I roll my ankles all the time but I stepped off the porch and my ankle rolled really bad, worse than usually it popped 2 or 3 times on my way down. I was on the ground for a few minutes could move my toes and after a min the pain wasn't as bad it kinda died off my sister and I went ahead to hobby lobby did fine was beginning to swell on our way to the store. I was able to walk on it, or limp anyway, but wasn't able to flex it had to keep it flat when I walked. Now 8 hours later it is huge, and hurts way worse...the pain now is almost as bad as it was when I fell. I called the doctor he asked if it was bruised and if i could put weight on it...it isn't bruised. He said it sounded like a bad sprain but I haven't had a sprain like this. Has anyone had a broken ankle? Can you tell me what to look for...I have a high tolerence for pain so the whole walking thing doesn't really help me much in determining if I should get everybody up in the middle of the night to go to the er. So its swollen, no bruising, iced for hours swelling hasn't gone down, it feels tingly on the outside of my ankle and up the side of my calf, it is very stiff and now I can barely walk...What do Y'all think? I really hate going to the er if nothing is wrong...oh and it feels better if I elevate it but I have to pee and don't want to get up......LOL....
Ok i had a dr appt for friday morning, my husband went to the er for his back today and while we were there i went ahead and let them look at it. Xray came back clear no fracture. Dr said moderate sprain. He wants me to consult a orthopedic as well as my husband. I will update after ortho.
Get an X-ray asap.
Get a new doctor.
He should have told you to get help.
Also even a sprain needs attention.
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Breaks are better than severe sprains (they heal a LOT faster, and hurt less, and take less time to rehab, and *strangers* & *family* both take a plaster cast "seriously", even though the worse injury is the severe sprain. Timeline wise; breaks only take 6 weeks to heal, bad sprains easily take 3-6 months). I've broken both ankles at different times, and sprain my right one at least once a year, but usually more often (and my left one occasionally). I severely sprain it about once every 3-4 years. The tendons and ligaments are just shot, and the nerves have been beaten up bad enough that my proprioception is "off" (meaning where my brain thinks my foot is and where my actual foot is, are often 2 wildly different things, so I step wrong fairly often). Eventually I'll get surgery to "fix" my ankles, but it will be awhile. I'm trying to last 10 more years before "fixing" my ankles and knees... because once you go down that road you have to have surgeries every few years to maintain.
There are SEVERAL degrees of spraining. The first, kind of twist is a mild sprain, hurts for a few days to a week or two, and you can gimp around just fine on it with high pain tolerance. The 2nd is what most people associate with a sprain, lasts for a few weeks; swelling/pain and has some soft tissue damage and there is *noticeable* limping/favoring as it doesn't support weight in all directions, but will support it in some direction. The 3rd has a LOT of tissue damage (torn ligaments and tendons), and that's the "severe" sprain that can takes MONTHS to rehab from even with physical therapy daily. These sprains usually go "numb" for several hours due to the shock and trauma from the injury... and then come back "full" for several days. I'm usually on pain meds for severe sprains for 2-3 weeks, even though with simple fractures and mild/moderate sprains I can skip them entirely or only use them to sleep for 2-3 DAYS. Ugh. Severe sprains suck. Esp when they're *almost* healed and you're walking around fine and go to run a few steps or jog a step and have it "seize". Not to mention the respraining that often happens because of weakness. Icky, schtupid, irking sprains. LOL, actually xray techs get a hoot out of me because I go in HOPING for a break, because I know the loooooooooooong road to rehabbing severe sprains.
Just being able to walk on it / wiggle your toes does NOT mean it's not broken ((Says the person with high pain tolerance who walked on a fractured in 3 places ankle for 2 weeks before. Actually, that's a funny story, becuase the hospital sent me *walking* up and down 3 flights of stairs and the length of the hospital I forget how many times -3? 4?- because they didn't "believe" the xray... and then got the head of whereever to look at it and he pointed out the rounded edges of the bone scraping against itself from walking on it for 2 weeks, and they THEN confined me to a wheelchair to go 20 feet to get it set and cast.)). Athletes and soldiers are NOTORIOUS for being ambulatory on broken bones.
So CROSS YOUR FINGERS!!!! that it's broken, and go in and get xrayed. If not, get your pain meds & braces & movies & books & referral to a good physical therapist.
Yay ankles.
A sprain can be worse then a break and take longer to heal.
