Ever Fracture/Sprain your ankle?

[SlowStee]

HELP...To explain how this happened to me, Ill dumb it down.. I got tackled down by 3 friends because things were getting out of hand at a party, and my ankle bent in an extremely painful way.


Swelled up pretty fast after happening. There is bruising/Blood along the bottom right and left of my foot going about halfway to my toes. This happened Thursday night, and the swelling has gone down a bit, but I am still unable to walk without crutches. Both my ankle and foot are still swollen.


Anyone have any advice on how to heal up or how bad this could be??


The only reason I'm making this thread, is because I am currently in a Jam with Insurance, and DO NOT have any. So I'm kinda ****ed.


Any tips/stories that you can share might help! thanks!!

[mrz28M6]

julian if all else fails theres free clinics you can go to if you dont have insurance. theres alot of ghetto people but who cares. i believe theres one on like 93rd and lincoln

[Korndogg]

800mg Ibuprofen ice and an ankle brace. Thats what they gave me when I had a 15' piece of 10" pipe fall on my ankle. My ankle was huge too.

[lordairgtar]

Get your ass to the Emergency ward. You shouldn't fool with this just because you are short on cash. Hill-Burton act says that hospitals getting any kind of federal funds cannot turn patients away. That's just about all of them in the area. Maybe you should get your so-called three friends to help with the cost.

[Smokey1226]

I was playing a wierd game in Gym a couple years back where its a mix of hockey/Soccer/Baseball....

You could only advance the ball by running 2 steps at a time. But you could throw the ball and there were hockey nets.

Anyways i jumped up to catch a ball and as i came down i landed with half of my foot on someone elses and when i looked down my foot was completely sideways. It was the worst pain i've ever felt. I droped to the floor instantly, and the school sent me to the hospital. It ended up a hairline fracture and put me in a ankle cast for 3 weeks. I couldnt even put my foot on the ground for over 2 weeks!!!

And keep in mind when i say worst pain, that includes a broken him a dislocated hip, broken arm, severly bruised rims and all of that was nothing compared to the ankle.

[Sprayaway Fox]

Took a digger on a dirtbike like that. Get your weight off of it and Ice it and see what happens.

[RanJer]

800mg Ibuprofen ice and an ankle brace. Thats what they gave me when I had a 15' piece of 10" pipe fall on my ankle. My ankle was huge too.

Similar to what they gave me for my sprained wrist.. bunch of pain reliever, and a brace. Told me to move it small amounts but as frequent as the pain allowed to keep it from tightening and swelling more. That was NOT fractured or broken though. Just sprained.

[Yooformula]

bro I would say it happened at work otherwise ALOT of ice!

[Voodoo Chick]

GO TO THE HOSPITAL. If there's any possiblity of internal bleeding, you can get a serious infection, or even blood poisoning. I hope you get better.

[RanJer]

How is it treated?

In many cases you can first use the PRINCE approach to treat your ankle:

* Protection. Use a protective brace, such a brace with a built-in air cushion or another form of ankle support.
* Rest. Use crutches until you can walk without pain.
* Ice. For at least the first 24 to 72 hours or until the swelling goes down, apply an ice pack for 10 to 20 minutes every hour or two during the day.
* NSAIDs or acetaminophen. NSAIDs (such as Advil and Motrin) are medicines that reduce swelling and pain. Acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) reduces pain.
* Compression. An elastic compression wrap, such as an ACE bandage, will help reduce swelling. You wear it for the first 24 to 36 hours. Compression wraps do not offer protection. So you also need a brace to protect your ankle if you try to put weight on it.
* Elevation. Raise your ankle above the level of your heart for 2 to 3 hours a day if possible. This helps to reduce swelling and bruising.


http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/ankle-sprain-overview

[70 cutlass 442]

just walk it off, just be glad you didnt wake up with a carrot in your ass or something, i know how you F body owners get when you drink

[HY35F2T]

ice it down.

i did the 3 times i think or twice idk either way i slipped on ice and after it healed i did it again like 3weeks later.:rolf:chair:

[Voodoo Chick]

Also important: Are you feeling otherwise ok, or do you have fever/chills, or any other odd symptoms? I really think you should go to the ER.......

