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Sprained ankle keeps giving out

Posted , 6 users are following.

Mareland6
Mareland6

Hi all

I sprained my ankle on Sunday, and have been treating it with ice, rest and elevation etc. My physio said he believes it to be grade 2 sprain and gave me a compression tube. I had it x-rayed on Monday and they said there was no break and sent me on my way.

My issue is that my ankle keeps giving out, not enough for me to fall over but enough to give me a jolt of pain and to make me feel very unsteady. I have never sprained my ankle before; is it normal for this to happen?

thanks

0 likes, 8 replies

8 Replies

  • cryssy28
    cryssy28 Mareland6

    Posted

    My pt said sone sprains can be worse than breaks. What is a compression tube? I would think they would tell you to possibly limit weight bearing. Discuss with your pt about your activities and how gest to prepare mendure,and wind down. Maybe a snug ace bandage for stability?
  • caroline0774
    caroline0774 Mareland6

    Posted

    You might want to ask for an mri.  An X-ray will only show bone damage not ligament damage.  I have a similar thing after snapping my ligaments and tearing the tendons.
  • rose71920
    rose71920 Mareland6

    Posted

    Exactly what Caroline said. Request an MRI. You don't want to wait if you tore your ligaments or tendons. MRI will only show that damage.

    Good luck!

  • Mareland6
    Mareland6

    Posted

    By compression tube, I mean one of those tight compression sock things. I will speak to my GP about an MRI as in addition to feeling unsteady, the pain is increasing and becoming sharper even though the swelling is starting to settle.
    • suzy213
      suzy213 Mareland6

      Posted

      That sounds like you might have damaged ligaments and/or tendons. An MRI would definitely be the best to assess the damage done to your ankle, since an x-ray will only show any possible bone damage.

      Get well soon.

    • caroline0774
      caroline0774 Mareland6

      Posted

      Hi

      I had this 15 - 10 years ago and my ankle just got weaker and weaker to the point I was twisting it twice a day - chronic ankle instability.  I had a bostrom repair and was fine for 10 years until I twisted it on a broken pavement last October.  I saw a specialist in March and I have snapped everything again.  I am having surgery again in 5 weeks and they are putting an arthrex brace in my ankle as well to make sure it doesn’t go again.  Make sure that you rest and try and get physio to build up your ankles strength because once it’s damaged, damaging it again becomes so much easier.

  • oscar80077
    oscar80077 Mareland6

    Posted

    sadly is very common.

    ligament damage can be assessed also by the specialist with some movements. it's painful but useful because he can valutate the stability of the joint.

    my specialist tested the ankle and suggested to go keep exercising, but the damage from MRI was quite severe and i opted for surgery. it didn't work.

    i would use the brace for some weeks then start exercises, and have the MRI only if it remains unstable

  • kpower
    kpower Mareland6

    Posted

    Dystopya,

    A grade II ankle sprain can be a rather severe insult to an affected ankle. Depending on damage to ligaments, tendons, muscles, nerves, etc. the correct treatment should probably also include protecting ankle for several weeks or more by staying off it completely (no walking on it) for a few weeks, and also wearing an air boot (also known as CAM boot or moon boot) to protect your injury from further sprains and strains while it is healing.

    Since you noted your ankle 'is giving out' frequently this suggestsyou have developed severe ankle instability due to above reasons. You are torturing your ankle unnecessarily-- you should give it a break and let it heal at its own pace.

    Worst case scenario (improper treatment) is that your ankle never heals completely and you might suffer from chronic ankle instability (and be prone to more sprains) in future. If a chronic condition progresses to an end stage it usually involves nasty ankle arthritis, which can be debilitating.

    Please make the right choices-- it is your mobility at stake. Good luck.

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