Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Unexplained Ankle Swelling and Bruising

First off.  28 year old male.  6'5" 235 lbs.  I work as a mechanic.

About a month ago now, I started having problems with my ankles.  First it was just my right one.  Noticed some slight bruising on the inside of my ankle.  Then after a couple of days the pain showed up.  Again just in my right foot.  About two or three days later my left foot/ankle began to bruise and then hurt.  After two weeks of putting up with the pain, I woke up one day and I couldn't walk.  They hurt so bad.  I had to hobble around on my tippy toes just to get to work.  Took some ibuprofin and made an appointment with a foot doctor.

He concluded plantar fasciitus, gave me a steroid shot in both feet, and sent me home with some prescription ibuprofin.  The bruising went down slightly over the next couple of days but then returned again but worse.  Now I have bruising all the way around my heel and my right foot is considerable more swollen than the left.

After blood tests he thought I had an infection.  My WBC was 13.8, normal being 4.5-11.0.  Lymphocyte is low at 7.8, normal being 16-48.  Granulocyte high at 82.5, normal being 41-74.  Mono high at 1.2, normal being .2-1.0.  Gran high at 11.4, normal being 1.6-7.3.

When he saw that my WBC was high, he prescribed some broad spectrum antibiotics.  I saw the doctor again today after only five days of being on the antibiotics (today being the fifth day) and he still doesn't have a clue.  He wants me to go in for a surgery on Friday, the 13th no less, and cut open my right ankle to find out what is going on inside.

I don't want to be cut open, so here I am.  HELP me find out what is wrong so I don't have to go under the knife.
9 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
Does this guy still have this issue? I have the exact same thing and cannot figure it out. Can anyone help?
Helpful - 0
2 Comments
I am the OP and no, I don't have and haven't had this issue since it went away.  I can't remember how many weeks it took, but it finally went away on its own.  I still don't have a reason for it.
Thanks for your reply. I hope you never have to go through it again. This sucks.
Avatar universal
I  have had ankle problems for 6 years now.  I am 24 I found out I have ecstatic necrosis and tendinitis.  Pretty much I have poor circulation that caused some of my bones to die in my feet! It can hurt like hell I have slight bruising on the outside of my ankle and when I walk SOMETIMES I feel like a nerve is being pinched.  Most nights when I get off work my feet are swollen and discolored.  So I have to massage them.  Did they do a MRI?  That's how they found out for me
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
You have a good doctor that would perform a surgery to look inside to see what is going on I think sometimes that is the only way to really see what the problem is. numbrt
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I hope they find an answer for you.  My husband is suffering from the same thing and three doctors have been unable to figure it out.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I am 58 year old male in reasonably good physical condition. Lately my left ankle has had soreness and  a yellow bruise and swelling of the leg at the sock line. Today it is tender and kind of achy. Did not injure my foot or ankle it just happened out of the blue.  So I thought to post here to say I have something similar going on.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have been having pain in my ankles that felt like bruising for 11 years.  It has gotton worse just in the past year and has creeped up my shins.  I have taken a routine of tests and blood tests.  All have come back normal.  It started out 11 years ago when I woke up to severely swollen ankles.  After many tests, it was determined that I had a virus.  The swelling went down after about two weeks, bur left me with "pain to the touch" (like a bruise) for the next ten years.  In the last year constant pain without touching.  I am going to take a test for lyme disease.  I was told it could liger in your body for years and that they have discovered it could also be carried by mosquitos as well as deer ticks.  Just today I noticed actual bruising around the inside of my right ankle.  No bumps into anything!  I want to know what is wrong with me before it gets even worse.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I am 56 YO and have been having joint bruising (alternates between ankles) and now my elbow.  The bruise appears first then the swelling and pain!  I just assumed I hit it on something.  But the more it is occuring the more I realize, I did nothing to cause it.  I am on blood thinners so the bruising always looks worse.  It occurs during the night.  I wake up realizing my ankle hurts.  I wondered if it could be gout???
AB
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I went out with my friends and I've must have bumped my hand on something hard because the next morning, my left hand was swollen located on one of my bones. I've put a hot towel on it and the swelling went down a little. Can anyone give me some information or tell me what it might be and the reason why my hand was swollen. Could it been from the hard material that I bumped against. Please write back.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Did you find out what is causing your ankle pain and bruising???

My daughter is have the same symptoms for about 2 years now. I have taken her to many doctors and have had MRI's, X-ray's, blood test, and still the doctors have NO idea what is going on.

PLEASE HELP!!!
Helpful - 0
3 Comments
My cousin is sixteen. She had the same symptoms as both of you and it turns out that she has a neurotic disease that will be end up killing her within the next two years, and meanwhile all of the doctors gave her at least 10 different types of medication, multiple MRIs and cat scans with and without dye, tons of other treatments and it took them 5 and a half years to find out what it was, after 8 wrong diagnosis
I am curious about what the neurotic diagnosis was and were your daughter's blood tests similar to the ones described?
Neurotic is mental so if you are implying that the people on here who are experiencing extreme pain and they are suffering with out answers that is condescending and rude.
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Orthopedics Community

Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Find out if PRP therapy right for you.
Tips for preventing one of the most common types of knee injury.
Tips and moves to ease backaches
How to bounce back fast from an ankle sprain - and stay pain free.
Patellofemoral pain and what to do about it.
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.