Sprained ankle two weeks ago, still painful please help!
Hello everyone,
I am new here so please excuse me if I am posting this in the wrong place.
Two weeks ago today I sprained my left ankle while running. I was seen at the local urgent care who diagnose me with a sprained ankle. That Friday (9/2) I went to a general practitioner who told me I had a level three sprain and advised me to stay off the ankle as much as possible for six weeks. I have been using an air cast and crutches. I have been taking 5-6 oxycodone 5/325 mg pills a day for the pain. My ankle is still extremely swollen and now there appears to be a large, hard lump developing in the upper part of my ankle (if that makes sense).
My question is....how long should I expect to be in pain for? I don't want to have to take painkiller for an extended amount of time but my ankle hurts SO much especially first thing in the morning and before I go to bed at night. I have been icing and elevating the ankle. It just doesn't seem to be getting any better and I am concerned. I have a follow up appointment next Monday. I called my dr's office today and spoke with a nurse and she told me to just keep doing what I am doing. Any advice/suggestions/experience is greatly appreciated!
Re: Sprained ankle two weeks ago, still painful please help!
A grade 3 sprain is a big deal, and it could be up to 4 months to full recovery. Still, if you've been resting and elevating, you should be seeing SOME decrease in pain by now.
I would make an appointment with an orthopedist, just to be sure no further treatment is necessary. Definitely, once you start to recover, you will need physical therapy, to make sure that the ligaments return to normal strength.
Re: Sprained ankle two weeks ago, still painful please help!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Grace817
Thanks for the reply, I just realized I probably should have proof read my post before posting it
Do you remember about how long it took for your ankle to start feeling better?
Truly, about 4-5 weeks before I really noticed a huge difference. The knot/bump is most likely the torn musles/tendons/etc. It was a good 2 months before that went down appreciably. I sprained mine the day I had foot surgery when I feel coming in the house and hit the door frame with that leg. It just twisted the foot as I feel forward. Good thing I had a nerve block and didn't feel anything for 24 hours! The sprain hurt worse than the surgical site and I was NWB! Ugh!
Re: Sprained ankle two weeks ago, still painful please help!
Thanks for the responses. The actual sprain was on the inner part of my left ankle. The hard lump is now developing on the middle to inner part above my left ankle. Sorry for the horrible description but thats the best I can do haha. If I stick my leg out in front of me it appears to be about a 2x2 hard lump protruding from the inner part of my left ankle.
I have a follow up appointment this coming Monday. Should I be worried/concerned about the fact I am taking 4-5 5/325 oxycodone/acetaminophen pills a day for the pain? I do not want to be on these forever and even with the painkillers I am still experiencing a lot of pain.
I should note that the pain I am having now is different from when I first sprained it. The pain now is a dull, constant ache when it is resting and when I try to walk it gets stronger/sharper. The nurse yesterday didn't seem too concerned and just told me to hold off until Monday (it seemed like she was both annoyed and rushing me off the phone).
Re: Sprained ankle two weeks ago, still painful please help!
Well, if the main pain is when you walk on it, I wouldn't walk on it! That's a sign it's not ready for you to do that. Maybe you can back off the pain meds that way.
The Following User Says Thank You to Titchou For This Useful Post: Grace817 (09-13-2011)
