Sprained ankle not getting better.

[AliMP]

I sprained my ankle the end of July. Xray OK, so diagnosed as sprain. Had another xray 10days later, but of foot not ankle. Unfortunately still swollen and painful. Needing daily regular pain relief. Having another xray of ankle tomorrow. Anyone else taken this long for a sprain to heal?

Worth a trip to minors if painful and swollen.

Mine took six months before I stopped hobbling. A few years before it was normal completely. It's very early days yet.

Yes, hard to make a fuss, especially when services are so stretched. And my injury is minor really.

I went over in my ankle early July and it's still painful now, to the extent I take pain relief and can't do my hobby (horse riding) without it being really painful. My gp gave me exercises which help but he did say it would be painful for a while

Wow. A fracture would have healed quicker

@AliMP yes I agree, but not pushing for investigations means you may not get the right treatment for proper healing. Even minor injuries can have a long lasting effect - I haven’t been able to do my job without being in pain and have had to give up all my hobbies for a year, I’m only just now about normal doing my job and able to restart my hobbies. I was nice and respectful of resources, wasted thankfully, only a year, unable to do what I enjoy, don’t let that be you.

I had a grade 2 sprain at the beginning of May and only in the last few weeks has it stopped hurting and I can trust it/it feels strong enough.

In July we went on a walking holiday and I ended up crying in pain, which was not ideal. An ankle brace and lots of ibuprofen have helped whilst my ankle was swollen and unstable.

The nurse who I saw in minors basically said that it would take about 6 months to heal properly. I did a lot of physio exercises at home from the information sheet they gave me, but on reflection actual physio would have been very useful.

Exactly. I was the same, which is why I spent six months walking around with a broken leg and have done no end of damage.

But it doesn't mean it's not worth finding out what is wrong. I have 'sprained' my ankle so many times - and been to minor injuries who xray and say yes 'soft tissue' injury - rest ice, etc. And then after the sprains haven't healed or the pain level has been conerning enough or so prolonged I've started to think its not just soft tissue damage (the pain on touching the bone for starters) and used my health insurance and had MRI scans. Each time it has shown that I have a fracture. This has happened five times now! I've spent a lot of time in an aircast boot. The fractures are often not picked up because of the swelling around them or because they are relativly minor/hair line. However when I go for an xray now the old fractures that I was originally told were sprains at the time all now all show up on the xrays. When they look for a fracture they alwasy say "Gosh your ankles have had quite a few breaks in their time! " So worth checking.

Wow. Five times. Poor you. Had xray this morning, gp will have results in a week. If xray normal, thinking about private MRI. 🤔