Sprained ankle - ARGHHH

[Flowers217]

I very badly sprained my ankle at the end of Nov 2021 (rolled it outwards). Over 4 months later it is still painful, swollen, hurts to move my ankle to the side, hurts to let my ‘bad foot’ relax on top of my other foot if I cross my legs whilst sat down etc.

I’ve had some physio and I admit that I am not great at doing the exercises… but oh my god why hasn’t it healed yet?!? An ultrasound scan showed 3 ligament tears. Is this why it’s taking so long to repair?

It’s really getting me down now. I can’t do any weight bearing exercise except walking. I am worried it’s never going to be normal again!

(This might be more appropriate on the health chat but figured someone might have similar experiences to me).

Any re - assurance, tips, advice etc would be most appreciated!! Thanks in advance.

Oh no, you poor thing!! I think I may be you, but only did mine 5 weeks ago! I'll see if I can add some pictures!
Did you get an xray? And did you have to wear a sexy boot for 6 weeks? Mine is hardly better, still massively swollen and I can't stand on it at all!! When were you able to walk on it again?
I'm going to try some massage and some acupuncture, do you have anyone close by who does that?

Ligament tears, depending on the severity, will make it take longer to heal.
I would suggest wearing a ankle support bandage on it as much as possible. Also keep using the RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevate) as much as possible to rest if. You need to do a mix of physio and rest with the ankle. If you've seen a physio they've probably given you some exercise to do at home such as twirling your foot around etc. You can google physio exercises to do to help a sprain.
Bad sprains can take a long time to fully heal but they do eventually.
I badly sprained my ankle some years back wore the moon boot thingy for about 6 weeks but it did take probably 4-6 months to feel fully better again. I'd really recommend wearing a bandage as much as possible though during the day. It really helps. Good luck!