Broken ankle or a sprain? [UPDATE #2: Ice skating?]

billwill

Ok, so I was playing football with some friends today and I messed up my ankle a bit.

+When I fell on it, I heard seven to eight cracks.

+There is no bruising or anything like that.

+It hurts like a goddamn bitch, even when I'm not moving it (but not as much when I do move it).

+I can move my toes, but I can't bend them.

Please tell me it's just a sprain.

EDIT: And of course I notice the extremely similar thread five below mine after I made this one.

Improvolone

How are we supposed to know without an x-ray? I'm gonna say a break based on pain no matter what though. Broken toes are one thing, but don't fuck with a broken ankle.

Noquar

See a doctor. Yes, it may cost money, but this isn't something to bring to us just so we can tell you what you want to hear.

billwill

Well of course I'm going to see a doctor first thing tomorrow.

I would like a general consensus as to what it is, though, which is why I listed what I am experiencing.

dispatch.o

Its broken, but maybe not the ankle. Lots of bones in the foot.

Qliphoth

You can get cracking/popping sounds from tearing ligaments, but the fact that there was 7 or 8 of them and not one sounds pretty bad.

Eat it You Nasty Pig.

no way to really tell without an x-ray. The lack of swelling usually indicates a break, though.

Sir Carcass

My experience with broken bones is that you know if you just broke one. But yeah, go to a doctor. It's the only way to know for sure. It could be all manner of stuff that you don't want setting on its own.

MrDelish

I've heard that a broken bone in the foot can feel like a really bad sprain. I sprained my foot this summer and it hurt like crazy, more than any other pain I ever felt but it was not broken.

Cracking noises, though? Go to a doctor, just in case.

The Black Hunter

Go to the god damn doctor

I have a friend who has broken both her feet, and if you don't get it fixed properly you are fucked

oldsak

I had a really bad ankle sprain over the summer. Really loud crack (definitely not 8 though), couldn't put any weight or pressure on it at first. Hurt something awful for a while.

It took me over a month to fully recover.

I didn't go to the doctor, but I could tell from the way it moved and felt that it was the ligament that was injured. As others have said, there are a lot of bones in your foot. The fact that you heard multiple cracks could mean you injured multiple parts.

Eat it You Nasty Pig.

I've had my ankle pop multiple times when I've rolled it. The number of sounds doesn't really tell you anything, especially since it's pretty unlikely you remember the sounds correctly.

skyybahamut

When I sprained my ankle it swelled up to grapefruit size in 10 min. When I broke and sprained it 3 years later not nearly so swollen. Go see a doctor, like yesterday fast.

Greenleaf

Sounds like you broke a bunch of little bones in your foot.

I've had a similar injury and an X-ray popped up 6 broken bones in my foot.

billwill

Yeah its a very severe sprain.

Any advice on how to fucking survive? I have to use crutches and wear a cast for like six weeks, and I find it really hard to get around with them, mainly because all the blood rushes back into my foot and it hurts like a bitch.

What can I do? I spent today reading, playing video games, and watching TV. I can't handle it. My ass is falling asleep every five minutes and I have a killer headache.

Any tips or whatever on how to deal?

Entriech

billwill wrote: »

Any tips or whatever on how to deal?

I've twisted my ankle a lot over the years, and the two things I usually do to get by are Ibuprofen and Ice. Ibuprofen as often as you're able, and ice the affected area for 10 minutes every hour. My experience with sprains and twists is that the pain you experience is from the swelling, so, reducing the swelling helps reduce the pain. You can double up on Ibuprofen and Tylenol if you need the extra painkilling power.

oldsak

Yeah, there's not a lot you can do besides the obvious.

Stay off your feet, pop ibuprofen, and grit your teeth.

ink4n3

To reduce swelling, you need to elevate it in addition to ice and ibuprofen. You need to get it above your heart. Lay on the couch with it propped up under some pillows or on the back of the couch if your legs are long enough. You can use one of those reusable bandages for compression when you ice. Even a sock will help keep swelling down. Every time I've sprained ankles and wear socks, the bruising will follow my sock line.

Follow the RICE method: Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation.

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/rehab/a/rice.htm

Eat it You Nasty Pig.

If it really is just a stress fracture in your heel or one of the bigger bits of your ankle, there really isn't anything you can do but stay off of it. A doctor might fit you for a boot or something else with some padding, but that's just for pain really. I fractured my heel once and they didn't even do that, just told me to rest it (which is advice I ignored, but hey it was soccer season.)

