length.

2. Strengthen the muscles around the joint. In addition to being a massage therapist, I'm also a Corrective Exercise Specialist. Step one: inhibit the calf muscles with a foam roller. Step two: lengthen the calf muscles with gentle stretching. Step three: strengthen the tibialis anterior muscle as well as the muscles on the plantar surface of the foot. A simple web search will show you how to do these things.

Take care of your booboo!

Posted by Lioness18881
Lol. Just realised how old this is. Sorry.... this new dxp is retarded like that 😂

All good.

What @Keres mentioned to me is new. Fortunately I stopped icing a couple of months ago when I received a really bad ice burn after I left the ice pack on for too long. I have been doing hot packs/towels/water bottles now and the swelling has subsided substantially. I've had a physio come over once every couple of weeks and that helps too.