Broken ankle?????

[mum4jenn]

I know that it is supposed to be that if you can move or turn the suspected body part that it isn't a break but.... if you can only turn the ankle one way could there still be some sort of break??

I was at Publix today and I fainted and fell. I hit my head and now my ankle is hurting be when I try to walk. I can walk on it but if I try to turn it around there is only one side that will turn and the other side does not move without pain.

Anyone out there with experiences with cracks or breaks?

 

[Angelrose]

I would get it xrayed as soon as possible, just in case. Not something to fool around with.

 

[mommasita]

Sorry you hurt yourself, but FELL AND FAINTED. Have you been seen? I would be going to the ER right away. Hitting your head should be seen by a Dr.

I have broken and sprained my ankle, but did not hesitate to go the ER and get Xrays done to verify.

 

[DisneyScraps]

I am so sorry!

i have sadly broken my ankle THREE times. Each time it hurt but it was manageable at the time I fell but later it got worse and worse. It swelled terribly and I could move it slightly but with great pain and not the total range.

I would absolutely go get it x rayed.

Trust me an ankle is importat you don't realize how much you need it until it's hurt!

Lisa

 

[minniebeth]

I would definatley get it xrayed asap. I hope you are on the mend soon. I'd be concerned about the fainting and falling as well. Make sure you see a dr. about that too!

 

[golfgal]

Movement or no, pain or no is not a good indicator of a break. There are so many bones in your ankle and foot you could easily have a broken bone and not really know it. Most likely you have a bad sprain, but maybe not. It is worth getting looked at but I wouldn't rush to an ER. Call your dr in the morning and see what he says. I would be more concerned about the fainting then the ankle personally.

 

[mum4jenn]

Thanks everyone. I think I fainted because I feel like my blood sugar dropped. I was standing doing an online application and started getting dizzy and sweaty and then next thing I knew an employee was asking me if I was ok. I have a Fred Flintstone lump on my head.

I will try to get the ankle looked at tomorrow. My big problem is that I do not have the money for the co-pay right now.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

An x-ray is the only way to know for sure.

I have heard that ligament tears are worse though as far as healing.

I had a serious sprain (and no hyperbole..literally any lightweight thing such as a feather or a piece of paper could not touch my foot without me being in excrutiating pain!).

My parents never took me in, but based on my recollection of the injury, I am told that most likely I tore some ligaments. I couldn't move my foot or anything, could not place weight on my foot, and it could not be touched without hurting.

The next day, I could not walk at all--so could not go to school and my parents refused to take me in to see the doc.

So--being that school was my refuge, I spent that day learning how to suffer on that foot. It was an all day effort and I have no idea how I did it. I borrowed an old crutch of my mom's in the garage that was way too big for me. (Took it to school only once and it was a disaster). And I just did my best on that foot.

Go get your foot x-rayed and treated, please.

If you can't walk on it--you can't walk on it. You can't know if it is broken unless you are Superman and have x-ray vision.

The good news is that walgreens and such sell crutches, so if you choose not to go to the doc and still can't walk, you can pick something up to help you walk.

But my recovery sucked and I had people who had no business providing medical advice and too lazy to take me into the clinic that caused that.

My foot did eventually heal, though it did have some issues with weakness. A high school student I met as an adult was doing these silly exercises when we did a play together for strengthening the ankle...spelling the alphabet backwards and forwards (no skipping letters) and that did help a lot. But you can't do that until the foot is healed.

Follow RICE in the mean time. But get it x-rayed when you can!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

And one last thought--even if it is broken, it can heal without a cast unless you have done something crazy. But it requires staying completely off of your foot so that it can heal. I met someone who did that. I thought it was crazy, but she was ambulatory in just a few weeks. But knowing what the injury is was important to determining course of care.

 

[bdcp]

Pain, swelling and discoloration are signs of a break. Ability to move it or not is not. It's an old wives tale that you can't move a broken bone.

 

[minkydog]

I know that it is supposed to be that if you can move or turn the suspected body part that it isn't a break but.... if you can only turn the ankle one way could there still be some sort of break??

I was at Publix today and I fainted and fell. I hit my head and now my ankle is hurting be when I try to walk. I can walk on it but if I try to turn it around there is only one side that will turn and the other side does not move without pain.

Anyone out there with experiences with cracks or breaks?

NOT TRUE! You most certainly CAN walk on a broken ankle. I walked on mine for u6 DAYS. When i finally got it xrayed I had fractures in the tibia AND the fibula, the two bones in your lower leg. I was in a non-weight-bearing cast for 6 weeks and was just extremely lucky that I didn't have to have the bones pinned with internal hardware.

I would also be concerned with your head injury. You may need a skull xray as well as an ankle xray. Get thee to an orthopedist tomorrow!

 

[golfgal]

Pain, swelling and discoloration are signs of a break. Ability to move it or not is not. It's an old wives tale that you can't move a broken bone.

Actually these symptoms are more common with a sprain. Often with a break you have NO swelling or swelling that doesn't show up for a couple days. Swelling will only occur with soft tissue damage and if you have a break that may or may not happen. Discoloration with a break is usually very distinct and localized for the first couple days, almost as if someone drew a "bruise" on you.