Ankle Sprain hurting after 3 weeks
Posted , 5 users are following.
I sprained my ankle a few weeks ago. I tripped over something and rolled my ankle. I could not walk on it for about 12 hours, but when I woke up the next day I could walk enough to move around. I decided not to go to the doctor because I thought it was just a sprain. I stayed off it for several days, and then started back working out. I run 10-12 miles each week. Weeks later, and my ankle has started hurting. It also hurts up my leg a little. I can still run and work out, but it hurts the most after or when I am not exercising. Every morning when I wake up I can barely walk on it. The swelling and bruising is gone, but it hurts right above the ankle bone.
Any ideas of how long this pain could last, and if I should see a doctor?
0 likes, 6 replies
shelley35050 kaysie80717
Posted
Yes. See a doctor. I fell on ice on January 10th. I thought I sprained my ankle. Two days later it was still swollen so I went to doctor. Saw a physician's assistant who sent me for x-rays. He told me I broke it but it didn't look to bad and he didn't think I would need surgery. But Ortho has final say. I was sent home in a walking boot. I went to ortho 4 days later. By then I could walk on the foot and had very little pain. I was shocked to learn that I broke it in two places and it was dislocated requiring surgery. The break was bimalleur which is two breaks on the bone on the side of my ankle. I think the reason it stopped hurting was I stopped walking on it and the location of the break is the part of the ankle that isn't used as much.
Good luck to you. I am 5 and a half weeks post op and just started weight bearing protocol. So I am ahead of the game.
rfoot kaysie80717
Posted
kpower kaysie80717
Posted
Hindsight is always 20/20, and you probably should have seen a competent foot and ankle doctor immediately after your accident.
The fact that you could not walk on ankle immediately after injury indicates a possibly severe sprain, with or without fractures (just because you could walk on it a day later does not mean no broken bones-- people unknowingly walk on broken bones too often).
Better to play it safe until you get a thorough work-up and evaluation by the medic-- if it were me I get myself in a CAM boot (aka air boot) ASAP and stay off that foot until you get evaluated.
Please take this nugget of wisdom from one of many ankle patients-- better safe than sorry.
kaysie80717 kpower
Posted
rfoot kaysie80717
Posted
a broken ankle doesn 't hurt everyday, I walked over a mile on one (didn't know it was broken and short of calling mountain rescue had no choice! ) You could cause yourself serious and permanent damage. You may have a higher than normal pain threshold, doesn't mean you aren't doing yourself damage. _Unless you have a very strong reason for not seeking medical advice, you should do so. (strong reason eg you live somewhere you have to pay a lot of money an d you really haven,,'t got any money???)
kpower kaysie80717
Posted
Kaysie,
A big mistake some ankle patients make is to rationalize their injury as something minor, and they don't won't to make a big deal out of it (and spend time and money attending to it).
True, it could be a sprain that could heal on its own 'eventually'-- if so you are one of the lucky ones.
I say discretion is the better part of 'valor'.