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Grade 3 ankle sprain

Discussion in 'Ask your questions here' started by Unregistered, Sep 13, 2008.

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  1. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest


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    I sprained my ankle about 3 months ago. It didn't hurt that bad when I rolled my ankle and I just iced it a little bit and tried to return to running a few days later. I ran on it for about a week and then decided that it just didn't feel right. I went to a podiatrist who told me that I had a mild sprain, to "stay off of it" and gave me no further instruction (and actually diagnosed my injury without even touching my foot!). I continued to walk on my ankle to get from Point A to Point B, since the Dr. didn't give me crutches or a boot or anything.

    I knew that my ankle wasn't right after about three weeks into the injury and decided to see a sports medicine orthopaedic dr. He also said it was a sprain and sent me to physical therapy for a month and gave me a brace. Physical therapy was a little painful, especially under and around my ankle bone and definitely did not solve the problem.

    I had my follow-up appt. with the doc and a subsequent MRI... that showed that I had completely torn my ATFL and had partially torn my CFL. At this point, my peroneal tendons are acting up too. Which sucks to say the least.

    Anyways, my point to this story was to share my experience. I too have a 3rd grade sprain and did not suffer any serious pain at the time of my injury. I just wish that I could get some help from a Dr. that actually cares!
     
  2. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    I have one torn ligament and a partial tear in another. Dr. put me in a boot/cast for three weeks, but I personally didn't feel that much pain, don't get me wrong, it hurt but I was able to limp right after the sprain occurred to see the onsite nurse (she gave ibuprofen and to ice and elevate my ankle) and the next day I was able to actually walk on it. My ankle looked really bruised, thuogh, and then the swelling seemed to move throughout my foot. That's when the ordered the MRI. But I don't feel a whole lot of pain. It looks worse than it feels. It's different for other people I guess.
     
  3. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    Well I am glad that you were able to get an MRI even though it wasn't good news. At least now you know what you're dealing with! :)

    Maybe we just have higher than average pain tolerances or something... who knows. Anyways, good luck with the ankle. Do you think you are going to opt for surgery yet or are you just going to do the physical therapy route? If you don't do surgery, then make sure you do physical therapy so that the scar tissue won't heal all funky! (I'm sure you know this already...)

    My ankle is still "there" to say the least. I want to run SO badly, but it hurts too much and I don't want anything to break! Ugh...

    Take good care of your ankle... they aren't like kidneys- you need both to survive.
     
  4. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    Hey. I currently have a grade 3 sprain. It was absolute agony!! I have dislocated both shoulders, rotator cough tear and a cracked sternum but none of that was even close!!

    Because I'm in the UK the NHS is crap and waiting for an MRI to confirm. The swelling has gone down (been one week) and is now bruising. But there is one 'lump' that is a little worrying which hasn't gone down. I have extreme instability and just about bareable pain.

    It SUCKS!!!!!
     
  5. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    I definitely agree... it sucks!!
     
  6. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    Thanks for your support. Hope you're running soon. Surgery never crossed my mind and I don't think the Dr. will recommend it either. He just said to keep the boot/cast on for three weeks and that'll be the next time I'll see him. Hopefully I'll be able to go back to work the next day.
     
  7. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    I recently suffered a Grade 3 ankle sprain as well. I went to see my doctor after two days, no break seen. Air-cast and anti-inflammatory meds were given. I took 3 days off work and was off my ankle for only 2. Swelling and pain both come and go with activity, now I am having pains shooting up under my knee. One day I woke from a dead sleep with all of my toes and ankle area burning like when you have Sciatica. Also I have what I call become clumsy, like tripping over my foot. I have no choice but to work with four children and college myself. Going back to the doc tomorrow but it is very painful. Anyone else ever had a burning sensation with a grade 3 sprain?
     
  8. Foot Doc

    Foot Doc Guest

    A Grade III ankle sprain is a serious injury. If correctly graded, it means that the ligaments were torn. A fracture not involving the joint structures may have been an injury with a better long-term prognosis. At any rate, the treatment should be well supervised and closely followed by your doctor and some sort of physical therapy will likely be required to return you to optimum function. Inadequate resolution now can predispose you to chronic re-injuries, ankle instability and a lifetime of problems. keep close contact with your doctor and be assured that you have chosen one well-versed in ankle trauma.

