Booking a private scan for my ankle after a sprain - is it extravagant?

[itwasnevermine]

I fell on Monday and sprained my ankle.

It was immediately painful and started to swell, and has done nothing but swell since. 4 days on it's still incredibly painful, swollen and bruised.

I just don't feel reassured by the care I received at the hospital.

I was seen in triage, described what happened and was sent for an xray.

Xray done and waited for 4 hours to be seen by the 'advanced healthcare practitioner'.

I saw her and she spent most of the 5 minutes I was in there discussing another medication I'm on because she's not had a patient on that. Then we discussed my job.

She didn't look at or examine my ankle. She got the xray up, said it looked fine and gave me crutches. She told me to be on them for two weeks as it was "a bad sprain" based on how swollen it was and that was that.

There was no examination of my foot done at any time, or even a proper look taken at it.

I've had issues with this ankle in the past and based on how painful it is and how swollen it is (still!) I'm just concerned something worse has happened and there's no way of finding out without paying to go private. I don’t know if this type of thing even exists

I would ring your GP and explain, mine would happily see me for that and refer if needed. You can self refer for physio too usually if needed afterwards

Also sprains are often worse than breaks so I wouldn't be surprised if it's a good 6-8 weeks to feel more normal

Yeah people have said this to me but I just feel a bit meh about it, because I didn't really get seen if that makes sense? I didn't actually get examined

What do you want the scan to show? If you've torn a ligament you've torn a ligament. The only thing to do is ice and rest until it gets better. A private MRI scan costs hundreds and there's a wait any way usually.

I'd just like to know, and get a proper treatment plan in place - a grade 1 sprain is incredibly different to a grade 3 sprain and because I wasn't told anything about what to actually do beyond the crutches, it would be nice to be sure

I don't think they do much TBH
I tore my calf at netball and it was never scanned or anything. Got given crutches (I heard it pop and immediately couldn't walk) and then I self referred for physio after who was quite good
The physio did say if it didn't improve I would be referred back to a consultant/different department

That was about 8/9 weeks and I'm not back up to strength on it yet

It's just frustrating as I've had issues with this ankle before - a private physio told me I had weak ligaments and any further sprains etc would be damaging, so now obviously with this I'm worried that I'll go back to normal too fast and damage it further

I broke my arm and dislocated my shoulder. They refused to scan it. They said I had probably torn ligaments. I remember being fed up at the time but tbh it didn't make any difference to my recovery. I just made sure I got a good physio and now a year on its totally fine.

The advice for torn ankle ligaments is different for a sprain is what I'm concerned about

Is it?

I think you need to wait for the swelling to go down anyway before a scan. I'd save your money and spend it on physio.

You'll need a referral even for private scans. A GP/ consultant will need to determine what type of scan is appropriate and to interpret the results of the report.

If you think the AHP misdiagnosed you, which is what you seem to be saying, it might be worthwhile to go and speak to your GP.

If it were me, I would forget about the scan, go back to the private physio and do what they advise. Physios have been very helpful to me in the past.

Edited for typo

This happened to my DH. Hospital after x rays said nothing wrong but bruising etc. We phoned 111 the next day and they booked him a timed slot at A/E or urgent care at a different hospital. Had x ray again. He’d broken it.

My GP won't see me for two weeks, and even then I'll be booked in to see another AHP and the one I always end up seeing is so rude, she'll tell me to lose weight to fix it

Oh I'll see how it goes and possibly call them, because after 4 days it's just getting worse

As above - unless you are wealthy, save your money for now and get a second opinion/ another x ray. If you get the same answer get referred for physio. I totally understand your anxiety.

The time I broke my ankle I was sent home with a leaflet about weight bearing exercises (they didn't think it needed an x ray) - a week later they were operating on it.

I didn't even get a leaflet!

I think she's based what she thinks is wrong based on the fact she asked if I heard a snap or a crack - I was honest and said I didn't know, because I had my headphones in and I was so shocked by the fall and pain that I just couldn't remember - which she wrote down as no

Do you have a physio at your GP you can self refer to?
A sprain is often worse than a fracture.
DH had a bad sprain (sports injury)
And advice was ice and elevation, on crutches so not fully weight bearing for about a week. It took weeks for the swelling to go down, tubigrip once swelling gone down a bit

I can self refer but they're online, I might contact my GP and see if I can refer to the physios they have there - but I think they're only for people who have long term needs. It takes a good 4-5 weeks for physio referrals in my area

The salient point, which you didn't mention in your OP, is that after 4 days you think it's getting worse. That's what you need to lead with, whether you contact the GP or 111.

111 says to call a nurse, but at this time of day a nurse will just say to go to a&e

Just use a private physio!

Nowadays I don't think it's extravagant at all if you have the funds to pay for private scans/treatment. The NHS is on its knees at present with lots of things being misdiagnosed or missed. I wouldn't hesitate.

Also, hate to be the bearer of bad news but I sprained my ankle just after NYD, Jan 2023. The pain was awful and after about 10 days my foot went black. Didn't bother seeking medical treatment as I felt it would be a waste of time so just treated myself using "Dr. Google" - not a good idea I know 🙄. It was mid June before my foot felt anywhere near normal again.☹️

If you’re thinking about private, then a sensible next step would be to get a private physio appointment.

Realistically it’ll be physio you need to get the long term recovery, so might as well get in there early on and the early advice.

I think it's fine to go back to a&e if that's what 111 advise. Maybe a second person checking it and possibly x raying again will reassure you.