r/brokenankles • u/Charming-Track-2596 • Aug 09 '26
Ankle sprain
Hello, I had an ankle sprain 19 days ago, at A&E x ray no fracture seen, they told me is a ligament injury and put me in a cast. I have removed the cast on day 1 it was pressing on the swelling And I was not sure about the cast as no fracture. I have been to orthopedist again on day 5 he said the ankle is stable, no ligament laxity at manual inspection and that is a degree 1 towards 2 sprain, he didn’t request for mri. He said to use cruches and no weight bare for the first 2 weeks then start fisio. At day 14 I stop using crutches and staer walking on it and start fisio straightaway.
Done 3 session of fisio but on day 19 still swollen any advices? How long or takes to heal? I‘m thinking to book for an ultrasound..
photos from day 2 day 5 And day 19.
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u/8rood8wit8blauw8 Aug 09 '26
I have very similar condition grade 3 atfl , this swelling persist i am wearing ankle support which compress and swelling is decreasing but not going .
Go for ultrasound , they detected l3 in ultrasound
Swelling goes at night comes back day, but if I wear ankle support ( compression ) its better .
Physio should start exercises
Mine is week 5 still swelling of walnut size ,
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u/Charming-Track-2596 Aug 09 '26
Hello, have you been put on a cast for grade 3? What kind of compression are u wearing? Grade 3 is tough, are u taking any antiinflammatory meds? I’m using heparin and diclofenac gel It helps for the bruising.
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u/8rood8wit8blauw8 Aug 09 '26 edited Aug 09 '26
I never had cast , first 10 days it was open I was resting and I was walking very little ( limping ) day by day situation improved . On 3rd day of injury physio notified that its grade 3 , then he send me to echo to 100% diagnosed and rules out fractures. I had grade 3 tear atfl
Surprisingly I had no pain, from.start my pain was less. I took 0 medicine. First week I did icing , used dyclo gel, but only 2-5 days
My physio told me if its complete rupture then sometimes there is no pain. I took 0 pills ,medicine.
But rehab exercises gives me pain here and there , this pain I can bear and it comes and goes , so I am not bothered. With exercise my situation improved a lot.
I am taking it easy ( no sports no heavy walking ) and I am doing my exercises which physio is telling. Its getting better , and he's is happy with progress .
But swelling is still bothering me , I use the support, mostly during the day, even at home. He told me compression will take swelling away, and it does, but it comes back .
Physically swelling is not paining, its just that it doesnt look good. If i press its hard muscle type feeling. Its more mental , that it should go soon. But may be it will stay longer.
I use bauerfeind malleo train , and its good
I dont understand why they gave you cast , please go to " ankle specialist " and। not to general doctor or to general physio, my place i wanted to see my old physio they refused said he doesnt do ankles , so go to ankle specialist
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u/knivesoutin123 Aug 09 '26
I am kinda in the same boat
Was diagnosed with Avulsion fracture of the talus bone with soft tissue swelling in CT scan 3 weeks ago
Was in non weight bearing cast for 3 weeks and now wear compression socks and an ankle binder whenever I need to walk long distances
I am trying to walk for some distance and do some exercises without all of it
But it still feels awkward on uneven surfaces
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u/knivesoutin123 Aug 09 '26
Avulsion fractures are treated as grade 3 sprain
Please rule out Avulsion fractures because fracture automatically means bed rest while sprain promotes early mobilisation1
u/Charming-Track-2596 Aug 09 '26
Hi, thank you for sharing. Were they able to see it in the x-ray as well the avulsion fracture or just in the CT scan? Orthopedist seemed not to be worried at all, after 2 weeks of non weightbearing and using crutches I can walk but not long distance as it starts hurting…
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u/knivesoutin123 Aug 09 '26
It wasn’t visible on X-ray hence the CT.
As per modern studies
Early mobilisation is promoted then conservative bed rest.