If you still haven't regained full motion that might be a sign that you've done ligament damage or broken once of the many little bones that connect to yoru toes, which is something you really ought to have looked at.

billwill

Dyscord wrote: »

If it really is just a stress fracture in your heel or one of the bigger bits of your ankle, there really isn't anything you can do but stay off of it. A doctor might fit you for a boot or something else with some padding, but that's just for pain really. I fractured my heel once and they didn't even do that, just told me to rest it (which is advice I ignored, but hey it was soccer season.)

If you still haven't regained full motion that might be a sign that you've done ligament damage or broken once of the many little bones that connect to yoru toes, which is something you really ought to have looked at.

I talked to a doctor already.

Six weeks with a temp cast/boot and crutches.

billwill

Alright, sweet. The first few days were absolutely terrible, but it has healed rapidly the last two-three days (even the doctor was shocked).

The thing is, tonight a lot of my friends from high school are getting together to go ice skating, and I'm wondering if I'll be okay to join them. From what I remember, ice skates have a lot of ankle support, and I can put weight on my foot just fine, so it seems like it'll just be like wearing my boot, but sliding instead of stepping.

Any input? Am I remembering ice skating incorrectly and you actually use your ankle a lot?

(This is semi urgent, since I will have to leave to go in an hour and a half).

Thanks!

FyreWulff

I'd say no. You're going to spend a lot of time with all your weight on one leg. If you're on crutches you shouldn't be doing anything that requires you to be off the crutches for extended periods of time.

Usagi

The pushing sideways motion is probably going to be a killer, and if you fall you can still injure your ankle further even with all that support.

billwill

I haven't used crutches the last few days because of how well it has healed (thank god, i hate those things).

Usagi wrote: »

The pushing sideways motion is probably going to be a killer, and if you fall you can still injure your ankle further even with all that support.

Ugh I forgot about pushing sideways. Even with wussy-hand-on-wall ice skating you think that will be an issue? I mean, I'm not going to rocket around the track (even if I didn't have an injured ankle I wouldn't be doing that).

FyreWulff

I'd say if you really needed to go, be the picture guy. I mean, most people I see at skating rinks are just hanging around the walls talking to each other anyway..

Eat it You Nasty Pig.

skating puts a lot of pressure on your ankles because they have to constantly hold your foot in at the proper angle to stay upright. In addition to the regular rise and fall action, they're doing a ton of stabilizing work. Depends on the skates, too.

Whether or not this will cause you any specific problems probably depends on what exactly you hurt, but I don't see how standing/walking/jogging would become any easier as a result of being on skates.

Usagi

billwill wrote: »

I haven't used crutches the last few days because of how well it has healed (thank god, i hate those things).

Usagi wrote: »

The pushing sideways motion is probably going to be a killer, and if you fall you can still injure your ankle further even with all that support.

Ugh I forgot about pushing sideways. Even with wussy-hand-on-wall ice skating you think that will be an issue? I mean, I'm not going to rocket around the track (even if I didn't have an injured ankle I wouldn't be doing that).

Yeah, having skated with a sprained ankle several times I can tell you from personal experience that OW. Do yourself a favor and just chill out on the bench and be the guy with the camera, your ankle will thank you.

Entriech

Yeah, skating is extremely hard on your ankles, even in a molded skate (nevermind leather). If you want to go, go be the social/picture life of the party guy. The worst thing you could do is put additional strain on your ankle until you've fully recovered.

Orestus

Skating is a really bad idea, ice skating is very tough on your ankles...good ice skates (like figure skater skates or hockey skates) will have strong ankle support, but the rentals you will get will not. You would probably be fine just holding the wall and shuffling around, but if you slip you are screwed.

Vesty

Orestus wrote: »

Skating is a really bad idea, ice skating is very tough on your ankles...good ice skates (like figure skater skates or hockey skates) will have strong ankle support, but the rentals you will get will not. You would probably be fine just holding the wall and shuffling around, but if you slip you are screwed.

As someone who works at an ice rink I want to emphasize this. Rental skates are made to fit as many people as possible. They aren't going to give you the best ankle support compared to personal skates. Probably won't fit perfectly either. Also something a lot of people don't think about is while you may be good enough to keep yourself up, you aren't skating alone on the ice. Majority of the people out there can't skate well and collisions are likely (especially if you're in a group and not paying too much attention). Lot of injuries come from collisions.