Pic of DH foot, shall he go back to be checked out again?

I did the same and the NHS hospital told me to rice it and take painkillers. After a few days it was very swollen and bruised and I couldn’t walk on it so saw a specialist at Bupa who said it was major ligament damage and put me straight into a boot that I had to wear for 6 weeks, including in bed and in the shower! It is fine now but wouldn’t have been without the boot - go back.

I did my ligaments in October, I did go back after a few weeks to minor injuries for another xray because it wasn't getting better, but there was no break.
I was off work for 3 months (physical job) and had 10 weeks of physio. Its still not right.
I was told 6 months before it will heal.

I know four people in the last 18 months who have been told they have sprained their ankle/just got ligament damage and who all ended up with a break being diagnosed later on and surgery. So I would go back were I you.

It’s hard for them to see fractures / breaks when that swollen

I also had a missed break in mine, so I would recommend going back and asking for it to be x-rayed again once the swelling has gone down a bit

Ligament damage hurts like hell though

What kind of holiday are you planning OP?

I couldn't bear weight on my ankle for a good while. Was in a wheelchair for a few days, then crutches for a couple of weeks and couldn't drive during that time either

Hopefully you can still go, but might have to be a bit sedentary

Mine was massive when I tore my ligaments. Couldn’t get my boot on. That was in interesting travel home! I couldn’t walk on it and lived in a flat with bedroom and bathroom upstairs and kitchen and front door downstairs! Thankfully a kind person delivered a stick from Facebook to help.

it took over a year to get better. It’s been a few years and I still can’t wear high heels and it gets achy if I walk too much.

physio for exercises.

If a combination of paracetamol and ibuprofen don’t touch the pain, contact GP for something stronger/advice. Or try cocodamol.

Reading this is making me incredibly grateful Dd got a boot when she did her ankle ligament damage, really helped as she could walk on it straight away and go to school etc the next day and it healed so she could walk normally after 2.5 weeks (still is weaker though but not terribly so)

Another who had an ankle much the same with ligament damage. I’d have rather broken it.

not an A and E job now - if he needs further support it’s a GP or nurse practioner.

100% agree with you.

Although bone fractures and breaks are very painful, they do heal fully by around 8-10 weeks depending on severity and you do have muscle wastage to deal with. Bone knits together strongly, and once you can get back to weight-bearing, your recovery is exponential.

anything ligament and tendon-related is an absolute mare, because the tendons don't have a very good blood supply to them and they take months and months, sometimes years to heal.

@enamechange your poor DHs leg looks very bad! I'm not going to give any advice, every injury is so unique. I hope he recovers soon, poor thing.

It looks just like mine did when I sprained it. I had similar bruising. If they Xrayed it then there’s no need to go back. It’s not broken, it will heal in a week or so.

Ligament damage can actually be worse than a break. It needs compression on it as well as ice and elevation. Paracetamol ibuprofen and arnica

When I sprained my ankle badly (well I actually managed both ankles and both knees but one ankle was the worst) I couldn't weight-bear on it for several weeks. I did an entire work trip to London on crutches and it was a nightmare.

It looks weeks to get to semi-okay and about 2 years to fully stabilise and not be weaker than the other.

Once I could weight-bear even a little I did a load of physio exercises and I kept it moving even while I couldn't bear any weight on it.

Broke my ankle at school, and it didn't swell like that. But it was weak for years. Weird tendon damage last week, but thankfully nothing that appears as nasty as this. My sympathies are with him. Looks dreadful. Go easy. Remember it will take time to build back.

As per many PP - thats ligaments which is far worse than a break and may never fully heal. I still have one ankle slightly larger than the other from rolling it in 1995.

Surprised he wasn't advised on some kind of pressure for it? Unless its just off for the photo but I'd be strapping that into next week.

In an ideal world. But imo A&E cannot keep seriously ill patients waiting by sodding about with an injury that needs no immediate treatment. If the RICE method does not work then this becomes one for the local GP to decide on a plan as suitable. I have done several ligaments and muscles over the years and unless something is completely detached rest, elevation is often sufficient.

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I would go back. My exH did similar years ago playing football and when I took him to hospital the next morning when he could hardly bear weight they refused to even xray it!

Fast forward 3 weeks when it was still swollen, black and painful he got a referral from the GP for an xray and guess what - broken in 2 places.

He's never been able to play again

My ligament damage was like this too. The nurse told me it's often more painful than a break. The pain was worse than childbirth and the recovery took me about six months in total.

I spent the first week on the sofa and crawling to the toilet on my hands and knees.

Diagnosis of 'not a fracture' isn't a diagnosis in my book.....

They could refer to physio
They could provide a splint or cast
They could refer to orthopaedics
Many have a ESP-led ankle or msk clinics

"Ligament injury" is a cop-out unless they've told you which ligament(s), and how bad they think the injury is... The most common high grade ligament injuries benefit massively from being recognised and treated early.

Dont go to A and E.
They done their bit. It’s been xrayed and diagnosed there is nothing more they can do.
Thats going to take a while to feel better that’s all.

I've damaged my ligaments and broken an ankle (at separate times). Give me a broken ankle any day.

looks like gout to me

Nothing A&E can do unfortunately - it's a long term recovery

Ask docs for physio referral if it is not gaining strength in a month though