Ankle injury question . . .

[Slateman]

So on my Europe trip (see thread about mission trip), I sorta hurt my ankle. Pretty bad actually.

I was running in Lviv, and I rolled my ankle. Pretty bad. The sidewalks are pretty uneven and I came down full stride on it. Then proceeded to wrap it in an ACE bandage and walk on it for a week. Suprisingly, it didn't hurt much until three days in, I rolled it again and reaggravated it. It was pretty swollen at this point (actually have a pic if needed) right on the outside ball of my ankle.

Took it to the doc, got some xrays. No broken bones. Phew. He did say that I may have stretched or possibly even torn some ligaments.

If its torn, I'm pretty much layed up, right? Like how much would surgery cost? I just found out my insurance is dropping me as I'm no longer a student

If they're "stretched" will they heal on their own? How long? I was planning on enlisting in the marines in a couple weeks. Kinda wondering how long its gonna take to get well enough to go.

Sorry if this is the wrong place, but I'm starting to get . . . concerned. I have an appointment with an orthopedist next week . . .

[ntotoro]

I rolled my ankle almost three years ago. The ligaments stretched. Even heard them. Not pretty.

They'll never be tight-as-new unless you get surgery after it heals, but it's not a big deal. Just seems a little more "flexible," is all, but I'm sure it's also more prone to inury.

I'm not a pro athlete, so no biggie. Swole and bruised like crazy when it first happened. Couldn't plant or change direction on it, either. It was fully "healed" in a month or so with ice, elevation, etcetera.

[Slateman]

A month

[jasimpson]

I've fractured both by ankles (sports), all I got to say is that they usually come back stronger.

[ntotoro]

Big difference between a fracture and rolling your ankle. I'd much rather have a fracture, from the stability point-of-view.

[Pete]

I've messed up my ankles more then once. Many sprains playing sports, and a quad fracture with 9 bone chips falling about 30 feet onto a rock wall. The less activity the better IMO. If you have stretched or torn ligaments, or even if you don't, overdose with Vitamin C and zink. You'll wizz out what your body doesn't need. It helps the healing of tendons and ligaments.

I wouldn't wrap it in an ace. Most folks don't know how to properly wrap an ankle. Get a pull over ankle support, and elevate it as often as you can till you get to see the orthpedist.

[DeanCollins]

So on my Europe trip (see thread about mission trip), I sorta hurt my ankle. Pretty bad actually.

I was running in Lviv, and I rolled my ankle. Pretty bad. The sidewalks are pretty uneven and I came down full stride on it. Then proceeded to wrap it in an ACE bandage and walk on it for a week. Suprisingly, it didn't hurt much until three days in, I rolled it again and reaggravated it. It was pretty swollen at this point (actually have a pic if needed) right on the outside ball of my ankle.

Took it to the doc, got some xrays. No broken bones. Phew. He did say that I may have stretched or possibly even torn some ligaments.

If its torn, I'm pretty much layed up, right? Like how much would surgery cost? I just found out my insurance is dropping me as I'm no longer a student

If they're "stretched" will they heal on their own? How long? I was planning on enlisting in the marines in a couple weeks. Kinda wondering how long its gonna take to get well enough to go.

Sorry if this is the wrong place, but I'm starting to get . . . concerned. I have an appointment with an orthopedist next week . . .

sounds like a bad sprain. you're looking at 4-6 weeks to heal if you don't reinjure it. what did most of the damage was the swelling. If immediatly after you sprained it, you had wraped it, put ice on it and elevated for a couple hours and stayed off it for the rest of the day, chance are that it would have just felt a little sore the next day.

It's the swelling that does the damage. If you join the service and reinjure

it in boot camp, you may get NPQ'd (not physically qualified) and tossed out. It'd be a lot of pain and agrivation for nothing. Pete's right, go to the drug store and buy an ankle brace (the black one) for $15, keep it elevated and baby it for a couple weeks and drink tons of water.

[rdsknbill]

Tore most of the ligaments in my right ankle in a street hockey incident ( pissed off kid acrosss the street while my boy and I were trouncing 5 other kids, he was my endentured servant, by his mother, for the three months until I got out of the cast)

I have also beaten up my left ankle in various sports. Lacrosse, football, hockey.

Stay off of it and let it heal ASAP.

Have you seen an orthopedic? Not just a general practitioner?

I deal with these injuries all the time as a lacrosse coach. Ankle injuries vary imensly! At your age, be vigilant or the result will haunt you for a long time.