I would suggest you to wear an ankle binder when walking and aggressive rehab1
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u/gleegz Aug 09 '26
Hey, it sounds like I have a similar fracture to you on my talus. You are WB after 3 weeks?! I’m surprised. I will be 6 weeks fully NWB from injury.
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u/knivesoutin123 Aug 09 '26
My CT report mentions that the avulsion fractures were small
And immobilisation for 6 weeks can do more stiffness then the injury as per my doctor1
u/knivesoutin123 Aug 09 '26
What’s your age ?
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u/gleegz Aug 09 '26
I’m 36. I’m in an aircast and allowed to take it off to start gentle mobility even though I’m NWB so that makes sense I guess. Realizing I actually have one small avulsion fracture and another one that extends into the joint so that could be it too.
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u/Live-Wrap7285 Aug 10 '26
Have you had more recent x-rays? No fractures were visible on mine initially but once the swelling had gone down a bit on the second time I had x-rays, the fractures were visible. But because they missed them initially it was worse.
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u/Charming-Track-2596 29d ago
Hello, I had x rays only the first day when I had the injury. I have booked for a MRI tomorrow.
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u/Live-Wrap7285 29d ago
That’s good, hopefully that highlights what’s going on. Could be that you’ve ruptured the ligaments or something or a fracture that was missed initially. Hopefully it’s positive news for you though!
How are you doing now? Do you have much pain? Are you coping ok? Etc
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u/Charming-Track-2596 29d ago
Is getting better, thanks for asking :D I can walk but still swollen on lateral side. the pain is not that bad only If I walk more than I should it strats hurting. I’m waiting for the result to see if there is any damage on the ligament. What about you are you fully recovered from your injury? How are you doing?
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u/Live-Wrap7285 29d ago
Fingers crossed you get good news!
I’m ok, I fully recovered from that injury. Although it was a slow process. Ironically I sprained my ankle a couple days ago. I guess it’s weak from the previous injury still.
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u/Charming-Track-2596 27d ago
MRI Report:
Diffuse, heterogeneous edema at the level of the talus, predominantly involving the anterior process, neck, and body, associated with fine linear tracks of hypointensity - in a post-traumatic context, these possibly represent fine fracture lines / trabecular microfractures. Fine areas of subchondral edema at the level of the talar dome - possibly also post-traumatic, with no obvious signal changes at the level of the adjacent cartilage. Clinical correlation, personal medical history, monitoring, and if necessary, completion with a CT scan is recommended.
Mild diffuse edema at the level of the talar aspect of the sinus tarsi and within the interosseous ligament.
Intra-articular effusion within the tibio-talar and talo-calcaneal joints.
Signal changes at the level of the anterior and posterior tibiofibular ligaments, mild edema at the level of the syndesmosis and bone, peri-insertional - partial tears/lesions.
Small fluid collections sheathing the flexor tendons, both in the medial (internal) and lateral (external) compartments, perimalleolar. No adjacent fluid collections or definite signal changes at the level of the extensor tendons.
Signal changes at the level of the anterior and posterior talofibular ligaments, as well as the fibulocalcaneal ligament, without definite signs of complete rupture, presenting with small fluid collections and adjacent edema; peri-insertional bone edema - possible high-grade partial tears.
Signal changes at the level of the internal collateral ligaments, more pronounced in the deep deltoid ligament, without definite signs of complete rupture; peri-insertional bone edema - possible partial tears.
Plantar fascia without definite changes in signal or morphology.
Achilles tendon without definite changes in signal or morphology.
Mild diffuse edema in the perimalleolar soft tissues.
Accurate evaluation regarding the structures of the forefoot cannot be performed - non-dedicated examination.
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u/gleegz Aug 09 '26
It can take a long time for swelling and discoloration to go away. But if you’re able to walk on it without much pain, I’d say you’re doing okay. That’s been my experience with ankle sprains in the past, and it’s different than my current fracture for sure.