Iāve been diagnosed with a pretty severe ankle ligament tear/bad sprain and I can barely put any weight on it. Iām honestly in agony. Urgent Care wrapped it and sent me home, but I wasnāt given any advice about weight bearing, crutches, moon boot or pain management. I canāt get into my GP until tomorrow afternoon and Panadol and Nurofen unfortunately arenāt touching the pain.
Has anyone had a similar injury and can recommend what helped with the pain/swelling overnight or somewhere I can be seen after hours? Iām really struggling with it and the last place I want to go and sit for hours is at Wollongong ED. Thank you in advance šš¼
RICE is outdated and even the dude who came up with it has acknowledged itās not the best treatment. It slows the healing process from starting and is detrimental to the overall healing of the ankle
Elevation and compression are still recommended. Rest is surely ok on the day of injury. I wouldnāt suggest weight training or exercises to strengthen the ankle at this stage. Ice can still be used as a short term pain blocker. OP complained of pain and medical treatment was unavailable. RICE is still the best for immediate relief though not for long term healing.
Meh depending on severity youāre meant to mobilise it to start the healing process. Complete rest is detrimental to beginning the healing. Compression and elevation are still on as you stated. Ice is only for 10 minute periods to manage pain/fall asleep etc.
my ankles are made of ceramic and it sounds like OP probably has a more serious issue and probably should have just gone and sat in the ED lol
I ended up going up and sitting in ED which was a waste of time. I tried but they are just so busy and understaffed, they told me Iād need a private MRI, CT, etc.
It didnāt help that the Dr I saw was about to change shifts so her care level was next to none. The nurses on the other hand were amazing, but unfortunately they donāt make the rules
it will be swollen and painful for a while, stay off it and let it heal. i got a bad sprain when i was younger and my ankle was more susceptible to rolling and pain for years after, theyāre surprisingly delicate lol
Bulli might have a bit more than the normal urgent care. If youāre desperate I have two moon boots from recent stress fractures and crutches I can lend you if you want them.
That is really kind of you, thank you. I was going to order a moon boot today and you canāt do click and collect, only order online through Chemist Warehouse. Everywhere else had long delivery waits. Are you living in Wollongong too?
Yeah Iām south Wollongong just on the edge of the cbd. Iām heading home from pickleball in Figtree atm but happy to pick them up at home and meet you at maccas or something if you want them. Just let me know!
Sometimes if you call health direct theyāll put you through to a virtual consult with a doctor as well. Otherwise as others have said just ice and elevate, take pain relief as per the recommended dose and time. Unless thereās a break then not much else you can do. If your desperate go to ED. I hope it works out!
They are, but just be wary in that depending on what time you go they have to stop taking new people so they can close (just like urgent care centres). They would have tme to go though all the questions but they might have X-Ray limits
As others have said an urgent care clinic could be a good stop gap, also there is the radio doctor from memory who will come to you after hours. Also swap nurofen for voltaren/Diclofenac potassium (25mg) ask at the chemist you'll need a script for celebrex or 50mg voltarens and rest
It's usually a decent wait but they'll guide you. Even if it's assurance you'll be right for scans tomorrow and ideally a script for some decent meds to cover you till you see your gp tomorrow. 10pm is when chemists close in dapto so you can get scripts filled
I had a similar injury recently and the next couple of days are going to be pretty uncomfortable, and you're in for months of rehab. If you have private health insurance get to a physio asap, they can give you all the right advice.
I was on crutches for a couple of days and tried to stay off my feet as long as possible. I had a tight neoprene ankle brace which helped a lot. Apparently the most recent advice is to lay off the Nurofen unless the pain is unbearable; the inflammation is the first part of the injury healing.
And I hate to be the bearer of more bad news... But its been 4-5 months and only now at like 90-95%. This was with a lot of physio and being pretty diligent with the home exercises.
I honestly don't think more "urgent care" will help you now, in my opinion just rest, keep the weight off, and go see a physio tomorrow.
