To think I would have noticed?

[WhyCantIuseTheNameIWant]

After falling badly today, I ended up having an x-ray on my ankle.

Not broken, but there are about 10 bits of broken bone just hanging around from a previous break...

They have worn edges so are probably about 10 years old.

Who broke my ankle? Or foot?

A drunken night out?

Are you sure they are your x-rays?

'who broke my ankle? or foot?......you did....although after 10 years im surprised the small bits show and havent fused onto other bits of bone

I think they were my x-rays. I hadn't left the x-ray room!

No, I can't imagine it being a drunken night thing. I rarely go out drinking. I prefer to be the driver than the idiot.

I am in my 40s, so I would have been early 30s I guess?

My mum had this. She broke her leg on holiday they asked about her previous break an she was like

Oh, this happened to me. Went to hospital, x-rayed to see if my twisted ankle was broken - no, but 'the break in your leg seems to have healed quite well, look, its on the x-ray'.
I walked around with a broken leg, when I could have had eight weeks off work. Gutted!

Are you sure they aren't sesamoid bones, which are tiny bones embedded in muscle? Everyone has some, but some people have a lot, especially if they use the muscles heavily (e.g. dancers can have lots in their feet).

timely

Do you remember a bad twist or sprain at some time?

Did you ask your doctor?
Do you do any running? Apparently if you do a lot of running on hard surfaces in particular, it can damage the bones in your feet / ankles?

No running doesn't cause bone fragments to come lose. Really, you hear some rubbish on MN!

My granny fell out of brd and broke a bone in her neck. The xray also showed an old, previous break on her neck. She thought the niggly pains she'd had for years were just more arthritis. Poor Granny.

Have you ever sprained or twisted that ankle?

I had something similar happen a few years ago. I slipped off a kerb and hurt my ankle so went for an x-ray. They told me it was fine but there was a loose piece of bone floating around from an old break. The only thing I could think of was having badly sprained my ankle about 25 years earlier. It swelled up like a balloon at the time and took ages to heal (and was never x-rayed) so I guess I actually broke it then.

I twisted it about 8 years ago... Had a nice bruise for a few weeks.

That could be it?

Do I run? Only if the toddler legs it!

Do I dance? Only if the bathroom is occupied!

I am glad I am not the only one by the sounds of it.

Hope you others are ok now?

I used to twist my ankles badly a lot and they never bruised for as long as a few weeks. It was probably that incident!

I fractured 2 vertebrae in my spine and shattered a disc and it wasn't discovered for three weeks.

That sounds like the most likely time whycan'tI. At least it healed okay!

My sister in law has this. Took her in as suspected she had broken one finger. Turned out she had broken 3. The nurses didnt believe us until the doctor ordered xrays as she has such a high pain threshold. they also found some interesting old breaks in her hand, wrist.....that she had no idea about.

This just happened to me too! I had a chest X-ray and dr confirmed all was fine but asked me when I'd broken my colarbone??! I didn't know I had! Dr said it was 5-6 years old and I have no recollection of injuring myself in that area. Very strange.

In a similar vein my mum apparently must have had one of the hepatitises at some point, as she was found to be immune having previously fought it off. It would almost certainly have made her quite ill, but she has no idea when it would have been!

She was also immune to TB when tested. Years later they realised my grandads friend had it when she was younger and she'd built it up.

I had this as well. My consultant told me it was from doing alot of sports when I was younger. The injuries you get cause the fragments. It's very common in athletes, footballers, any type of sportsperson basically. He told me I would probably need a wash out (arthroscopy) when I was older. It's unlikely you've actually previously broken it if you have no memory of a serious injury.

Must be the year for it!

Fell over in a supermarket car park a couple of weeks ago. Thought I had broken my foot and when my DH came home he took one look at it and whisked me off to MI.

Turned out to be a very bad sprain, but it took some time to work out as I had previously broken some bones in there and I had no idea!

They had healed well and I don't know when I injured myself. I have a ridiculously high pain threshold and used to walk a lot. So I think I must have gone over on it in my walking books whilst out hiking and not realised how badly I had injured myself. It's the only explanation I can think off.

The bruise from the sprain has only just faded however and I can't walk on it for long at the moment. I'd rather break it than sprain it!!