A&E Staff/Doctors - Do Sprains look this bad? Should I get a second opinion?

[HappyLoneParentDay]

Hi
I went over on my ankle on Thursday and of course, went to A&E (once I'd been helped up & driven there). Was in & out very quickly. X-ray apparently didn't show a break so I was given a leaflet on Sprained Ankles, wheeled up to Physio to be given Crutches (which I couldn't use as it was too painful to even brush the floor with my foot and I don't have the strength to use crutches with one leg). Had to slide into house on my bum and that night was completely immobile.
Yesterday morning I woke up able to limp with my ankle in an old boot brace I had from a previous break. Today I can touch the ground without the boot brace but not really weight bare. When my foot touches the ground I can feel what seems to be bones 'moving' in my ankle.
Anyway, have had a good look at my ankle this morning and it looks horrific! I get that there'll always be bruising & swelling but even when I broke my ankle, it didn't look this bad?
Should I go back to A&E or is this standard for a bad Sprain?

Thanks

I've had a few sprains and none have looked like that, however the doctors and physios that saw me said sprains and soft tissue damage can hurt more than a broken bone and that was true in my experience.
If your pain has substantially increased then I would get it checked again, but I'm not a doctor (just someone who is clumsy )

All that bruising means there has been bleeding from a broken bone.
You should go back. (I’m a doctor)

No if anything the pain has subsided. But then when I had an actual break it did that too. In fact, helpfully, when I had a break I could partially weight-bare!

I did forget to mention however, that the skin across the top of my foot is completely numb. Could get a tattoo on it and not feel it! My toes keep going numb too

@Orchardgreen Ok thankyou Doctor, I will do. I really appreciate you taking the time to reply!!

That looks horrific to me. Looks so painful.
I’d go back to hospital I think.
Made me feel a bit queasy, I’m clearly a wimp.

If the bones were broken to the extent that you could feel them moving then it would have been very obvious on XR.
Yes, the bruising looks bad but does not necessarily mean that a bone is broken. If you're worried then by all means go back & ask the staff to look at the X-ray again
Emergency Nurse Practitioner, currently wishing my day away working in an urgent care centre....

@GrandmaSharksDentures Do you think I could perhaps call and ask for them to look at X-RAY again? I'm a lone parent to a hyper-active 4yr old so A&E is a nightmare unless 100% necessary! (Hence this thread). Would they do it?

Definitely go back that looks pretty bad. I had bleeding a bit similar from a muscle tear and was on crutches for 7 weeks. It was borderline for surgery but I’d left it too late. I had a blood clot as big as a tennis ball which is risky in itself. I waited 9 days to go back to A&E. No one told me about ice, raising leg, no weight bearing until it was too late...

That is some amount of bruising how in the hell did you manage that? I would go back with it looking like that and the numbness.

X ray showed no break.
Is it strapped now? How is the pain better / worse? How is any swelling up/down etc?
The key for me now is weight bearing? Thursday - now Sunday -if you can't place any weight on it -reasonably. Make sure it's not just your fear of pain -stopping you placing weight on it. I'd say you need to go back. So try to walk on it -grit your teeth and go for it. If you can't -go back. Don't phone -go back -it might need another x ray etc

I would go back. I walked on a broken ankle and foot for a week with no bruising and was able to weight bear so that doesn't look right at all!!

@Ilovemylabrador I've been partially weight bearing since Saturday morning; however Friday morning I could partially weight-bare ONLY when using the boot brace but not without.
Today I can put even more weight on it but I'm certainly not walking normally. Still limping.
Right now, I don't have full movement of it in terms of wiggling! Can move my toes without pain, however the numbness & swelling on the top of my foot is feeling really tight so is restricting toe movement. As for ankle, hurts when I move my foot to the left and a little less so when I move it to the right - ultimately though it's not agony to do either.

@Ilovemylabrador Oh and when you say is it strapped, do you mean into a boot brace? Not this minute no. I haven't put it on today yet. It was in it most of yesterday & Friday though.
The numbness on my foot & in my toes is really strange though!!

@NotSoThinLizzy Slipped on my Mum's drive between her car & fence whilst dropping my daughter off. There was mud after a rainstorm (hence the mucky feet - daren't risk a full bath as terrified of slipping!). Was on my way back to my car in bloody flip flops!!!

I've had sprains that look that bad. Unable to touch the floor for a week or weight bare for 3 weeks.
Still worth a second look though if you are worried.

I'm not a medical expert but a first aider and person who has broken her ankle and sprained it at different times - orchardgreen's post does not surprise me, I would be amazed if it wasn't broken or that you'd ripped ligaments etc. Breaks don't always show on a first x-ray apparently. Is definitely get somebody to give you a lift back.

@Coffeeandchocolate9 Thankfully I drive an automatic and it's my left leg so I can drive no problem!
For those who don't know, automatics have no use for your left foot just a handy foot rest 👍🏻

I don't know if it's relevant to mention that I'm hypermobile in my joints? Could be neither here nor there, but thought I'd mention it just in case

My daughter broke her foot but it wasn’t noticed when she was first x-rayed, we got a call a few days later when it was rechecked.
I would definitely go and get it looked at again.

Did they X-ray your foot as well as your ankle OP? I think you need both doing (Im a radiographer).
You should go back to A&E if you have concerns. You will probably be triaged as it's not an emergency situation as such so may have to wait quite a while if it's busy. They will re X-ray you. You can't ring and ask them to just look at your previous one over the phone just because you have a child at home. No one would bother going in if it was possible to do that. Alternately get an emergency GP appointment tomorrow morning and they will send you to hospital for a walk in X-ray. If it is broken then the radiographer will send you round to A&E right away to be patched up.
My husband very badly sprained his ankle a few years ago and it looked very similar to yours though.
Elevate your leg, ice it and have a rest! Hope it heels quick for you!

I'd go back. Breaks don't always show up immediately on x-ray, it can take a few days. A sprain wouldn't bruise that much, imo, from my experience- any number of sprains, yes they hurt but you just know when it's broken. My foot felt like a bag of broken glass, I could limp a few steps but no more, bruised spectacularly when I broke it. Go back, ask for another x-ray.
Weight bear not bare by the way

@Broken11Girl I spent about 5 mins trying to remember if it was bear or bare and when I wrote bear all I could think of was teddy bear 🤦🏼‍♀️ My spelling has always been so good, I'm mortified!!

You may want to check your insurance before driving. Getting there is one thing but you don't know what medical advice you will get and driving against medical advice can void your insurance

I’d go back to A&E with that amount of bruising for a second opinion. Or more realistically I’d see my GP tomorrow because that may well need rehabilitatory physio.

I tore my calf three weeks ago (getting off a tube) and the bruising was horrific, the back of my leg and my foot were black and blue. So not necessarily indicative of a break.

If your un-sure go to a pharmacist.
They are really good. 2 years ago and it looked very similar to yours.
It still hurts at times now.
Good luck.