1. Community
  2. Injury and accidents
  3. Accidents and Injuries

suspected ankle fracture and foot immobilization

Posted , 2 users are following.

oscar80077
oscar80077

hi, i recently fell downtairs spraining my foot. couldn't move it or touch it, my doctor suspected a fracture so put an emergency splint and told to have it x-rayed.

 x-ray showed a possible fracture and severe bruising, they made another splint and sent home with prescription for a scan to determine ligaments damage, and a cast application when the swelling reduces.

i have a pair of question being my first ankle injury:

-the new splint is very unstable and the foot hurts more than it did in the old one, should i change it?

-is the cast prescription definitive? or will the therapy be determined on the scan outcome? if the bone isn't broken maybe the cast isn't necessary.

thanks

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • devsmom
    devsmom oscar80077

    Posted

    Hi Oscar,  In my opinion if the new splint is unstable and makes your foot hurt more, I would check back either by phone or in person with a medical professional and decide based on their advise.  Regarding a cast I, guess that's up in the air at this point.  I'm not sure what a "possible" fracture is.  Is there a broken/fractured bone in your foot? or not?  I also fell down stairs and fractured the 5th metatarsal bone in my foot.  My foot was not sprained but my ankle twisted and caused the fall.  I ended up in a non weight bearing fiberglass cast for 4 weeks because of the break.  I did not have a scan and do not know the heeling process for ligament damage.     
    • oscar80077
      oscar80077 devsmom

      Posted

      thanks

      from my understanding they diagnosed it as possible fracture because the doctor and the nurse think the bone is broken but couldn't clearly see it on the x-ray.

      we preferred to avoid another x-ray because the scan had allready been booked, also the eventual fracture shouldn't be displaced.

      i called my doc. and he confirmed that the splint is often unstable because it must accomodate the swelling of the ankle. told me to wait a pair of days and if it really is too painfull don't esitate to get back to his office.

      hope will get better because the application was quite painful.

    • devsmom
      devsmom oscar80077

      Posted

      I'm glad that you got in touch with your doctor.  Based on my "journey" with a broken foot I think the doctors/nurses should spend a little bit of additional time with their patients and tell them what they can expect following the visit.  I know my doctors told me next to nothing except when to show up again.  I learned more from this forum and the experiences of others.  I can tell you that when they put the cast on my foot (toes uncoverd but other wise toes to knee) it did not hurt.  If you have to go into a cast I hope that it is not painful for you like the splint application.
  • oscar80077
    oscar80077

    Posted

    2 days ago i fell and resprained the foot. doctor say i mede the ligaments damage worse.

    for sure it was painful and when they changed the splint the leg was in agony.

    the foot seems dislocated to me.

    if it's too swollen for the cast after the scan i'll ask them to put the aluminium splint.

    • devsmom
      devsmom oscar80077

      Posted

      Oh Oscar,  What the heck is up with all this falling??  When my husband started falling he ended up with a scan (of his head) and learned he was having balance problems due to "water on the brain". Did they give you pain meds that make you light headed?  When is your scan to determine the damage to your foot?  In the mean time I hope that you do not have to go to work or school but can put on some good movies to watch with your foot elevated and just heal.  No more falling okay?   
    • oscar80077
      oscar80077 devsmom

      Posted

      are the stupid crutches! i don't know how people can use them, luckly i fell only once. i'll try the underarm model that looks more stable.

      luckly the scan should be in 2-3 days.

    • devsmom
      devsmom oscar80077

      Posted

      I was lucky to have a walker.  It was stable and closed me in on both sides and the front.  I'm not familiar with different kinds of crutches but I figured they would really hurt my underarms.  In talking with others I did learn that you are not supposed to use your underarms to bear your weight but to keep them in place and use your hands on the small cross handholds to actually hold all of your weight so as not to step on the injured foot.  Hope you have good news after the scan.  
Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.