    FOOT DOC
     
  9. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    I'm so glad I was able to read all of these posts, there is a lot of great information and I had a lot of questions. This is my first time spraining my ankle and went to a military er, they said I had no broken bones, but it would almost would of been better if I had because bones receive more blood supply than tendons, or ligaments, I forgot which one she said, but doctor didn't tell me what sprain I had, only that I had tore three of them. This has been so painful, and I had no Idea that I would bruise all the way up my leg and around my whole foot to include my toes,, I was told to RICE and sent home with crutches.
     
  10. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    message for the foot doc , last tusday i got kicked in the bottom of my foot at footbal , it had a bit of swelling had a bit of a limp for a few days, nothing to serious, however on saturday i stepped off a curb funny on the side of ma ankle completely , it swollen up ma whole foot and the foot is bendig inwards towards my other foot , ive had my foot up for over a week now , the swelling has gone down but what im worried about is , i stil cant move the foot at all (the joint from the ankle to the foot), i can move the toes thats it is that normal ?, and also my leg from the ankle to half way to my knee is yellow through the bruising i think is this normal too ?
    quite simlar to the comment above

    look forward to the reply thanks
     
    Last edited: Dec 6, 2010
  11. Foot Doc

    Foot Doc Guest

    Have you considered having it looked at by a doctor who might offer a real opinion based on an actual examination?

    FOOT DOC
     
  12. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    yes i have done that on the day it hapened , the nurse csted me , but i wnt back the day after and gt it took off it was too tight , i have now jut gt krutchies , but is te yellowish bruising up my leg and all around my foot normal , i have never done it this severey before ?
     
  13. Cervide

    Cervide New Member

    Foot Doc,
    I was was wondering if you could give me a long term picture or maybe some glimmer of hope. Six months ago I severly sprained my right ankle at work. I fell off a 20 foot latter and turned my ankle inward violately. I went to the emergency room where they sent me home stated it was only a sprain and x rays indicated no break. Over the course of several weeks the ankle swelled up severely with a lot of bruising from my toes up to my knee. A mri and ct scan was taken and the sports medicine doctor told me the whole joint was tore up inside out. He stated the main sprain as a medial deltoid tear. Since this horrible accident I have gone through extreme he** with pain and rehab. I wore a boot for about two months and slowly worked my way out of it and into a aircast stirup support brace. And after two months of the aircast use I started using a compression tube sock and slowly worked my way out of the sock. I have been doing at home range of motion, theraband exercises, toe and heel walking, toe crunches on a towel, towel pulls at a sitting position, and balancing on the bad ankle. Also I have been going to a pool several times a week swimming. I am truly greatful I can walk again, but am frustrated this injury is still bothering me. I still have pain starting to walk on the inside of the ankle. After several steps it improves slightly. I wake up every morning with extreme stiffness and pain. It usually takes an hour of warmth and range of motion excersises to help loosen the ankle up.

    My main question is do you think my ankle will continue to improve with more time. Alot of people have told me a bad ankle sprain is worst then a broken bone. Do you think I just need more time and patience and it will improve over one years time? I am still receiving ultrasound therapy twice a week. Do you think I would benefit still from ultrasound? What is a typical recovery time for such an extensive injury.

    Thank you for reading such a long post your input would be much appreciated.
     
  14. Cervide

    Cervide New Member

    I am trying to post a picture of my ankle.
     

    Attached Files:

  15. Cervide

    Cervide New Member

    Here our some more pictures through out the recovery. Any help would really help. Thanks
     

    Attached Files:

