Sprained ankle

Three weeks ago this coming Monday I hurt my ankle while I was running, so I went to the hospital where they told me it was sprained. I was advised to walk on it as normal, and take painkillers for the pain. They also gave me a bandage to wear for a week, and they seemed to think it would be fine pretty soon.

The thing is, it still hasn't properly healed; and like I said- it's soon going to be three weeks since it happened. I would go back to the hospital, but I'm just wondering if I'm being a little hasty, and that it's perfectly normal to take this long to heal. I'm wondering whether maybe it's taking quite a long time because I didn't have crutches and I didn't have very much opportunity to rest it at all, because I've been at school and we have to walk around a lot to get to lessons.

Would it be an idea to go to my doctor as opposed to the hospital? (I'm a bit reluctant to go back to the hospital, because it takes a few hours to be seen- and it might only turn out as: "This is normal, just keep walking on it") Or should I give it a bit more time?

Reply 1

Love Sheep

You should do as you said and go to your doctor. It's less of a hassle and you'll still be able to get it seen to.

Reply 2

Teenie

I am on week 2 of having a severe sprain to my ankle sustained whilst playing rugby. Either go and see your GP and get a referral for physiotherapy or go to a private physio clinic (what I am doing) and get it looked at. I didn't go to the hospital becaise I was told it was just ligament damage and that they would say exactly what it appears they said to you. Regretting that decision now!

Reply 3

belle_27

I wouldn't worry about it. A sprained ankle is meant to take 6 weeks to heal, and generally torn ligaments take much longer to heal than bones. I sprained my ankle in March and in June I could still see the bruising on it, although I didn't rest it propely either. I rested the day I sprained it (Saturday) then Sunday, Monday, went to school Tuesday and Wednesday and exhausted myself walking around on it so took Thursday off.

Also, they don't give you crutches as its meant to heal faster if you walk on it, the only difference I made to my routine was not to walk to school and back home for 2 weeks and instead got a lift with my friend as I had a 10 mins walk each way (I walk fast though) and I thought it wasn't worth being exhausted before school even started. And I didn't go out the next weekend, though went out the next weekend (2 weeks after spraining it) and walking up and down stairs at tube stations was really hard for me and generally I was a lot slower walking than usual.

Though in July I walked up 2 mountains (Stobhan and Ben Nevis) and my ankle was perfectly fine, so just give it some time.

Reply 4

nota bene

If you don't want to go now, you can always call the hospital and ask what they think before going...though I'd probably go. One of my friends at school didn't do anything about a sprained ankle for some week and then the pain was not getting the slightest better and it ended up by the conclusion there were some loose bits of bones after x-ray... It healed by itself though, but took about two months.

A couple of years ago I was playing floorball and my foot got ****ed up, trainers said I should just go home and take it easy 'see you tomorrow at the training' though later in the day I reluctantly (mother kinda forced me) went to the hospital and after x-ray they wanted to put it in a plaster... Although luckily enough it didn't turn out that way (ankles are as far as I know hard to get to heal in a good way when they are fixed), I had to use crutches for more than a month and the foot didn't work properly until after about 5 months.

So conclusion...go see your doctor=)