OT: SPrained ankle/foot healing time?

[casjen]

So I slipped on some stairs and turned my left foot and ankle and severely sprained both. I was in a walking boot for 5 weeks and I have been out of it for 3. I am 2 months out from the injury and still in pain everyday. I still can't move my foot except for up and down. I am in PT and it hurts so much to go. I dread going b/c I am in pain when I am there and barely able to walk the enxt day. I can only wear my old beat up sneakers. No other shoes fit b/c they hurt too much to wear.

So, does anyone know if it is normal to be in so much pain 2 months out from the injury? I told me DH I haven't been pain free in 2 months. It's wearing me down. I am a teacher so I am on my feet at work all day.

I am going back to the Orthopedist Tuesday and several co-workers told me I should insist on an MRI. But what would it show? Any been there, done that advice would be great. I just want to be able to walk pain free again.

 

[Marionnette]

So I slipped on some stairs and turned my left foot and ankle and severely sprained both. I was in a walking boot for 5 weeks and I have been out of it for 3. I am 2 months out from the injury and still in pain everyday. I still can't move my foot except for up and down. I am in PT and it hurts so much to go. I dread going b/c I am in pain when I am there and barely able to walk the enxt day. I can only wear my old beat up sneakers. No other shoes fit b/c they hurt too much to wear.

So, does anyone know if it is normal to be in so much pain 2 months out from the injury? I told me DH I haven't been pain free in 2 months. It's wearing me down. I am a teacher so I am on my feet at work all day.

I am going back to the Orthopedist Tuesday and several co-workers told me I should insist on an MRI. But what would it show? Any been there, done that advice would be great. I just want to be able to walk pain free again.

Your doctor and PTs should be your first source of information. They are better equipped to assess your limitations and needs.

FWIW, I fractured the humeral head in my left shoulder back in Oct. I am still doing PT. I still have a moderated level of pain (especially in the mornings and when it rains) but range of motion and strength are steadily improving. Age and time are major factors in how quickly you will heal. As is the severity of the injury. BTW, PT always hurts just a bit but it shouldn't leave you incapacited for a day.

I would definitely inquire about the MRI and be emphatic about your pain levels. If you don't feel satisfied with your doctor and treatment, seek a second opinion. Hope you feel better soon.

 

[Vivianne]

I injured my foot middle of Sept last year (midfoot sprain) got x-rays done
got my foot taped and wore a boot for about a week.

I didn't start to feel better til about Dec. Every once in a while, I do feel
slight pain. Foot injuries take time to heal. Elevate your foot as much
as you can. Of course, consult your doctor if you feel no improvement
with time.

 

[pezheadmeg]

Aleve can be your best friend, it really does help. Sprains outright are a pia. I've sprained my foot and I've shattered an ankle. The sprain took a lot longer to heal.

Keep the air cast on at night. From personal experience I find it actually helps because it does keep your ankle stable.

The vane fashionista in me went out and bought a pair payless flats a size bigger when I was recovering. It was just a perk-up from sneakers for weeks on end.

 

[disneyfan'ole]

Foot injuries take forever to heal. I broke my pinkie toe. Boy was that painful. I thought "It will be fine, it is just a pinkie toe" Oh boy! Was I wrong!

The only good think now is that I can predict the weather....

On serious note, please explain this to your Dr. you may have a small hairline fracture or more serious damage than a sprain. Also being off of it is the best way for it to heal. Which I think is the hardest thing to do!!

Good Luck!!!!

 

[Vivianne]

The vane fashionista in me went out and bought a pair payless flats a size bigger when I was recovering. It was just a perk-up from sneakers for weeks on end.

Well that's funny, I did the same thing. They were Payless slingback flats
one size bigger.
They made it easier for me to walk any other shoe was torture because
my foot was still swollen. But those shoes helped alot.

 

[Swimalie]

I am coming on 3 years from the day of my ankle sprain. All I did was accidentally kick the dowel of a stool. It sprained the ankle and damaged the tissue on the ligament. I spent 6 weeks in a boot and had a cortisone shot. Neither worked. I had surgery 9 months later to repair the tissue damage. That helped for about 3 months until a large bump showed up on the ankle. The doctor, an orthopedist, thought it was a ganglion cyst so we went back in for surgery to remove that only to find out it was a large lump of tissue. I am now seeing a podiatrist who has given me injections to basically kill the nerve going in to the foot and toes so that I feel less pain. But he said the joint pain may always be there. It is less severe than before and I can even run some days. Other days it hurts to walk. This has greatly affected my swimming but luckily my race times are still dropping since adrenaline is a great thing for pain

I wish you luck. Ankle sprains can be one of the worst injuries. If you aren't happy with the answers you are getting, please see another doctor.

