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Severe pain in sprained ankle
A month ago I fell down some steps, at first the hospital then an Othopedic Dr said I had a fracture of the Calcaneus (heel) then said no, it was a severe sprain.
Could not walk on it for 3 weeks at all, am in a long boot and using crutches, the pain has been unbearable.
The pain is on the left side of my left foot, on the top and the bottom, my big toe and part of my foot on top are numb.
Dr said to start walking on it with the boot on and to go to PT which I did yesterday, I was in utter agony again all last night, the PT basically just moved my foot a little...it's not moving a lot...and I did walk but it didn't feel that bad at the time.
Is this normal for a severe sprain to hurt this much after almost a month?
When I fell I heard and felt a loud snap/crack on the left side of my left foot but the Ortho seems unconcerned and said walk on it.
I am now sitting with my foot up on pillows which I always do even in bed and have to wear this boot as my foot starts hurting more and feels insecure.
Do I keep trying to walk on it and do the PT exercises??
I don't know what to do, don't see the Ortho again until next Friday and to be honest he just gets you out of his office ASAP.
Thanks so much for any help :)
Could not walk on it for 3 weeks at all, am in a long boot and using crutches, the pain has been unbearable.
The pain is on the left side of my left foot, on the top and the bottom, my big toe and part of my foot on top are numb.
Dr said to start walking on it with the boot on and to go to PT which I did yesterday, I was in utter agony again all last night, the PT basically just moved my foot a little...it's not moving a lot...and I did walk but it didn't feel that bad at the time.
Is this normal for a severe sprain to hurt this much after almost a month?
When I fell I heard and felt a loud snap/crack on the left side of my left foot but the Ortho seems unconcerned and said walk on it.
I am now sitting with my foot up on pillows which I always do even in bed and have to wear this boot as my foot starts hurting more and feels insecure.
Do I keep trying to walk on it and do the PT exercises??
I don't know what to do, don't see the Ortho again until next Friday and to be honest he just gets you out of his office ASAP.
Thanks so much for any help :)
If the doctor instructed you to keep the boot on while in bed, the keep it on. There are different degrees of sprains, and perhaps you have the worst type and your doctor is trying to keep you from having surgery.
So while in bed, keep the straps on snuggly but not so tight that it hurts (but you can't move around in the boot either).
It you take the boot off to do your PT exercises, as I said earlier, take the pain medication at least an hour beforehand and perhaps ice it before and after doing the exercises...it's going to hurt, but this will decrease the pain and swelling. When the put the boot back on, put it on snuggly and keep your leg elevated.
Pain is better than numbness when it comes to nerve damage. Sometimes nerves have the ability to re-grow after trauma. Did the numbness happen after this injury? Ask the doctor the next time you see him:
1) Do you need additional diagnostic imaging (e.g. MRI, X-rays)?
2) Will the numbness improve in time? What is the name of the nerve that is damaged?
Did you tell the doctor that you are not getting enough pain relief from the medication you are on? If not, let him know. He can prescribe something else.
Sprains hurt, so give it time to heal. Eat a healthy diet to improve healing.
So while in bed, keep the straps on snuggly but not so tight that it hurts (but you can't move around in the boot either).
It you take the boot off to do your PT exercises, as I said earlier, take the pain medication at least an hour beforehand and perhaps ice it before and after doing the exercises...it's going to hurt, but this will decrease the pain and swelling. When the put the boot back on, put it on snuggly and keep your leg elevated.
Pain is better than numbness when it comes to nerve damage. Sometimes nerves have the ability to re-grow after trauma. Did the numbness happen after this injury? Ask the doctor the next time you see him:
1) Do you need additional diagnostic imaging (e.g. MRI, X-rays)?
2) Will the numbness improve in time? What is the name of the nerve that is damaged?
Did you tell the doctor that you are not getting enough pain relief from the medication you are on? If not, let him know. He can prescribe something else.
Sprains hurt, so give it time to heal. Eat a healthy diet to improve healing.
Hi Foggy and thank you so much for your reply.