  16. FootDoc

    FootDoc New Member

    DISCLAIMER:
    THE FOLLOWING IS OFFERED GRATIS AS GENERAL INFORMATION ONLY, AND, AS SUCH, MAY NOT BE APPLICABLE TO THE SPECIFIC QUESTIONER AND/OR HIS/HER PROBLEM. IT IS CLEARLY NOT BASED ON ACTUAL KNOWLEDGE AND/OR EXAMINATION OF THE QUESTIONER OR HIS/HER MEDICAL HISTORY, AND IT CAN NOT AND SHOULD NOT BE RELIED UPON AS DEFINITIVE MEDICAL OPINION OR ADVICE. ONLY THROUGH HANDS-ON PHYSICAL CONTACT WITH THE ACTUAL PATIENT CAN ACCURATE MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS BE ESTABLISHED AND SPECIFIC ADVICE BE GIVEN. NO DOCTOR/PATIENT RELATIONSHIP IS CREATED OR ESTABLISHED OR MAY BE INFERRED. THE QUESTIONER AND/OR READER IS INSTRUCTED TO CONSULT HIS OR HER OWN DOCTOR BEFORE PROCEEDING WITH ANY SUGGESTIONS CONTAINED HEREIN, AND TO ACT ONLY UPON HIS/HER OWN DOCTOR’S ORDERS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. BY THE READING OF MY POSTING WHICH FOLLOWS, THE READER STIPULATES AND CONFIRMS THAT HE/SHE FULLY UNDERSTANDS THIS DISCLAIMER AND HOLDS HARMLESS THIS WRITER. IF THIS IS NOT FULLY AGREEABLE TO YOU, THE READER, OR YOU HAVE NOT ATTAINED THE AGE OF 18 YEARS, YOU HEREBY ARE ADMONISHED TO READ NO FURTHER.
    ***************************************************
    First of all, my response is clearly not an evaluation of your individual situation, as that is not possible without having personally examined you. It is merely a generic discussion, based loosely on some of the few specifics you have offered. Furthermore, I would assume that this injury, having occurred at and during work, is being treated as a workers' comp. case and disability benefits are available to you.

    A medial ankle sprain is the less common form of ankle sprain and it is often accompanied by fracture(s) including one of the lateral malleolus. The fact that you have ecchymosis on the lateral aspect of the leg and ankle as well as the medial side would possibly indicate that you sustained an injury on both sides of the ankle. An ankle sprain can indeed be much more problematic than a fracture, especially a fracture which is not intra-articular. Bones heal with bone cells and ligaments heal with fibrous scar which is not elastic as is ligament tissue, so a ligament once torn or substantially injured can never function as well as one which was not torn or substantially injured. Medial ankle sprains often take substantially longer to maximally resolve than do lateral sprains, but as with any severe sprain, maximal resolution may not be synonymous with full function. The best estimate of how much function you might eventually attain and when that might be forthcoming would be best offered by a doctor who has personally evaluated you. In regard to ultrasound therapy, I would think that a comprehensive rather than a singular PT approach would probably be in your best interests.
     
    Last edited: Dec 13, 2010
  17. Cervide

    Cervide New Member

    Foot Doc,
    Thanks, for responding to my first list of questions. I know you stated it may never reach full recovery. I guess I was wondering how long recovery time would be to reach such a full recovery to the extent it may rebound too. Is a year a good guess? I also have a a lot of stiffness and soreness in the morning when I get out of bed. I use a heat pad and slowly start working my ankle through range of motions. The ankle does loosen up after about forty five minutes to an hour. Do you think the stiffness and soreness in the morning with let up as time go on? My ankle is also very weak feeling while walking. Will the therapy I am going through strengthen the ankle so this weakness is not as noticeable? I have ask my physicain and athletic trainer some of these question and it doesn't seem to go anywhere. I guess any help would be much appreciated. Thank you
     
  18. Lori

    Lori Guest

    Unregistered: I'm not a doc, but I can tell you what he's going to say:

    Your foot is bent at an angle, and you're in pain, and you're wondering if you should go to a doctor? Of course you should -- pronto!
     
  19. FootDoc

    FootDoc New Member

    As I pointed out in my initial response, I have no way of evaluating the seriousness of your injury or how your treatment is progressing. Surely, if the doctor and trainer under whose care you are being treated and who know the intimate details of your case are unwilling to venture a guess as to your prognosis, I cannot.
     
  20. Cervide

    Cervide New Member

    I guess I am asking some general questions not me specific. I would like to know in GENERAL what is a time frame for recovery from such a horrible sprain. Does strength come back with time and exercises? Will you suffer from pain and stiffness every single morning you get up the rest of your life? Or with time and patience most of that stiffness gradually fades. These are not me specific, of course you can not actually examine my foot. But if you have experience in seeing the recovery of such a injury you could venture a guess or some input on the recovery phase.
     
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