I sprained my right ankle while playing soccer almost a year ago and it took a while to heal. Right now I can walk and do pretty much everything but I still have some pain left, nothing severe as as it's tolerable. It also becomes annoying when I drive for long periods of time. I haven't seen a doctor yet since I didn't think it was that serious...so any ideas of how I can "cure" this myself or should I go see a doctor?
The fact that you're posting on this board tells me it's bothering you enough that it would probably make sense to see a doctor about it.
They may or may not take an x-ray, and if they do anything they would likely first send you to physical therapy unless the x-ray showed something. A PT could help you learn some great exercises to strengthen your ankle. Muscle strengthening can go a long way to compensate for loose or slightly torn ligaments/tendons. If you are bad enough that the PT doesn't help you or if the PT finds something concerning, then after about a month they would probably send you back to your doctor who would likely then send you to a foot and ankle surgeon.
HTH!
The Following User Says Thank You to twohands For This Useful Post: EvoSev (09-07-2012)
I sprained my right ankle while playing soccer almost a year ago and it took a while to heal. Right now I can walk and do pretty much everything but I still have some pain left, nothing severe as as it's tolerable. It also becomes annoying when I drive for long periods of time. I haven't seen a doctor yet since I didn't think it was that serious...so any ideas of how I can "cure" this myself or should I go see a doctor?
Thanks!
Considering that it's been almost a year since your injury and you still have some residual pain, I would have it checked out by a doctor.
Most of the time, without a referral from your primary physician, you cannot see a specialist right away. So, I would check with your doctor to see if he/she could get you an appointment with an orthopedist. If you still do not get an appointment, you might try your luck getting an appointment with an orthopedist without a referral. Keep in mind you might be looking at a three or four month wait...but, it might be well worth it.
I would definitely go see a board certified foot/ankle surgeon (not a general OS or a podiatrist). Problem with most ankle sprains is that people think its "just a sprain" and they don't get proper treatment. If ankle sprains aren't treated properly, they can be a nightmare. Most of the time, you'd be better off breaking your ankle than spraining it. The fact you still have annoying pain a year later tells me that you either need proper rehab like PT to strengthen your ankle or an MRI to see if you have something more serious going on like torn or loose ankle ligaments or a peroneal tendon injury, etc. Where exactly is the pain in the ankle? Specifically? This sounds like me and I've now had 2 ankle reconstruction surgeries. Not trying to scare you, but trying to get you to get checked out sooner than I did! Please do go get checked out ASAP!
I agree with Hollywood! You need to get it checked by a doctor. I had a"mild sprain" and was still having problems a year and half later so my general physician sent me for an mri because he thought it was a torn ligament/tendon. It was way worse and now I am 4 weeks post op from my second ankle surgery. I knew it wasn't a sprain and went back to the hospital a week after the initial injury to be told I had to let it heal, and not by the ER doctor but a nurse. Come to find out I was right and I had actually fractured it.
If your having pain a year later, that is not normal! Call your doctor asap!
