Badly sprained ankle

[driedgrasses]

Last Monday I went over on my ankle as I fell down. I couldn't weight bear for around 24 hours so got an x ray at minor injuries and was told there was no fracture.

I iced and rested for a couple of days and could then walk on it, but new bruising kept developing, including on my sole and up my leg. The ankle bones are very painful on both sides. I overdid the walking around on the weekend and now it's tight, swollen and painful. I'm back to icing and resting. The bruising is still apparent.

My question is, how long realistically until this heals so I can resume my usual activities? I think it's a grade 2 sprain and I read online that this can take 8-16 weeks to heal. I'm 55, overweight and have hypermobility. I feel like a fraud for resting up, but I think I've injured it more than I realised. My whole foot and ankle feel tight and horrible when I'm weight bearing and the ankle is a higher temperature to the touch. To add to the fun I have wounds on my other knee and the kneecap hurts a lot.

Anyone with experience of similar?

I had a bad sprain over 20 years ago. I was on crutches and heavy painkillers plus physio and I was a young thing then.

The physio got me to do ice then heat repeatedly. Plus then resting it on a big pile of cushions.

I did ankle exercises gradually as it improved. Circles with the ankle and some weight bearing ones.

I actually tore ligaments I think. Took a good while to get better I'm afraid. Don't remember exactly how long.

You have my sympathy.

I had a bad one last August. It's better now, as in not painful, but still stiff. I think it took until November/December to feel like that.

Soft tissue injuries can take longer to heal than broken bones.

My right ankle still aches if I get over tired, after a bad sprain 33 years ago.

I’ve sprained my ankle 3 times in the past, the pain relief gel helped and elastic bandage on all time I had to be on my feet, but I only did the bare minimum and remember going to bed early just to take the bandage off. I think they took about 4 weeks to heal, but I was younger then, so I presume healing was quicker.