[Prince Valiant]

Okay...long answers:

First off, yes, a fracture SHOULD be ruled out of course....if you felt/heard a "pop" it could either be a) obviously bone b) more likely ligament c) outside possibility of tendon or d) least possible retinaculum. Now, sometimes "pop's" occur due to subluxation (going out and back in) of tendons, and sometimes, it's just a result of extreme fast motion opening up joint space thus depressurizing causes gas bubbles to escape the synovial fluid, and thus causing a "pop" sound similar to when you crack your knuckles.

IF you didn't feel a pop, you also could have forgotten there was a pop, or you were focused on other things too much to discern a pop.

When I do sideline eval's, I can rule out fractures with ~ 85-90% certainty...with the bump test and tib-fib compression test. Bump test, have someone solidly "bump" the heel of the injured limb...if there is pain at a site other than where you hit, and it seems like it's on bone, it might be a fracture, x-ray is warranted. Tib-fib compression test involes squeezing the two lower leg bones together...if movement, or pain away or above from the compression site is perceived, again x-rays are warranted.

You DO describe the things one clinically observes for fracture...so if you walked into my office, I'd send you for one to remove doubt.

So the reality is you SHOULD get an X-ray...even though in my opinion, it's most likely NOT a fracture.

As far as caring for it, ice it often...except, instead of ice, get two bags of frozen peas. It doesn't melt, it forms to the skin, and when you're done with all the icing you'll be doing over the next week or so, you can eat them.

Ice for ~15-20 minutes...I go right on the skin, but most say place a damp towel b/w the peas and skin...you can do that if you're a wuss I guess, lol (although some are prone to cold injuries...so if you know you are, use a towel). You can ice 20 on, 10 off...for a total of 40 an hour. You should be getting 4-8 icing sessions a day in the near term.

It is important to keep icing to 20 minutes maximum...sympathetic nervous system response can occur after 20 minutes or so, and can actually increase swelling/prolong healing...as well as frostbite occurring.

Of course, elevation is important too. Get the ankle HIGHER than the heart...the bigger the difference, the better. I've laid flat on the floor, with my leg against the wall to get the ankle a good 3 feet higher. At night, sleep with only MILD elevation...best way is to stick a bunch of towels/pillows under the mattress at the foot of the bed (or two by four under the bed post) to get only a slight elevation...much more and it's uncomfortable, and not much more helpful. Basically, by doing that if you roll over or lay on your stomach/side, you still have elevation vs if you tried to keep one leg propped all night.

Elastic bandages work well too...wrap tight, but not so tight as to cause numbness/blanching. Take off when icing....start at the toes and go high as you can...might need several bandages....should go at least 4-6 inches above the ankle. You can wear at night, but definitely loosen, otherwise you WILL get numbness.

When you've got your foot elevated, you can do very simple motion exercises to keep your ankle from getting too stiff. Try the "ABC's"...basically make like your big toe is a marker, and right out "A" "B" "C" and so on...making sure the motion comes from movement at your ankle and not foot or toes and always write the biggest letters you can. Let pain be your guide here...if it hurts, you're going too hard/far, back off...if you cant move it at all without PAIN (some discomfort is expected...but it shouldn't be PAINFUL...only you can decide) then don't do it at all and wait to r/o a fracture.

If you've got crutches, use them for the time being. If not, buy some at walgreens...

Advil should be taken only if you tolerate it...I'm not RECOMMENDING it, but if it were me (*wink, wink*), I'd take 800mg three times daily.

If you ARE going to hold off on a trip to the ER, don't wait more than 5 days...if no improvement in FUNCTION/PAIN, then it's mandatory you go. If things are improving nicely, you're probably clear.

If you go to an ER, st. joe's or st. francis will generally be best about no insurance situations.

[Korndogg]

so yeah basically what i said... :)

[SlowStee]

Thanks a lot guys!!!


