Sprained Ankle, Part 2 - Richardson,TX

I had sprained my ankle last September and it still is bothering me. I had went to the ER because it was so swollen and black and blue and made me sick to my stomach from all the pain. After the X-ray it was only sprained, but from how I felt i could have sworn it was broken. It has almost been a year and it's still bothering me on the inside of my foot. Keep it up and ice,ice,ice....I had to use crutches for a few day's. ibuprofen helps with swelling as well...Good luck to you as you are healing.

Not a doc or a nurse, but I'm always breaking/spraining something. Call me 'grace' ;) If you're doing better, keep it up! Sounds like you're doing fine. Keep it elevated, and use an ace bandage if you have to walk around. Crutches or a cane would help keep the pressure off too, if you've got them (I DO, LOL!) If you can put weight on it without screaming, you'll be okay. Now, if it still hurts after 48 hours of REALLY taking care of it, then go get xrayed just to be on the safe side. Just speaking from experience, my rule of thumb is, unless there's a visible deformity or extreme pain, walk it off... if I didn't do this, I'd be glowing in the dark from all the xrays!! Feel better :)

when i had this happen to me i had to go to the dr. i had terrible bruising all over my foot. i had actually torn some ligaments, etc. it's always good to have it checked because you can have a slight break or crack in the bone. my brother did this also while jumping the fence when he was younger, and he still has problems because he had torn his achilles tendon and messed up the ligaments and cartlidge or something like that.

I'm glad it's feeling better!

Before we switched insurance, if this had happened to me, I might have said "I'll go to the doctor, just to be sure." Now, with our lovely (note the sarcasm) high-deductible ins., I'm much more inclined to self-treat, but use common sense in doing so.

You know your own body--it's limits on pain, what feels bad, what looks bad or not normal. If it were me, I'd continue with anti-inflammatory meds (ibuprofen), and with keeping it elevated, and doing heat/cold therapy as needed. Do try to keep it elevated as much as possible, and do try to stay off it as much as possible. If it hurts more, or the pain changes or gets worse, or the swelling increase in a concerning way, go see the doc. And Rachel D's advise is all good. :)

They have ankle wraps in the pharmacy. I've turned my ankle enough times to have several different style neoprene wraps that are easy on/off with velcro.
Since your swelling goes down over night, and you can walk on it, it doesn't sound that bad to me. The worst I've ever had was a 2nd degree sprain and that landed me in a walking cast for 4 weeks. The swelling and bruising was NOT something that went away overnight - it got way worse. The bruising came in colors that even impressed the doctor - a regular rainbow of pain!
Try to keep it elevated when you can and wrapped for a week or two.
I'd rub some Aspercream on it after you shower and before you wrap it up again.
Once you sprain an ankle sometimes they are prone to it for awhile. Take it easy and try not to stress it even after you feel better. Give it time for the ligaments and tendons to strengthen again. If you are going hiking or will be walking on uneven surfaces wear hiking boots with some ankle support.

I have horrible ankles... I have broken my ankle twice (no way to walk on it and the pain did not go away till I had it in a cast), sprain it at least once a month if not more and twist it weekly. Ice it and keep it elevated when possible, even if you can put it on a small box or step stool under your desk that helps.

Ice for 20 mins then take a little break so skin warms up again then ice again, this will help with swelling. Ice after any activity, such as a lot of walking, driving if using that foot, or anything that seems to make it swell again.

In the next day or two if you are still a little sore HEAT it BEFORE the activity, can use a warm towel or heating pad for 20 mins, this will help relax the muscles and lossen the tissue to be used during an activity (like sport, walking and so on).

If it seems to be getting better then keep up what you are doing. If it does not hurt when you walk on it and heals in a week then you should be good to go :) If it seems to be getting worse or not improving in a few days then it might be something to go to the doctors but it seems you are doing great at taking care of it at home.

I sprained my ankle, badly, in highschool and was on crutches for a few days. It looked so much worse after a couple of days that my gymnastic coach insisted I go to the emergency room. It looked terrible - black, green, red - really terrible. Pretty much to doctors gave the same advice here which had something to do with ice or heat and ibuprofin (sp?). Maybe a wrap?

What I remember the doctor telling me was that I could walk and do on it as I could tolerate the pain. I also remember that there wasnt very much that a doctor could do to help.

If you have good insurance and can go to the doctor for a reasonable price, go ahead and go. But if its going to set you back more than you can afford, I would just risk it (but thats me.:))

You will have bruising after the swelling, so that alone is not a reason to see a doc. If the pain recedes, you are well on your way to healing. If it stays the same or gets worse, get it checked. Also, keep the whole area wrapped - even after the swelling goes down - to reduce range of motion as it heals. This also helps remind you to avoid putting too much weight on it. Hope you feel better soon...