Best to get it checked. My mom fell years ago and hurt her shoulder and didn't want to go to the doctor to have it checked. She figured it would just go away. In a week it was a little better, but a month later, it was still hurting, and 2, 3, 4 months later. She figured it would eventually go away and after over a year, she finally thought she should have it looked at. Turned out she had torn her rotator cuff and needed surgery. If she hadn't been trying to be strong and been seen right away, the doctor may have been able to provide appropriate care in immobilization to help the tear heal on it's own. But becuase my mom did not know what the issue was, she kept trying to stretch it and "work it out". Between that and her body compensating by holding her posture differently, she now--even after the surger--has pain in both shoulders.
I urge you to make an appointment to see your doctor, first thing in the morning. Good luck and I hope you heal quickly!
If there isn't bruising, it isn't broken. Also if it was broken you wouldn't be able to stand on it.
You'd be screaming in pain.
Surprisingly, most of the time a bruised, sprained, or torn body part hurts more than if you break it.
I just want to say that sprains can be worse than a break as far as healing goes. Many years ago I had a very bad sprain with bone bruising. It swelled and turned purple. I had to wear a type of removable cast for over a month, and use crutches the first week. I didn't follow the doctor's advice because I was young and "stupid" and it took a year to heal. Well that was the end of me and soccer.
ARNICA Montana a homeopathic remedy in 30c taken every half hour 4x and then 4x a day will knock that swelling down. Use it every time you fall or bruise yourself. If it is just after the injury 4x in one hour will do the trick.
Stops shiners.
You can buy it at the health food store.
Did you not see a doctor because you don't have health insurance. That is why we are getting OBAMACARE so we don't have to suffer and die of treatable disorders and accidents.
My husband just recently broke his ankel/leg. His foot turned black within 12 hours. If there is no bruising, I doubt it is broken.
My hubby didn't go to the ER, he just waited to make an appt with a Dr.
It sounds like you just have a really bad sprain. Doctors right, generally if you can still walk on it, high pain tollerance or not, its not broke.
Its very possible that you fractured it however.
Try keeping it elevated, take Ibprophen for inflamation, and use ice, and if it is still painful, and swollen in the morning then I would make an appointment with your doctor to get some xrays done.
Hope you feel better soon!
I sprained my ankle much the same way back in May. You should at least get it checked, at the very least they could probably give you a brace to help stabilize it and recommend some exercises to help it heal. The brace made a world of difference. As others have said, sprains can be far worse than breaks. I was told that it could take up to 6 months to heal properly (and that it may never heal fully), and that did seem to be the case although honestly I was not that great at following the exercise recommendations, and it still gets sore with over use. However during that 6 months you are much more likely to reinjure it if you are not careful.
Rolled mine about two months ago doing P90X. Was a high ankle sprain with small high fracture. Rest, ice, compression, elevation. The doctor will simply give you an ankle boot. Decline that! It took me until now to feel better, but the ankle is still weak.
Sounds like a bad sprain. The last time I sprained my ankle it took months to heal. I finally went to the doctor after about 2 months because the pain was still there and the DR said since I have already sprained it more than once it is going to keep happening and each time it is going to get worse. I was icing my ankle every night for a few months. You might want to go and get an ACE bandage or brace to help with the swelling during the day. The DR also said the only way to really heal it is to stay off it for a few weeks but we all know thats not possible with little kids. So she said to keep it wrapped, iced and ibuprofen for the pain.
A bad sprain can be worse than a break. Go at least to your Dr. to get it checked, they will tell you if you need to go get an x-ray and will know whether you need one of those inflatable boots or a real cast or crutches. Just because it may be sprained not broken doesn't mean you should put weight on it.
I'd go in the a.m. to get it checked out. Sounds worthy of an Xray at least...
About 10 years ago I dropped a can of shaving cream on my foot in the shower. It hurt A LOT but like you I have a high tolerance for pain and all of the discoloration seemed to be more on my toes. It hurt to move and put weight on but I could still walk. I wasn't about to go to the doctor, pay my co-pay only to find out that my toes were broken and I needed to take some advil and get on with it. BAD idea. I'd shattered the tiny bones in my foot that are really close to my toes. I ended up going to my doc a couple of months later because I had a sinus infection. While I was there I asked her why I'd still be experiencing pain. She did an x-ray and found that I'd shattered these bones and since I hadn't gone to the doc right away that the only option would be a surgery with about a 50/50 chance that I'd be pain free. Ten years later I can't wear really cute shoes very long and when it rains my foot hurts. It's not really awful but I do wish I'd gone ahead to get it checked out. I may have avoided many months of pain. I'd say better safe than sorry. Get an x-ray. If you've seriously damaged tendons or ligaments you'll want to know that too.
The only way to tell if it is broken is to x-ray it. Until then you need to RICE - rest, ice, compression and elevation. You really should get it checked as a badly healed break can cause a lot of future problems! In either case, crutches are called for! So sorry. Feel better soon!