Yes, did mention the numbness to the Dr and PT, Dr said it's probably nerve damage and nothing he can do.
The numbness has never gone a way.
He did order more X-rays which then didn't show any fracture but then also said X-ray's don't show everything.
For 3 weeks I couldn't move my foot at all, now just a little, right now I just took the boot and bandage off and tried to walk a little and the pain was terrible.
Yes, I have the highest does of Norco for the pain, it eventually kicks in.
When I elevate my foot I try to move it doing the exercises the PT gave me but it flares it up even worse.
The boot I have is a long stiff black one with straps at the front so I do losen them while in bed, tried to sleep without it but my ankle starts throbbing so much and it feels unstable.
Who knew a sprain could hurt so much!!!
Yes, did mention the numbness to the Dr and PT, Dr said it's probably nerve damage and nothing he can do.
The numbness has never gone a way.
He did order more X-rays which then didn't show any fracture but then also said X-ray's don't show everything.
For 3 weeks I couldn't move my foot at all, now just a little, right now I just took the boot and bandage off and tried to walk a little and the pain was terrible.
Yes, I have the highest does of Norco for the pain, it eventually kicks in.
When I elevate my foot I try to move it doing the exercises the PT gave me but it flares it up even worse.
The boot I have is a long stiff black one with straps at the front so I do losen them while in bed, tried to sleep without it but my ankle starts throbbing so much and it feels unstable.
Who knew a sprain could hurt so much!!!
These type of injuries can hurt a lot. Did you mention to the doctor and PT about the numbness? Sometimes by not moving the extremity, nerve damage sets in, and they encourage you to move it, even if it's just wiggling the toes every hour; this also helps increase circulation and help with healing.
On the other hand, if you are numb and your toes are blue in color, you need to go to the ER since it is the weekend - this is a sign that there is inadequate circulation due to swelling caused by the injury.
Did your doctor prescribe anything for pain? If not, I would give him a call first thing on the next business day and tell him that you need something since, esp. if you are to go to PT. Often times, it is best to take a pain medication 1 hour prior to PT so that it is working while you are at PT and afterwards. If the pain isn't too bad, you may want to try an over the counter medication, but talk to your doctor.
Did the doctor order additional X-rays or other films on your foot or ankle other than what was done in the ER? If not, you might ask about this at your next visit with him just to make sure nothing was missed and perhaps he may want to see how you are coming along (or not).
You are doing the right thing be keeping it elevated; that means higher than the level of your heart. You can ask your doctor if you can remove the boot while you are elevated to apply ice packs; this may help with pain, but roll towels up on each side of your leg (near the calf and thigh on each side) to support it so it doesn't move at all if he agrees to this.
If you have the type of boot that has a pump, you can also adjust the pump to your comfort. Since there is little padding in these boots, you may want to make your own or buy something and cut it to fit into the boot for some cushioning.
Let us know if you have additional questions. Hang in there.
On the other hand, if you are numb and your toes are blue in color, you need to go to the ER since it is the weekend - this is a sign that there is inadequate circulation due to swelling caused by the injury.
Did your doctor prescribe anything for pain? If not, I would give him a call first thing on the next business day and tell him that you need something since, esp. if you are to go to PT. Often times, it is best to take a pain medication 1 hour prior to PT so that it is working while you are at PT and afterwards. If the pain isn't too bad, you may want to try an over the counter medication, but talk to your doctor.
Did the doctor order additional X-rays or other films on your foot or ankle other than what was done in the ER? If not, you might ask about this at your next visit with him just to make sure nothing was missed and perhaps he may want to see how you are coming along (or not).
You are doing the right thing be keeping it elevated; that means higher than the level of your heart. You can ask your doctor if you can remove the boot while you are elevated to apply ice packs; this may help with pain, but roll towels up on each side of your leg (near the calf and thigh on each side) to support it so it doesn't move at all if he agrees to this.
If you have the type of boot that has a pump, you can also adjust the pump to your comfort. Since there is little padding in these boots, you may want to make your own or buy something and cut it to fit into the boot for some cushioning.
Let us know if you have additional questions. Hang in there.
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