ankle pain - 2-3 months after accident.

[therenter]

Near the beginning of November I slipped stepping off my mum's gravelled drive and on to the pavement (few lose stones on the pavement). My right foot slipped out and also twisted funny (I can't quite remember how). For a couple of weeks after I had pain in my ankle - felt like a deep boney pain. In the ball of the ankle and also to the top of my foot. Very odd type of pain that shifted sometimes from the outside of the ankle to the top right of my foot and sometimes top left but always in and around the ankle area. Anyway I am was very busy moving house and working so bought myself a foot support took painkillers and carried on.
After a few weeks the pain faded and all was fine. Until last week when exactly the same pain returned but gradually getting to a point where it feels worse than before. Sometimes it has kept me up at night - sometimes a combination of paracetamol and ibroprofen helps- other times it doesn't touch it.
I am on my feet most of the day (t.a in a reception class). My foot was quite bad all morning despite taking painkillers but eased off a bit in the afternoon. Lying in bed now and the pain is awful again.
Any ideas what I could have done- or excersies to help it. Thanx :-)

Sounds like when I had a high ankle sprain a few years ago. I had physio on it having done similar several times and it has felt more robust since. I had massage into the joints to release the tightness and did exercises such as heel raises, first with weight on both feet then on the injured foot only, gradually increasing the number of repetitions and how long I held it for.

I would suggest asking your Gp. Similar happened to me,(twisting fall) with pain in the outer ankle and top of my foot, seeming to mostly recover then playing up later as if it hadn't healed properly. I was referred to physio who assessed the injury, and gave exercises with resistance bands and some massage to break down scar tissue. It's now much better. Assessing the injury probably needs to be done to get the correct exercises. However I started with gentle stretches, rolling my foot, pulling up and down against gentle resistance, and tipping my foot onto the insides then the outsides IYKWIM. Compaired to the other foot there was quite a difference when I started. I had a long wait for physio (months) so it might be worth considering a private appointment to get started. I have forgotten which ligaments I had damaged! Interestingly, by the time I got to see the physio I had broken a toe on the other foot, and was only able to wear a very wide pair of flat very well padded shoes which seemed to help- although it may have been the forced inactivity, not the shoes.