redamaged sciatic nerve and sprang ankle--need advice

[giddychic]

Hey----I recently reinjured the sciatic nerve in my left leg and at the same time I sprang the left ankle (twice)---My ankle is the size of a baseball right now it was the siaze of a soft ball---but nothing is broken----what do I need to do to get my ankle and the sciatic nerve in my leg back to working condition???

[pianonut]

I have a swollen right ankle.  I had an ultrasound test which showed no clots in the right leg.  Earlier this year I suffered a herniated L4-L5 disk with accompanying sciatica in my left leg.   A short while before noting the swollen ankle, I had some back pain, difficulty sitting on the right side.  The herniated disk sciatica symptoms on the left side subsided (not to zero) over a few months with some physical therapy, allowing me to avoid any surgery.
Now my question is, could my right ankle swelling be due to new bulging in my L4-L5 disk putting pressure on my right L4 sciatic nerve?

[sk8er boy]

Hey, I recently sprang my ankle about 3 days ago skateboarding. At first i was able to walk on it fine then later on that night the pain was almost unbearable. After the 3 days has past i am able to walk on it again but I can still fell i slight pain. What should i do?

[star queen]

The sciatic nerve runs down the back of the buttocks around the hip and down the thigh, outside of the lower leg and into the ankle and foot.  Any injury to the leg can have an effect on the sciatic nerve.  Limping or favoring one foot over another also can play a part.  Swimming is considered to be one of the best exercises to work the nerve.  The cold water eases pain and just walking around in the water or doing slow kicking may relieve irritation and pain.  Avoid the hot tub, steam room, and other hot places, if possible.  Cold is the preferred temperature, but in some people heat works better.  In that case, hot baths, steam room, etc.  will help best.  You just need to try both and see which gives you the best relief.  Good luck.

[giddychic]

thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!  actually my husband has massaged the buttocks area but can it be done to hard----it seems it is more painful than better----and do you think due to the ankle injury it plays a role in the recover of the nerve??

[star queen]

Sciatic nerves are inflammed and you may require an anti-inflammatory from your doctor.  You can massage your buttocks to get the nerve to relax and give some pain relief. You can also try heat or cold on the lower back and upper buttocks for pain relief.  Some people get better results with heat, some with cold packs.  If heat feels better, use those heat patches that look like large bandaids.  They will give heat for up to 8 hours and can be worn to bed for a better night's sleep.  The ankle should be raised above the heart to reduce swelling.  Lay down on the sofa and raise the foot to a level above the chest. Use ice on the ankle to reduce blood flow to the ankle and the swelling will be reduced. Heat will increase the swelling.  The pain from the ankle is mostly from the skin stretching to accomodate the extra fluid.  When the swelling is reduced, the pain will reduce as well. A bag of frozen veggies works best for ankles because it will wrap around the ankle.  Buy a veggie you hate for this because all the thawing and refreezing of the bag will make it bad to eat.  If it is a veggie you hate, you will remember not to eat that bag of veggies.  The rule of thumb with icing is 15 minutes of icing, and 15 minutes without ice to rest the skin.  Never put ice directly on the skin, but wrap in a cloth to prevent skin burn from the cold.  When the ankle swelling goes down, try wrapping in an ACE bandage for support. It should be snug, not tight.