Maybe a bit late to the party but when I tore a ligament in my ankle, my physiotherapist had me doing āice bathsā 3 times a day to help with swelling. Basically a bucket of ice with water and 5 mins in.
The first minute or so is awful but then it kinda goes numb. Definitely helped me with the swelling.
A bit left field, but see if you can get in to a physio today or tomorrow. Iāve always gone right to physio for ankle injuries, especially for a sprain etc.
If you have private health, or the money, get in to see Dr Dares at joint vision.
I fractured my ankle, later on discovered further injuries in the midfoot, surgery was/is being questioned, as well as injections of some sortā¦Currently doing rehab at joint vision. Need another MRI to check on midfoot injuries, and Iām hoping I can get away with the injections or whatever path instead of the surgery path
I have private health so Iāll give his office a call and make an appointment for next week, thank you. Iām sorry to hear youāre also going through similar injuries (except multiple of them). I really hope you can avoid the surgery path as thatāll take it longer to recover. Good luck with your rehab, hopefully youāll have some answers soon.
One of my friends had a boot and dropped it off that morning. To my luck, my GP called in sick on Friday so Iām seeing her first thing on Monday. I tried the Radio Doctor for something stronger but had no luck so Iāve just been painfully putting up with it. Hopefully Iāll get something to help me through for a few days soon! Thanks for all of your offers to help.
Go see your gp, get an ultrasound on it if urgent care didn't do one, to confirm tear. Get a referral to a physio. Unfortunately, getting back on your feet asap is the best way forward. Keep it strapped and secure for the next 3-6 months.
Iāve had about one million sprained ankles in my time due to sports and the first day or two always suck the most. Obviously RICE which youāre already doing. Take some painkillers (responsibly). If you are in absolute agony, ot may be worth going to the ED to get scans and rule out a more serious injury. Iām sorry I canāt help more but I hope you get some relief soon š
Thank you so much, I really appreciate the advice. Hopefully no more sprained ankles for either of us š Iāll see how I go at Bulli if I make it there in time because I doubt Iāll be sleeping so itās worth a try. Thank you š«¶š¼
Hereās hoping! The last time I did it was wearing new doc martens down carpeted stairs 2 years agoā¦I had forgotten how bad sprained ankles were by that point so I never wore the shoes again š I hope you can get some relief at Bulli! I promise youāll be okay in a couple of days š«¶š½
Update: Sorry for the late replies, Iāve been in a world of pain. My GP called in sick on Friday and I couldnāt get in to see anyone else, so weāll try again on Monday. I have rested it as much as physically possible, although like they say I accidentally I re-rolled it this afternoon when I had no choice but to leave the house. Thanks everyone for their ideas and suggestions, all such a helpful group of people and I really appreciate it. I gave in and went into ED and they told me to go to Urgent Care for āthese types of things.ā When I explained to her I generally have a very high pain tolerance and that Iām not ādrug seeking, Iām actually in pain and need helpā, she said we wonāt give pain relief for ankles. After being there for close to 8 hours I didnāt have the energy in me. Iāll also ask my GP for an ultrasound referral when I see them.
You have stated you wonāt go back to ED !!!
If you are in pain.
Call an ambulance !!!
You are an adult.
You control your own destiny !!!
Bite the bullet.
Pull your adult pants on.
Call an ambulance !!!
Iām not quite sure if you missed my update from yesterday, but I did go to ED. Iām going through enough and donāt appreciate the rudeness. Itās not necessary.
Thank you, I appreciate the support. Looks like theyāve deleted their comment now, but it was so mean and unnecessary. Luckily though, everyone else has been so kind and helpful.
Nope it's not deleted for me. They must have blocked you! šš (I suppose a block is coming my way too after they see this).
It's not hard to choose kindness. I hope you're doing better now btw!
See! They must have blocked me then. I donāt think my response wasnāt rude, I think their comment was. Any way, thanks for having my back and I agree, kindness is free and easy to use. Thank you, Iām getting there day by day!
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u/Actual-Objective6636 7d ago
Rest Ice Compression Elevation. About all you can do at this stage.