Ive been elevating it a lot, and icing it alot. I started taking 800mg IBU friday, and it seems to help.


Awesome info in this thread! My insurance Jam is that I have to wait to re-enroll for my benefits this October. :punch:


Prince Valiant :thumbsup

[T-Bag]

Nice post by Prince...end thread.

Keep off that shiyat when we go up north, I've got spare crutches if you need them.

I've sprained my ankle twice, one was this past winter too during snow removal. That fuggin hurt but I didn't need crutches. Took 4 months to fully heal and not have any pain when twisting it.

[GTSLOW]

Dude I'm in the Army and have rolled, twisted, and fell on my ankle many times. Ruck marches, sports, running thru fields/mountains etc... I've NEVER had blood on anything and I've been in crutches for weeks from one of them. Seriously, I'd check out a free clinic or what not, or even fall on that shit at work.


GO TO THE HOSPITAL. If there's any possiblity of internal bleeding, you can get a serious infection, or even blood poisoning. I hope you get better.

I agree.

[Prince Valiant]

Actually, blood pooling in the foot is not uncommon...and in some cases doesn't even mean the sprain was severe.

Any time there is tearing of tissue (IE, sprain), there WILL be bleeding.

The amount of bleeding will result from the amount of tissue torn, AND the ability of ones body to stop said bleeding...some have poor clotting factors for a number of reasons (genetics, medicines, etc). So some small sprains result in alot of bleeding/swelling, some severe sprains hardly swell/bleed at all.

Plus, some people "show" the pooling better than others, thus is looks more impressive, even if they bled less than average.

In some cases, NO spraining has to occur...sometimes simply blood vessels tore vs actual ligaments...if that's the case, the person says "well, it's not so bad, but MAN does it look bad..."

Heck, last time in TX, I was doing some skim boarding...tripped up bad on one and hit my knee into the sand HARD. Not even 10 seconds later, there was a golf-ball sized bump where I had hit. Basically, I burst a blood vessel, and it was bleeding deep under the skin/perhaps periosteum...which is why it rapidly swelled. A couple days later, there was black/blue around my toes and under my ankle (blood pooling, drawn by gravity). It's relatively harmless.

There's little risk of infection unless there is a break in the skin...most complications from internal bleeding occur from bleeding into the stomach area/lung/brain...and very rarely, within the fascia surrounding individual muscles, resulting in acute compartment syndrome if significant bleeding has occurred.

In cases of ankle sprains, they are observed in ~ 20% of the population; if one is prone to it, they may see it even during minor sprains even.

[LIL EVO]

I sprained mine pretty bad in January. Took until about June for it to be 100% again. Just iced it, didn't go to doctor. I could only hop for the first couple days.

www.lilevo.com/pictures/ankle/

[0TransAm0]

its probably broke. id go to the doc.

[Cryptic]

Prince Valiant (Chris) is our resident athletic trainer. So his advise is golden in this department.

I rolled the hell out of mine last Halloween. An X-ray didn't show anything. I later had an MRI down and doc saw some old and new tears, old and new. (Chris you still didn't get a look at those BTW. I still have all the films)

Anyways... I obviously had to stay off it for quite a while. Immobilized it, ibuprofen, ice...
In time I re-hab'd it myself. Slight stretching often with ankle rotations, low impact exercise on the Elliptical machine. Several months later I could gingerly jog on it. As last week I ran 36 miles on in 1 week. I still can feel where I injured it (interior side, below the ankle ball). I am still working on correcting my running form.

I'm doing exactly this:
http://www.trcc.com.au/images/medpics/problem_1.gif


Anyways, I spent a bunch of money on docs looking at it, and in the end they really didn't do sh!t for me other than tell me it's not broke, just injured. The night it happened I couldn't sleep. I was sweating bullets in pain. Which was odd because it progressively got worse from the time I injured it to the next morning.

