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rolled my ankle...

kachofoolkachofool Registered User regular
edited August 2007 in Help / Advice Forum
About a month (maybe a little over a month) back I rolled my ankle quite badly while playing some soccer. It hurt a lot and there was a heartwarming crack when I rolled it. My foot swelled up really bad the next couple of days but the pain was more than managable and at school with finals a few weeks away I pretty much totally forgot about it, so I didn't go to the doctor or anything. I put ice and iodex on it the first few days to keep swelling down, but that's all I've done in terms of treating it.

Currently it doesn't hurt except for when it's in a certain position (specifically the position your foot is in when you sit cross legged). Also, it's very prone to rolling... in the sense that it doesn't feel as stable as my other foot. And the second its about to roll over, my foot absolutely kills. Normal walking, running doesn't hurt it at all. If I put my feet side by side... the rolled ankle looks different (a bit more swollen, shaped alittle different) than the normal ankle. Obviously its gotten better with time.

So the question is ... what now? I don't want to pay an unnecessary trip to the doctor. Does it normally take a long time for ankles to heal? Anything I should do (I'm thinking I'll start wearing an ankle support to prevent accidentally rolling)....

Thanks!

kachofool on

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    ShmoepongShmoepong Registered User regular
    edited August 2007
    A few years ago I did the same thing. I fell down some stairs and twisted my ankle. Made me want to puke the pain was so bad. I, like you, walked on it for several months without seeing a doctor. Now my left ankle is larger than my right, but isn't prone to rolling.

    Your ankle could be permanently larger, because of the extra layer of bone over your fracture (lamellar bone, if you had a fracture). Bones heal within 6 to 8 weeks, but stretched tendons take 4 to 6 months to repair. It's important to take it easy on your ankle so your tendons can regain their original elasticity. And the pain you get from sitting cross legged likely comes from your stretched tendon.

    If you don't let your tendon heal properly during these months (e.g. not playing soccer), you'll end up having ankles that are prone to twist out of their socket easily. This concept goes for your any of your joints.

    If you want better advice, go see an orthopedist. Not screwing up your joints for life is worth it.

    Edit:

    My completely unprofessional medical opinion is to invest in an ankle brace. I like McDavids as far as brands go, my knee thanks them daily.

    Shmoepong on
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    an_altan_alt Registered User regular
    edited August 2007
    Personally, I prefer tape to ankle braces as tape will be a lot thinner and you can go from a minimal wrap just to keep it from twisting in a particular direction or load it up if you're going to get back on the pitch.

    Here's fairly full tape job: http://www.nismat.org/traincor/ankle_tape.html while a 'just in case' job would be two heel locks on each side and a figure 8 or two, all done over the sock.

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    DJ-99DJ-99 Registered User regular
    edited August 2007
    Well, there's nothing wrong with wearing a brace, it's generally much more convenient than getting taped all the time. Make sure you only wear the brace when you're actually playing sports, because if you wear it all day, every day, your ankle will just continue to weaken. I recommend ASO brand ankle braces.

    The real problem is that you need to strengthen your ankle. You need to buy a rubber band type thing. I recommend Thera-Band Latex Free 6' Band. They come in different levels of resistance, but since it's been a while since you were injured you probably want either green or blue. Basically, you tie one end to something heavy and immovable, strap the other end to your foot, and rotate your ankle in each of the four directions in controlled movements. You want to be in the figure 4 position, with the heel of your other foot under your calf, and your affected ankle's foot raised several inches off the ground.

    Keep icing after you do those exercises, and you will be as good as new within a few months.

    DJ-99 on
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