Ankle an Achilles pain for 3 years, what do i do?
Posted , 8 users are following.
Hi everyone, i know that i can only get a proper diagnosis by a doctor, but at the moment i have nowhere to turn but here, so any answers would be greatly appreciated. heres how it started (brace yourselves it could get pretty long!) 3 years ago, i was playing football, i kicked the ball whilst it was in the air and when my foot landed, it rolled inward (inversion) and i heard a loud snap/crack noise and felt a sudden sharp pain in my ankle.Straight away, i knew that something was wrong so i tried to bare weight on the foot an the pain was unbearable.It was also very unstable and i felt like i was going to fall over when i did it. When my coach at the time removed my shoe and sock (the pain while she was doing that was immense) there was quite a bit of bruising and severe swelling. After a few hours of elevating and icing the foot and painkillers nothing seemed to be taking away the swelling or pain i was having. So I went to a&e who (after 6 hours!) confirmed that there was no broken bones obvious on the x-ray, however they would get someone else to look at it and they would ring my mum if they found anything.they didn't. they gave me some sort of tubi grip that was maybe half as thin as a sock and felt like it wasn't even there.my mum requested they at least give me crutches as i couldn't put the foot down what so ever, to which they replied they only supply crutches to those who have broken bones and that i would be able to walk fine in the morning. the next morning was in fact worse and i couldn't put my foot down for 2 weeks. i got back to sports maybe a month an a half later and was having great pain while running, jogging, or kicking a ball. my ankle felt very wobbly when i walked almost as if it needed to roll inward every few seconds.then during sport my ankle did in fact roll inward then started to do so every time i ran and every few months my ankle would do it and the ankle would again swell and bruise, painkillers and stretches wouldn't help in the slightest .This then brings me to exactly a year ago, i was participating in PE when my ankle again rolled inward. The weird thing was, a few hours later, not only was i feeling severe pain in my ankle but my achilles tendon also. Maybe an hour after this new pain started ,i was walking down the stairs as best i could when i heard and felt a 'pop' in my achilles tendon.This was very painful and i could not bare weight. When i got home i noticed swelling.I then completely quit sports.A week later, i returned to A&E who then said it is nothing serious just a case of achilles tendinitis and sent me home with nothing but stretching exercises. The stretches were not helping and were just simply making it worse. So, skip to 30 weeks ago from today, i started physio therapy, which then again, done nothing to help and physically drained me, the pain was almost paralysing trying to move my foot around. i have since quit physio and and on a waiting list to see a foot and ankle specialist which is great, although the waiting list is 75 weeks from now, and i have already waited 30, 105 weeks is a little bizarre as i can barely put my foot to the ground at the moment and day to day activities are extremely hard. What should i do? does anyone have any idea of what this problem could be? Thank you very much for listening to my sob story and apologies for the length lol, again any advice would be highly appreciated 
x
1 like, 18 replies
deb42707 heyitsR
Posted
Hello,
I am so very sorry you have had to go thru this horrible trauma. I wish I had some words of wisdom to send to you, but this is something I know nothing about and isn't anything near the kind of ankle trauma that I have suffered.
You will find that the people on this site are wonderful!! You have reached out to the right place as there are many who will offer support and many kind words.
I truly hope you are able to find some answers here.
I send good wishes your way for a speedy recovery and some answers that may be able to help you recover.
Will keep positive thoughts for your recovery, good luck to you!
heyitsR deb42707
Posted
Thank you very much for taking the time to read and respond, your words really mean a lot!! i hope that your ankle pain has since recovered also!xx
RichardKen heyitsR
Posted
My eyes glazed over after a couple of sentences simply due to this. Anyway I hope someone will be able to help you.
All the best
Richard
christina80204 heyitsR
Posted
heyitsR christina80204
Posted
jenni_24876 heyitsR
Posted
I'm hoping you have had more X-ray on this. I'd be hounding gp for answers. This does not sound right at all. But makes me grateful for the health system we do have which is not great but obviously better than yours. Have you thought about buying a splint or supportive ankle strap. I guess I'm lucky mine was an obvious dream and fracture and surgery within 5 days to plate and screw. 5months on I'm doing a hell of a lot better than some people. I hope you get your answers soon and get on the mending road.
heyitsR jenni_24876
Posted
had forgotten to mention i had another x-ray before the referral for Physio, again showed no broken bones.I did buy an ankle brace around a year ago which was doing me no favours! Great to hear that you're doing better and thank you very much for responding
!
elizabeth56252 heyitsR
Posted
Hello, about two years ago I was having a lot of pain and my ankle kept rolling even while standing in place. I got an MRI and one of the ligaments that help hold the ankle in place had ruptured meaning it no longer was attached. I had to have surgery to hook it back to my ankle. This could be one of your problems but because of the poor care yoh received from doctors you might have further injuries and tears. Demand an MRI it's the only thing that will show ruptures or tears in tendons and ligaments.
