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Original poster

If I can stand on it , it can't be broken can it ?

26 replies

travellingwilbury · 20/04/2011 15:45

I have really hurt my ankle , it is fabulously swollen on the left hand side but I can walk on it (kind of)

I have just got in and put a bag of peas on it as you do . I really really don't want to have the hassle of hospital .

Please tell me if it was broken I wouldn't be able to walk on it .

OP posts:
gettingtogrips · 20/04/2011 15:54

Too hard to say without seeing it but being able to walk is a good sign. Try Googling Ottawa/Ottowa ankle rules for the doctor's guidelines on when to Xray.

Original poster
travellingwilbury · 20/04/2011 15:59

Thanks , have just had a look at that and tbh I am not much the wiser Blush
I can walk which is one of the tests but another question is swelling immediately after injury which there was .

I am such a pillock . I fell about a foot and it just crunched underneath me .

OP posts:
gettingtogrips · 20/04/2011 16:02

Ooh "crunch" doesn't sound good. A&E might be quiet in the sunny weather, may be better to get it checked out. Good luck, hope it gets better soon

SummerRain · 20/04/2011 16:06

It always amazes me in hospital how many people walk to the x-ray room and the plaster room on broken feet/ankles/legs.

dd jumped of a 2 foot high wall onto grass and snapped her leg clean through so I wouldn't discount it just because of how you fell.

If you can walk on it I'd personally suggest waiting til morning and seeing how it feels then but I'm by no means an expert

Original poster
travellingwilbury · 20/04/2011 16:09

I was thinking waiting till morning but it is bloody sore . Now I have taken my shoe off it is hurting more . No idea how I would get to the hospital ?What I would do with my children ?

And the irony of all this is I have promised to look after my friends children tomorrow and take them to the cinema as she has broken her leg Hmm

OP posts:
gettingtogrips · 20/04/2011 16:16

Ooh "crunch" doesn't sound good. A&E might be quiet in the sunny weather, may be better to get it checked out. Good luck, hope it gets better soon

mousymouse · 20/04/2011 16:19

I am sorry to say, but I could walk when I had ankle and metatarsal broken. hurt like hell but possible.
get yourself to A&E pronto. even if it is only a soft tissue injury they will sort you out with a cast and sick note...

belledechocchipcookie · 20/04/2011 16:35

You can walk on it if it's broken, it's most likely to be an avulsion fracture, this is where the ligament snaps off the piece of bone that it's attached to. You do need it looking at, sorry. Hope all is well.

TrillianAstra · 20/04/2011 16:43

Go to A&E. Try not to walk on it because if it is broken you'll make it worse.

One of my friends broke his ankle slipping on some ice at university, made it much worse by walking back to his room (and up 2 flights of stairs) before deciding that he should go and get it checked out.

Original poster
travellingwilbury · 20/04/2011 16:59

I have phoned the dr and I am going to see him at twenty to six . I am pretty sure he will tell me to go to the hospital but thought it was worth a try .

Bloody a and e is over half hour away .

Sorted childcare out and a lift .

Might have a wee sob once boys have gone .

OP posts:
pinkstarlight · 20/04/2011 17:21

i have seen people walk on broken legs before but the next day they are in agony,most likely you have sprained your ankle but still best to get it checked out.

2madboys · 20/04/2011 17:25

My Mum broke her leg on holiday and walked around on it for a couple of days I think. Deff get it checked out.

Original poster
travellingwilbury · 20/04/2011 18:40

Ok I have been to the drs and he thinks I have torn the ligaments which when he explained how that happens made me feel a bit sick tbh .

I have to keep off it for 3 days at least and keep it elevated all the time .

He didn't however give me any crutches or take my children on holiday for a few days so could be interesting .

Just waiting for the painkillers to kick in , and if that doesn't work then maybe vodka will ? Grin

Thanks for persuading me to get it seen , I am just really pleased he doesn't think it's broken .

