To call in sick?

@iminpain I think your work "presenteeism" is misplaced here. You have an injury that can be further damaged if you don't let it heal properly. You also have an unsympathetic line manager and I would guess that your office situation is not going to provide the optimum conditions for keeping your foot raised and iced. You really do not "owe" your employers your health and despite your concern that your presence at work is absolutely necessary for the functioning of the company, I can guarantee you that it will indeed be able to go on without you. Please listen to the PP here (especially those who are health professionals) who are telling you to go to your GP and take at least this week off. I don't know how young you are, but you sound as if you think your body is invincible and will bounce right back from this. And perhaps it will. But as others have said, it may not and you may end up with years of suffering later in life because you failed to take a bit of care of what is not a major fracture, but something that can cause you distress if not healed properly.

Speaking from experience be careful that you don’t try to do too much and injure your other leg over compensating. You obviously feel guilty about work, I probably would too but you need to put yourself and your recovery first so that you’re on the mend asap.

How on earth does an ankle injury stop someone posting on MN? What an odd post

Go to A&E. You may have torn a ligament and need a splint. Retired physio here - I[ve done both of my ankles in - one had to be operated on.

It's a avulsion fracture.

My sympathies to you OP. Years ago I sprained my ankle falling down the stairs at work... they sent me home straight away & my dad came to pick me up & took me to A&E. Thankfully nothing was broken but I was off work for a couple of days leading up to the weekend. It swelled up & was black & blue. I couldn't bear any weight on it & was stuck in bed. No way could I have worked for those couple of days. I had lingering pain in it for months & on and off swelling for a few years. I think once you have done something like that there will always be a weakness. Some of the nasty comments here don't realise just how painful of an injury it can be. I agree for an office job it is not something that you need to be off long term with but a few days for sure. They are probably thinking of a minor rolling of the ankle which we have all done at some point.

You poor thing you must be in so much pain! I'd definitely have a few days at home and keep my legs up, my ankle iced and rest it. Any weight bearing will make the swelling and pain flair up. You'll be more productive at work if you're not in pain.

Do you not understand the post or something?

Some of these comments are shocking. Did you mean a twisted ankle rather than sprained? A twisted ankle might just be quite uncomfortable for a few days.

A sprain is ligament damage, and can be as painful as a break or fracture.

Have you ever sprained your ankle or broken a bone in your foot? I've done both at different times and they they were both very painful indeed. Paracetamol won't even touch the sides if it's a bad sprain or fracture. As for moving on, rest and elevation of the affected leg for the first 48 to 72 hours is recommended to minimise the swelling and allow healing to begin. I really hate this tendency to brush injury aside and tell people to soldier on. Do that and you risk after-effects down the line. The body is a marvellous machine and has an amazing ability to heal itself, but not if you mistreat it

Yeah, dunno about you but most people tend to type with their fingers not their feet 🙄 👍🏻👍🏻

It's her foot that's the problem, not her hands. 🙄 What's with the lack of sympathy for a painful injury to the OP?

I was replying to the arsey poster who commented op was well enough to be on mn but not to work.

Having had similar injuries in the past I really don't think that's a good idea. You could end up with chronic pain if you don't give your body a chance to start healing.

That's pretty rough.

Hopefully it won't happen to you, but I find that sprains and fractures often feel worse the next day. (I'm very accident prone, so have a lot of experience in this area!) I'm glad you went, and didn't just try and work through.

But don't be surprised if it does hurt like mad when you wake up in the morning. Do you have anyone who can fetch and carry for you at home?

And could you work from home for a few days?

Couldn't agree more. Even with minor fractures you need to be careful how much stress you put on them while they're trying to heal. You sound like a conscientious employee OP, but it really wouldn't be wise to compromise healing so as not to let work down, this is definitely a time to put yourself first.

What is wrong with you??

I had this a few years ago OP, also not given a boot, but was given crutches. I also had a d i c k manager who wouldn’t let me go to hospital so I went at 4am the next morning when it was quiet. Boss insisted I go to work after hospital and they’d given me an opiate and I was high as a kite. And drafting legal docs 😃

I didn’t take any time off work but it was a total PitA as I had to set off an hour earlier every day to get to work on time,

Be kind to yourself, ignore the a holes, elevate and look after yourself. I hope you’re feeling better soon,

PS when I changed jobs and fell on way to new job they immediately sent me to hospital in a taxi to get my foot checked. There are some good employers out there.

Something similar happened to me at work a few years ago. They called a cab on the company account to take me home.

It was a good workplace with decent people in charge.

I had an avulsion fracture. Please do rest. I wasn't told to rest, or indeed that it was fractured. I was told it was a bad sprain. Then I went to the GP weeks later, still in pain and they told me I had an avulsion fracture. I had to go to physio and they told me it had been more damaged as it had been treated incorrectly. Nearly 2 years later and I still have problems with it. Rest up x

I hope you’re ok op. You didn’t get much sympathy on this post. I’m glad you got seen quickly. Keep on top of the painkillers don’t let them wear off and be in pain. Hope it heals quickly for you xx

Apologies, I thought you were agreeing with that poster & all the others who were suggesting as it's "only" a sprain the OP should go into work!

@iminpain - please listen to @SylvanMoon. She's right. And at least get a proper boot for you to walk on, if you insist on walking. Much better than crutches at the moment. I fractured a small bone in my foot 3 years ago now, with a fall, and despite 6 weeks' rest without putting much weight on it and using a boot even whilst it was elevated, and for months afterward, I still have trouble with it now. I can't help but think that you've been poorly advised by the health professionals you saw, and I would suggest a visit to your GP for clarification (and a sick note).

Why go into work? You are replaceable, you won’t be any better thought of! You could end up doing even more damage to your ankle/foot.

Fuck work op, if you're Monday to Friday then take Thursday and Friday off and rest. You could have a crap nights sleep when you're hurting everywhere. Theyl cope without you for two days.