[flyin_blue_egg]

not to mention if you go to the DR and then all the sudden can't pay, it's not like if you don't pay your credit card. they can't come after you, but will bother the fvck outta you to get their money

[Prince Valiant]

not to mention if you go to the DR and then all the sudden can't pay, it's not like if you don't pay your credit card. they can't come after you, but will bother the fvck outta you to get their moneyThat's not quite true...they can send to collections, it CAN affect your credit score when that happens...you can even be taken to small claims.

[srt4eh]

Dude I'm in the Army and have rolled, twisted, and fell on my ankle many times. Ruck marches, sports, running thru fields/mountains etc... I've NEVER had blood on anything and I've been in crutches for weeks from one of them. Seriously, I'd check out a free clinic or what not, or even fall on that shit at work.



I agree.

X2

[flyin_blue_egg]

That's not quite true...they can send to collections, it CAN affect your credit score when that happens...you can even be taken to small claims.

i was told it can't affect your credit score

[lordairgtar]

That's not quite true...they can send to collections, it CAN affect your credit score when that happens...you can even be taken to small claims.
And garnishment is a beeotch

[lordairgtar]

i was told it can't affect your credit score
Who told you that? I had some medical crap on my credit report and it certainly did affect it.

[Prince Valiant]

i was told it can't affect your credit scoreSome hospitals may not pursue reimbursement against uninsured/poor from ER's, that's true.....but virtually every doctor in an office/private practice WILL.

[Yooformula]

i was told it can't affect your credit score

bullshit! I actually had to fight a bunch of ours until we cleaned them up!

[Berettaspeed]

if you can move it and there is no skiping your fine. it may still be a cracked bone, but they dont do anything about that anyways. a sprain hurts worse than a break from what i hear. but if you can move it your all good. just let it heal.

[Cryptic]

mine looked pretty nasty, bloodshot and puffy

[wikked]

I rolled mine really good a month ago playing softball, heard a delicious popping noise. Was on the ground for a couple minutes, then it felt fine, so I got up and walked back to the bench.

Felt like my sock was bunching up, so I went to pull it up, and holy balls my ankle was like an apple lol.

The league manager guy gave me an ice pack right at the park. It felt fine that night, but when I woke up the next morning it hurt like hell.
I went to the ER, and it was just a severe sprain.

Had the usual purple/red roast beef blood foot for only a few days, but the swelling was there for at least a week. I could finally see the rest of the veins in my foot after that.

5 weeks later I'm walking on it normally, lifting heavy shìt, etc.
I can jog a little bit, running is out of the question.

I've never broken anything in my life, and never had a sprained ankle before this.
Thank you milk! :P

[SlowStee]

I rolled mine really good a month ago playing softball, heard a delicious popping noise. Was on the ground for a couple minutes, then it felt fine, so I got up and walked back to the bench.

Felt like my sock was bunching up, so I went to pull it up, and holy balls my ankle was like an apple lol.

The league manager guy gave me an ice pack right at the park. It felt fine that night, but when I woke up the next morning it hurt like hell.
I went to the ER, and it was just a severe sprain.

Had the usual purple/red roast beef blood foot for only a few days, but the swelling was there for at least a week. I could finally see the rest of the veins in my foot after that.

5 weeks later I'm walking on it normally, lifting heavy shìt, etc.
I can jog a little bit, running is out of the question.

I've never broken anything in my life, and never had a sprained ankle before this.
Thank you milk! :P
and This would be my first bad sprain/break as well :stare

[Anakonda69]

just ice it down alot and stay off it....easiest way to get it better....

[brotherbenn83]

a sprain hurts worse than a break from what i hear.

Having, as the ER doctor put it "shattered the shit out of it" broken my ankle before, and sprained at least once there is no comparison. This is bullshit like the "paper cut is the worst kinda pain" the crutches they gave me in the ER were misadjusted and when I lost my balance and put all 240lbs of my weight on my injured ankle...that in fact was the worst pain EVER! I was out of work for 10 weeks

[SlowStee]

Chris you the man :thumbsup:thumbsup

[Silver03SRT]

Chris you the man :thumbsup:thumbsup

was this before or after you kicked tim for smoking :rolf good job by the way. oh yeah does this mean i can kick your ass now. :goof