OP posts:
SummerRain · 20/04/2011 18:52

they did the same to me when i sprained my foot; told me to keep off it and elevate it but didn't give me a crutch and I had 2 under 2's at the time Hmm

Glad he doesn't think it's broken... hope it's feeling better tomorrow. Make sure to stock up on neurofen plus or other similar high strength painkillers(and voddy Wink)

KeepKidsSafe · 21/04/2011 14:52

Did he do an Xray? I was walking round on a broken ankle for 10 days cause the So and So Dr Told me it wasnt broken. Then 10 days later (of agony) I went back and insisted on and Xray and guess what? I had a broken Ankle. Wasnt too happy with the Dr or the outcome!

Original poster
travellingwilbury · 21/04/2011 20:47

No he didn't x ray it but I am trusting him Hmm Mainly because I don't want it to be broken which I know is a bit daft .

It is still really swollen and sore but I have managed to borrow some crutches which is helping and my children (5 and 7) have been amazing . At least I have got four days with my dh home now , just keeping everything crossed it goes in the right direction over the weekend .

OP posts:
JackJacksmummy · 21/04/2011 20:57

I fell on my ankle nearly 2 years ago, went sideways on it and it hurt for months, 18 months later i did exactly the same thing.

6 months on it still hurts, and is still swollen. They said i had torn the ligaments which can be worse than a break but they did not xray it and i am convinced i broke it. Too late to do anything about it now though :|

Hope yours gets better soon

cheepcheepchoconora · 21/04/2011 21:01

I went to a&e a while back with my foot in agony... explained what had happened and that I thought my toe might be broken... the dr laughed at me! Angry eventually sent me for an x-ray to shut me up and it was a big unstable fracture the full length of my big toe - never heard of a broken toe that takes 3 months to heal before! (and another 3 before I could bend it!)

Original poster
travellingwilbury · 21/04/2011 21:02

Oh bugger , Jackjacks that sounds horrible , I can't work until I can drive and get around properly I really need this to be ok .

Ankles are just a bit rubbish by the sounds of it .

OP posts:
Original poster
travellingwilbury · 21/04/2011 21:03

Oh double bugger cheepcheep , anybody hurt there foot/ankle and it has all gone marvellously well and been ok ?

OP posts:
sb6699 · 21/04/2011 21:51

I tore the ligaments in my ankle last year - put my foot down a rabbit hole when walking the dog in the dark!

I heard the "snap" and thought it was broken.

Fwiw, it healed much faster than the doctor predicted, I was back on it within one week.

A bit Hmm that you werent given crutches - its definately too painful to walk on. Maybe you could contact your local hospital and ask for some.

ginmakesitallok · 21/04/2011 21:54

I've torn ligaments before- years ago though. I was in a cast for about 5 weeks, but all fine now (19 years on). God it was sore at the time though - you have my sympathies.

chipstick10 · 21/04/2011 22:12

Dropped a massive heavy wooden lid on my foot on monday. Was writhing and crying, snot and tears, the lot. no swelling, or bruising. Today i am in bloody pain. Shooting pains constantly running along the bone above big toe.

cheepcheepchoconora · 21/04/2011 22:14

oh sorry travelling didn't mean to worry you!!!!

if it helps I knew I had done something bad within about five minutes! By the time I got to the hospital I had to alternate between foot raised and pins & needles etc due to swelling cocking up circulation, and foot down and fecking agony!

I was also told I couldn't put any weight on it for 10 days - with no way of doing that... I got my parents to hire me some crutches from the Red cross - life savers!

I would get it x-rayed to be sure tbh if you can....

crazycarol · 22/04/2011 22:36

I would get it xrayed too if I was you. My mum went over on her ankle on some stairs. Thought she had sprained it as it became painful and swollen. The next day my dad took her to a&e and it was broken. My brother injured his ankle in a football match, carried on playing and after his shower when he could no longer feel his foot got someone to take him to a&e. Turns out it was broken too.