Ankle Sprain Getting Worse Everyday

[JanersM]

I was shopping for groceries 3 weeks ago and while I was standing still, my ankle rolled.  I have hypermobile joint syndrome so I'm used to spraining things easily.  I kept shopping, but came home and iced my ankle.  I iced and elevated it like I was supposed to, and kept off of it.  It was "okay" for a week and a half, but then it was horrible.  I could barely walk at times, and when I would walk very long, my toes would hurt.  I started trying to ice it like I had initially, but the ice made the pain excruciating.  If I try heat, the swelling gets worse and sometimes it gets a bit numb.  To make matters worse, while walking the dogs last night, my ankle twisted again (same one) when I stepped in the "moat" my neighbors have.  (They like to edge their yards and have a space about 4 inches deep and 3 inches wide between their yard and the sidewalk.)  The new sprain responds to ice the same way that the older one has been responding.  I nearly faint from the pain while walking, but I can still walk, so my family doctor is convinced its just a sprain and not a break.  My foot hurts in between my toes and ankle. (I'm never convinced of that adage, since I every time I've broken my other foot, I've walked for months on it.)

[Michael L Gross, MD]

Certainly an Xray of both your foot and your ankle would be a good idea.  In addition, I would recommend the use of an ankle support until the ligaments heal.  I don't think the soft supports that you purchase in the drug store are very helpful, and I usually prescribe a rigid stirrup type brace that fits in the shoe.  Ankle sprains are injuries to the ligaments, and if they are not treated correctly, they can lead to long term laxity.  Since you mentioned you already had a problem, proper treatment is essential.