Sprained ankle getting worse, what should I do?

Posted , 6 users are following.

About 3 weeks ago, I went to a funfair with my family and hadn't broken in my new shoes yet. They got uncomfortable and I ended up twisting and rotating my foot to make myself more comfortable which sprained my ankle. I put ice on and rested the ankle for a while (I think one or two days) but then I got right back into exercise (30 Day Shred with lots of jumping and weight lifting). Walking is fine most of the time but I started level 3 of the 30 day shred (the final and hardest one) yesterday and I woke up today feeling like the bone was moving down in the ankle or something. I started walking again and after a bit of pain it felt okay again, but now the pain (not completely overbearing) has started again. I saw a doctor on Thursday and she said it was just a sprain but have I made it worse with the exercise? I really want to lose weight so I've been doing exercise almost every day.

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • Posted

    I would recommend seeing a podiatrist. They are trained in foot/ankle problems. And yes you could have made it worse by heavily working it and putting weight on it. It's incredible how many different ways there are to injure your feet/ankles. So many bones and tendons.

    • Posted

      I think I'm going to wait until Monday to see the doctor again and if it gets any worse, I'll got to the A&E. I think the podiatrists all charge money around here. My ankle feels okay right now but if I do anything more than a normal walk, it starts hurting.

    • Posted

      I would stop the intense exercise, & find other ways to do lighter exercises to continue your weight loss journey. Continued pounding of the ankle will only make it worse many years from now. I speak from experience on a similar injury in my 30's. I am now getting an ankle replacement in my 60's. What does your foot dr. recommend?

      Good luck with both journeys!

    • Posted

      Thank you. I'll definitely stop with the intense exercise for now. I think I'm going to focus on walking without twisting my ankle and just letting it heal slowly. My doctor just said that it would heal in 6-8 weeks by itself but didn't offer any other advice. If it doesn't show any improvement by Monday, I'll probably go to the doctor's again just in case I've made it worse.

  • Posted

    I think you've probably done more damage to your ankle with such heavy exercising.     The ankle takes nearly all the body weight.   My advice would be to elevate & Ice without delay and keep doing it.   And when you can, see your GP.

    • Posted

      I'm getting more worried now. I can still walk on my ankle though it hurts a little bit and I've iced it and rested it for almost the entire day. I definitely don't think it's broken because I'm not in enough pain and the bone's not jutting out or anything and there's no swelling or bruising. What do you think is the worst thing that could've happened or could still happen? I'm going to try to get a doctor's appointment on Monday.

    • Posted

      There are any number of injuries for feet and ankles. Soft tissue injuries are worse in my opinion. The broken bones will generally heal much faster than tendons and ligaments. And they don't show up on X-rays. I had no clue I had basically shredded my tendon. I thought it was a bad sprain.

  • Posted

    Hi there - came across your thread with similar situation i.e. worked out like crazy on a grade 3 sprain (without knowing it was ligament tear) for 3 months. Wanted to ask how your ankle is doing now? 
  • Posted

    Hi Ether,

    Your sprain at the carnival probably did not heal completely, although you had the good sense to treat it with rest and ice for a few days. For very minor sprains that may be enough, or not.

    But immediately jumping from injury to strenuous exercise was apparently the straw that broke the camel''s back and set your full recovery back.

    It makes sense to back off now, give your ankle some more rest, and avoid activities that leave you in pain. If pain does not subside soon you might need specialist medical attention.

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