 

[jrmasm]

I am coming on 3 years from the day of my ankle sprain. All I did was accidentally kick the dowel of a stool. It sprained the ankle and damaged the tissue on the ligament. I spent 6 weeks in a boot and had a cortisone shot. Neither worked. I had surgery 9 months later to repair the tissue damage. That helped for about 3 months until a large bump showed up on the ankle. The doctor, an orthopedist, thought it was a ganglion cyst so we went back in for surgery to remove that only to find out it was a large lump of tissue. I am now seeing a podiatrist who has given me injections to basically kill the nerve going in to the foot and toes so that I feel less pain. But he said the joint pain may always be there. It is less severe than before and I can even run some days. Other days it hurts to walk. This has greatly affected my swimming but luckily my race times are still dropping since adrenaline is a great thing for pain

I wish you luck. Ankle sprains can be one of the worst injuries. If you aren't happy with the answers you are getting, please see another doctor.

Yes!! After 3 months of PT and a year of suffering, I finally took my DD to a different Dr who uses a different PT who finally worked with the correct area to get rid of her pain.

 

[lovemygoofy]

So I slipped on some stairs and turned my left foot and ankle and severely sprained both. I was in a walking boot for 5 weeks and I have been out of it for 3. I am 2 months out from the injury and still in pain everyday. I still can't move my foot except for up and down. I am in PT and it hurts so much to go. I dread going b/c I am in pain when I am there and barely able to walk the enxt day. I can only wear my old beat up sneakers. No other shoes fit b/c they hurt too much to wear.

So, does anyone know if it is normal to be in so much pain 2 months out from the injury? I told me DH I haven't been pain free in 2 months. It's wearing me down. I am a teacher so I am on my feet at work all day.

I am going back to the Orthopedist Tuesday and several co-workers told me I should insist on an MRI. But what would it show? Any been there, done that advice would be great. I just want to be able to walk pain free again.

I broke my ankle last year. It was a long ongoing drama. I first went to the doctor and was told just a sprain and was on crutches and a wrap for 2 weeks and then onto PT for another 6 weeks. After the PT, it was determined my ankle was still injured and I had to have an MRI done.

The MRI determined that my ankle was completely broken across the top of it. A normal x-ray would not show such a break. Instead a MRI or a stress x-ray(specifically called stress x-ray where you stand on it and take the pictures) showed the break. It was so bad I had to see a specialist and was in a cast for 12 long long weeks.

I'm coming up on a year now of my injury and my ankle still isn't the same.

I'd be interested in knowing what kind of PT you are doing that makes your ankle hurt so much. Make sure you are doing the alphabet at night by rotating your ankle. I wonder if your pain is because your achilles tendon is tight from lack of movement so long. Sometimes when the tendon is too tight it is difficult to move the rest of your ankle. I promise loosening the tendon really does make a difference.

Are you doing any icing on your ankle at all? I would alternate with some heat on the back of my ankle and then 3 minutes in an very cold ice bucket.

 

[disneymarie]

Two of us slipped at a pool during youth camp. I had a terrible strain, the coworker had a break. She had a cast for 6 weeks, some pt.

Me 3 MONTHS
I had no boot, used an ace ankle support and still had pain three months later. The doctor said it was easier for a bone to re-heal then the soft tissue as it does not regenerate. If it is torn, stretched, it takes time to calm down and inflammation to subside.

The reason is it is re-injured every step I take, not like a foot in a cast. More strain on the soft tissue/muscle and tendons.

That is just what the med' folks passed along to me.

 

[ADisneyQueen]

I broke a bone in my foot almost 2 years ago and had surgery and it still hurts a lot, not where I broke it but the soft tissue damage on the side. It just takes a long time to heal. One thing that really helped me was ortho inserts for my shoes. Not the cheap kind but ones you need a prescription for. Mine were about $400 but insurance paid for all of it.