Anyone have any experience with a pulled/torn muscle?

[ADisneygirl]

A couple of months ago I injured the top of my foot. It swelled up, got black and blue, and then it got better. Or so I thought.

Now that school is back in session (for three weeks now for me) I am standing and walking all day instead of resting it like I did over the summer. Within a week of being back at school, the top of my foot was hurting again. I was beginning to limp a little. Then I noticed that my calf had developed these two lumps on either side, about halfway up my leg. Hard lumps that have now bruised.

I dragged myself off to the dr. finally yesterday and she was quite alarmed. She seemed to think it was a blood clot! This of course freaked me out and she then sent me to the hospital for an immediate "doppler vein ultrasound". This test was not too pleasant since they had to push that wand into your leg, and when they went over those bumps on my calf I just about saw stars. Anyhow, thank God I did not have any blood clots.

So, they also took x-rays while I was there. I finally got a call today from the Dr. office, and there are no broken bones. They tell me to come back in a week if the bumps aren't gone.

This advice doesn't sit well with me. I know I let this go over the summer, but I thought it was healing. But now that broken bones and blood clots have been ruled out, it must be a muscle or ligament problem. When I flex my foot the bump hurts. It also hurts the longer I am standing on it.

Anyone here ever strain/sprain/tear a muscle in the foot or calf? Did it bruise? I am desperate for some info.

 

[bekkiz]

I wish I could give you some great words of wisodom, or a light at the end of the tunnel, but these types of injuries are about the worst, because there is so little you can do to fix them except time and rest. I would lean more toward a tendon/ligament injury, as there aren't huge muscles in the foot, and the ligaments/tendons are not that well protected.

I tore a ligament in my wrist and in my foot. Both had some swelling (much more in my wrist, but the tear was worse) although I didn't have the bumps that you mention. With my wrist, it was a full year before they had actually fixed me, and I was out of any casting/phusical therepy. I ended up having two surgeries and a few pins put in my wrist.

I'm nervous about the one in my foot. It happened about a month ago (just above my big toe, at the joint where the big toe meets the rest of the foor.) and there's pretty much notheing the doctors could tell me that would make it heal any faster. It's not in an area that casting would help (it sounds like maybe yours might be.) I'm just supposed to wear supportive shoes, avoid standing up for long periods of time, and tape it if I think it needs the extra support. Except that taping it is more painful! Anyway, I'm a teacher, and a coach as well, and I end up standing a lot, and I think the pain is getting worse.

Again, I wish I could be more helpful or encouraging, but I'd try to get an MRI asap, so you don't have to waste too much time. Also for swelling, one thing that helps alot is called a contrast bath. You get two buckets of water, one pretty warm, the other pretty cold, and you alternate a minute in each for like 15 or 20 minutes. This helps "pump out" the swelling, and hopefully will relieve some of the pain. Good luck!