Point is. GET WELL

:2cents:

[Mickalino]

Dude, whatever you did to your ankle, I did it worse.

I completely tore and shredded my ankle ligaments,

The Doc cut muscle tendons out of my calf muscle and attached them to my ankle to use them as artificial ligaments.

But I'm too tired to type more. If you want to hear more, I'll do so when I wake up tomorrow

[Slateman]

Thanks guys. I'm more worried about what may happen if I need surgery. I have no health insurance. I was gonna tell the recruiter I want to leave next wed. Guess thats not happening. . . .

[Bonez3]

A more specific film would be needed to grade the sprain- CT or MRI. If it were a really serious sprain, surgery would be required. But, the fact that you 'reaggrevated' what seemed like a lesser sprain (since you were walking on it) maybe doesn't support a high grade sprain. Probably reaggrevated a low grade one.

Sounds like the anterior talofibular ligament. Often injured, strong but susceptible.

[Bonez3]

Thanks guys. I'm more worried about what may happen if I need surgery. I have no health insurance. I was gonna tell the recruiter I want to leave next wed. Guess thats not happening. . . .

If you're that worried, go to the ER. Sometimes amazing things happend in America for free.

[Slateman]

If you're that worried, go to the ER. Sometimes amazing things happend in America for free.

Ummm . . . that would be at least 3 hours, and I wouldn't get in that fast unless I'm dying. Second, the ankle would be an elective surgery, not necessary to save my life.

I would have put ice on it, except, Eastern Europe has never heard of ice cubes. And no one had an ice pack or even that cold spray we saw so much of during world cup. And for some reason, it never occured to me to buy a bag of frozen peas and use that.

[rdsknbill]

Dude, whatever you did to your ankle, I did it worse.

I completely tore and shredded my ankle ligaments,

The Doc cut muscle tendons out of my calf muscle and attached them to my ankle to use them as artificial ligaments.

But I'm too tired to type more. If you want to hear more, I'll do so when I wake up tomorrow

Was that before your riveting youtube drum solo, or during.

Sorry Mick. I just couldn't resist

[rdsknbill]

Ummm . . . that would be at least 3 hours, and I wouldn't get in that fast unless I'm dying. Second, the ankle would be an elective surgery, not necessary to save my life.

I would have put ice on it, except, Eastern Europe has never heard of ice cubes. And no one had an ice pack or even that cold spray we saw so much of during world cup. And for some reason, it never occured to me to buy a bag of frozen peas and use that.

All kidding aside

You should see an orthopedic to get an accurate diagnosis.

You are entirely too young to let it go

[Bonez3]

Ummm . . . that would be at least 3 hours, and I wouldn't get in that fast unless I'm dying. Second, the ankle would be an elective surgery, not necessary to save my life.

I would have put ice on it, except, Eastern Europe has never heard of ice cubes. And no one had an ice pack or even that cold spray we saw so much of during world cup. And for some reason, it never occured to me to buy a bag of frozen peas and use that.

You'll get a free scan from it most likely and will have a better idea if you needc surgery. I was suggesting that as an alternative to 'guessing' if you need surgery. Yea, you would do a good amount of waiting, but tell them you fell and are losing feeling or something and you'll get all the info you need. 3 hours is a better alternative to no insurance and frozen peas.

Or as the most appropriate and expensive route- go to your GP/Ortho and have them charge you a consult just to order more films you will also pay for.

[Brave]

I was a gym rat in college. After one bad sprain, the problem became chronic. I couldn't walk down steps without rolling that ankle. It was never as strong or "tight" again and I have been prone to rolling it ever since.

The good news. My weight rarely comes down on it anymore. It's involuntary. When my ankle rolls, my knee gives out and I stumble around and look like an idiot for a second ... but it doesn't sprain. If your weight doesn't follow the roll, no injury.

So today, almost 20 years later, I still play a decent amount of basketball and I still feel that I am more prone to rolling that ankle, but I haven't "injured" it in a long time.

[DeanCollins]

I was a gym rat in college. After one bad sprain, the problem became chronic. I couldn't walk down steps without rolling that ankle. It was never as strong or "tight" again and I have been prone to rolling it ever since.

The good news. My weight rarely comes down on it anymore. It's involuntary. When my ankle rolls, my knee gives out and I stumble around and look like an idiot for a second ... but it doesn't sprain. If your weight doesn't follow the roll, no injury.