I believe my first ligament injury was from a few years back when I also sprained my ankle inversion and heard a pop. I also could not walk and had crutches for awhile. I hope this helps.
heyitsR elizabeth56252
Posted
Hi Elizabeth,
Very sorry to hear you were also going through this,Was hoping to hear that my trauma wouldn't require surgery although it does sound like this could be the problem!I think that when i get to orthopedic they will refer me for an mri although the waiting list is still 75 weeks. Thank you very much for taking the time to respond, hope you're doing better than before!
kpower heyitsR
Posted
Hi HeyItsR,
That's really too bad about your long unresolved struggle (3 years) with ankle sorrows. My sincere condolences.
In trying to follow your lengthy account, it seems that you suffered at least two punishingly severe ankle sprain episodes on inside (medial aspect) of your ankle, yet received no suitable care or advice from a medical provider. And then you continued to use the poor ankle in sports activities until it was physically impossible to do so.
I had to re-read the part where you are now expected to wait another 75 weeks (one and a half years) to see a specialist for your problem. I couldn't believe it.
I'd say now is a good time to take personal charge of the problem and not rely on the whims of a medical system you have to deal with. Is there any way for you to see a specialist outside the health care system (it might mean out-of-pocket costs)? If that is not feasible, it may help to keep badgering provider bureaucracy to reduce waiting time due to your long-standing suffering already (it sounds like your system is pretty rigid though).
A big concern is that whatever initial damage you sustained to soft tissues may only have gotten worse with time and use. There could be many ankle components at risk here (muscles, ligaments, nerves, tendons, joint capsules, etc.) Only a thorough medical work-up will identify what's wrong so proper treatment can begin.
If I were in your predicament I would immediately take steps to minimize any possible further ankle damage. You might consider a short CAM boot (aka air cast air boot, moon boot) to immobilize ankle when you must stand or walk for long periods. A strong ankle brace (not flimsy velcro straps type) would be another approach. Sturdy supportive footwear is a must.
Until you see specialist you should also consider resting ankle more by minimizing walking/standing to reduce further possible damage (if you have a standing occupation that makes it all the more challenging).
Cold packs and elevation can help alleviate some swelling and pain.
Best of luck to you.
heyitsR kpower
Posted
Hi Kpower,
first of all i would like to thank you for your reply, it was very helpful and i am greatful that you took the time to help!
The pain, swelling, bruising and other symptoms are all actually on the lateral side of my ankle. The waiting time for the specialist is indeed way too long and I have thought about going privately as costs etc wouldn't be an issue however there is fear they could be just as bad as the NHS have been with me and the money would go to waste!Do you have any idea Where i would be able to purchase a good ankle brace that is tight enough to stable my ankle?
Again thank you very much for your help and good luck wishes x
kpower heyitsR
Posted
HeyItsR,
I assume you are in UK, so I wouldn't know about retail availability of ankle braces there.
There are of course lots of online retailers that carry a wide assortment of braces-- Amazon is one I have used.
The brace I used in recovery was a sturdy lace-up kind (sort of like a bootie with open toes and lacing up middle of foot, and with two wrap-around ankle straps, one for each ankle side that securely attached with velcro. It's a slim fitting piece that would fit in almost any regular shoe. This was recommended by my podiatrist.
Good luck to you. Don't settle for anything but a full recovery, whatever it takes.
heyitsR kpower
Posted
Yes, i am in the UK and have already tried one of those braces off Ebay (lace up type) but again was not helping with pain or instability so had stopped wearing it so often, im unsure of what to purchase now as i've heard those were probably my best bet. Have you any other idea as to what i could turn to brace wise or was this sort of the only option? x
kpower heyitsR
Posted
HeyItsR,
I really wish I could help you more, but I am not a doctor and besides I wouldn't know all your medical history, details about injuries you sustained, or what additional damage may have added to your ankle after being untreated for so long.
I guess your best bet now is to find a competent foot/ankle specialist who can give you the care you need. Ask around and see if you can get a referral to one.
heyitsR kpower
Posted