Would you go to a&e if you thought you had sprained your ankle?

[Awarethebear]

Hi, I ended up twisting my ankle whilst stepping off of a large step and onto unbeknownst to me slippy mud on the school run yesterday afternoon, it hurt straightaway but I was able to walk the twenty minute journey after ( in pain and with a limp). When I arrived home I noticed my ankle was swollen and after a couple of hours the bruising began. It's really painful to walk on almost 24 hours later, I'm wondering is it just sprained or could it be broken. Would you go to the hospital if this was you?

When I hurt my ankle and couldn't bear weight on it I went to the walk in centre at my local hospital. Not A&E.

Please don't go to A&E. There are walk in centres everywhere

No there isn't. The only walk in NHS facility within 100 miles of me is only open 3 days a week and doesn't have the facility to do xrays.

@Frankola

When I hurt my ankle and couldn't bear weight on it I went to the walk in centre at my local hospital. Not A&E.

Please don't go to A&E. There are walk in centres everywhere

Why would you assume there are “walk in centres everywhere” when the OP has quite clearly stated there is A&E or GP where she is.

There are no walk in centres around here at all.

having had what I thought was a sprained ankle turned out to be a broken bone (swelled up, bruised, could weight bear) I would have it x-rayed.
in some areas it's a&e in others walk in clinics or no urgent care.

I went to minor injuries with my ‘sprained’ ankle only to have it poked then sent away with a leaflet and told if it is broken treatment is the same.

@NativityDreaming

I would see my GP, they do assessments like this and send you to the hospital if they think an X-ray is warranted.

Pointless seeing a GP for such an injury IME. Unless they have an xray machine most GPS will refer you to a more suitable department - minor injuries unit (if you have one, I know many areas don't) or A&E if not.

Being able to walk on it or move it doesn't mean it might not be broken. I've known a number of people have similar injuries and it be broken - leaving it and walking on it can make the break more of an issue.

Ideally a minor injuries unit would be the place to go, if you have one.

Ime A&E staff aren't going ti treat you with disdain because you have used the service for an accident and injury like this. You may have a long wait depending on what your area is like.

We have minor injuries in some community hospitals around our county though they're not fully open, full time. No such thing in my part of the county but that's because we have a big teaching hospital with an A&E.

When are people going to stop being so ignorant as to assume every area of the U.K. operates the same way? You cannot just attend A&E where I am, going through your GP or OOH is the only way to get an appointment at the A&E assessment unit (barring a life or limb emergency).

It is not pointless where I am to go through your GP for a suspected sprain, it is the correct course of action.

@NativityDreaming

When are people going to stop being so ignorant as to assume every area of the U.K. operates the same way? You cannot just attend A&E where I am, going through your GP or OOH is the only way to get an appointment at the A&E assessment unit (barring a life or limb emergency).

It is not pointless where I am to go through your GP for a suspected sprain, it is the correct course of action.

But it is pointless to see the GP in my area - they won't deal with anything accident related and just send you on to urgent care (which is part of the local A&E department.)

@WeirdlyKind my comment was directed at someone else who quoted my reply when I said what I would do, saying my approach was useless. I can’t quote the previous reply, as they quoted me, so included a screenshot of their reply.

Your reply actually confirms mine, we all need to do what works in our area. All the people telling the OP go to minor injuries when she had already said there wasn’t one obviously haven’t rtft. And all the people saying that she doesn’t need an X-ray when NHS advice clearly states to get one are similarly wrong.

Ds hit his head at school - su at pecked concussion, called GP who said you need to go to minor injuries 10 miles away, as he needed an x ray to assess, waited 2 hours at miu to be seen by a nurse as they didn’t have doctors in the unit and anyway they wouldn’t x ray a child’s head only a limb if pushed and someone was there - so he ended up being assessed by a nurse who wondered why the hell a GP had sent us to her! Don’t see the point of a minor injuries unit beyond getting simple wounds dressed they are bloody useless.

Suspected concussion

Our local minor injuries unit is brilliant. They have a doctor on hand but much of the work is done by nurse practitioners who are very thorough and professional. I went to ours recently because it was the weekend and I felt it couldn't wait, they assigned me to the doctor who diagnosed shingles affecting my eyes and was referred immediately to the most local eye hospital. One of those days that makes you grateful for the NHS.