So today, almost 20 years later, I still play a decent amount of basketball and I still feel that I am more prone to rolling that ankle, but I haven't "injured" it in a long time.

same here, I have about 2 of those incidents a year, although one time I did sprain my knee trying to save the ankle :doh:

[Brave]

same here, I have about 2 of those incidents a year, although one time I did sprain my knee trying to save the ankle :doh:

Yeah it's funny. My best guess is that it's the brain's way of making up for the lack of stability in the ankle. I could be way off base, but when my knee goes it is NOT me trying to save my ankle. It is absolutely involuntary ... happens too quickly.

And it didn''t start happening until I had sprained it (ankle) pretty badly a few times. When the rolling became chronic, the knee began to give way.

For which I am very thankful.

[BlitzFiftySix]

This is probably the most ironic thread I've read in awhile considering I rolled my pathetically weak ankle yesterday by simply getting out of my truck.

I fractured my ankle about 13 years ago and suffered torn ligaments in the injury. My ankle has never been the same since. I tried to continue playing sports for a few years following the injury and pretty much retired after acquiring the nickname of "Sniper'. Why Sniper you ask? Because periodically I would roll the ankle and just go down in a heap for no apparent reason. My teammates and friends would laugh and say, "Uh oh, sniper got him again". It got so bad that I rolled it stepping onto a rock walking out to second base one night and that was my last time on a ball field again.

Anyway, to make a long story short. My ankle completely sucks and has never been the same since my injury. I roll it constantly and it swells all the time. I hope your injury heals better than mine.

[DeanCollins]

Yeah it's funny. My best guess is that it's the brain's way of making up for the lack of stability in the ankle. I could be way off base, but when my knee goes it is NOT me trying to save my ankle. It is absolutely involuntary ... happens too quickly.

And it didn''t start happening until I had sprained it (ankle) pretty badly a few times. When the rolling became chronic, the knee began to give way.

For which I am very thankful.

oh when the knee goes, it's not voluntary, self preservation but involuntary

[KDawg]

A year ago in Spring Ball for college football I rolled my ankle on an interception... I knew it hurt like hell and I couldn't walk, but I practiced on it for another week, running on it full speed (well, as full as you can go with a limp) and it hurt more and more...

As time went on, the injury got slightly better, but it still hurt really bad... So I went to the doctor the other day...

He told me I probably had a 50% tear in the ankle, and since it wasn't rehabbed correctly I had scar tissue that was causing me to sprain/strain the ankle alot easier due to the mechanics of the ankle changing because of that tissue...

So, it was a fairly bad injury, but surgery was not required...

[SUNSTONE]

I was playing basketball when I grabbed a rebound and came down on someone elses foot.

All of my weight went on my right foot, and it completely rolled off of the other guys foot.

I heard several snaps, and you want to talk about pain! :censored:

I barely limped home, and that was the last time I walked on it that summer.

It swelled up like a balloon, and literally most of my foot and ankle turned black and blue.

The doctor said it was very bad, torn ligaments and a cracked bone.

So for months I couldn't put any pressure on it.

At the end of that summer I had my first experience with God, just like Samuel L Jackson had in Pulp Fiction....minus the guns, suitcase full of glowing stuff, etc.

But I questioned wether it was real or not.

So one night I was watching one of those preachers on TV when I said this prayer... "God...if you're there, then heal my ankle."

Nothing happened immediatly and I ended up falling asleep on the couch.

A twing in my ankle woke me up. I checked my ankle and it was much much better, but not 100%.

But for the first time I could put pressure on it.

Within one week I was able to play basketball again.

It's 100% perfect and I could jump higher than I could ever before off of it(after working hard on my jumping skills).

[Bonez3]

I could tell you research has shown surgery is hardly required for moderate sprains. The 'ankle instability' recurrence is just as high in those who had surgically repaired ankles to those with proper rehab. It's just a unfortunate injury.

Severe sprains (full tears) require surgery but are rare in nature. Really confined to the pro athlete or high amplitude/velocity injuries. Most of you guys will always have that unstable joint, regardless of what you did to repair it.

[Slateman]

You'll get a free scan from it most likely and will have a better idea if you needc surgery. I was suggesting that as an alternative to 'guessing' if you need surgery. Yea, you would do a good amount of waiting, but tell them you fell and are losing feeling or something and you'll get all the info you need. 3 hours is a better alternative to no insurance and frozen peas.

Or as the most appropriate and expensive route- go to your GP/Ortho and have them charge you a consult just to order more films you will also pay for.

How sure are you that the hospital won't charge me? I'm kinda doubting that they'll let me walk in and get a scan for free.

And while I don't have insurance, I do have some money. I have whatever is left over in my college fund (around 10k . . . I think)