<p>Ok I am tired of looking like a dork, but grateful I can function.</p>
<p>Late January I woke up from the couch to go to bed. I walked over to my slippers. Right foot went in slipper and stayed flat. I suppose I was still asleep because for some reason I pointed my left foot and tried to walk (I guess). Husband saw me but couldn’t catch me in time. I fell and I suppose all my weight (100+) went to the left ankle. Following morning woke up with no swelling and just an ache. I put on compression socks and went to work. About 4 hrs later I walked over to CVS and bought an ankle brace/bandage. I have been wearing a brace since then. I had a physical 5 days after incident and the NP checked the ankle, said to continue with brace and the ice, etc.</p>
<p>OK I am tired of wearing black tights or pants every day. Last week I wore a dress and tired of explaining my ankle. Today I looked in the mirror and saw the light jeans with black socks and shoes and said “what a dork”. Changed to black pants.The black bandage brace looks blends in well with black socks and shoes. I have been doing some exercises to strength the ankle-they are same I learned about 6 yrs ago at physical therapy when I had a different foot problem. They also are the same I have found online. I can walk, hike, go up stairs etc without problem as long as I have the brace for support. I can go maybe an hour without my brace before I feel pain. I take Naprosyn when I remember, I was good right after the accident but now just do if I remember and have pain. I am not certain that I need to continue routinely right now–hate taking pills-don’t most pharmacists? </p>
<p>So any advice? I try the alphabet exercise with left foot but I am so uncoordinated. I do the other exercises but long for a naked ankle again. </p>
<p>I hope it feels better soon. I’m not a doctor or a physical therapist or anything so I could be wrong on my “advice” but I sprained my ankle in a similar fasion to that in college and I just kept it elevated when I wasn’t walking on it with ice the first couple of days. I’d turn it in circles and stretch it out. After about a week I put heat on it and soon after it was back to normal. It’s been two months for you… Have you tried putting heat on it? Heat stimulates blood flow which should help it recover quicker (I think).</p>
<p>Also, hiking even with a brace might be putting too much pressure on it if it’s not fully healed yet.</p>
<p>Every once and awhile I turn the same ankle when I step funny (never seem to turn the other one, lol) as I am clumbsy and I just ice it and a few days later it’s better again.</p>
<p>lamom, that doesn’t sound like an ankle sprain to me. If it was, it would have been a Grade I sprain which should have required little treatment. The lack of swelling leads me to believe there was minimal to no damage done. Also, you need to get away from the ankle brace… now all you are doing is training the ankle to adjust to the brace rather than doing it yourself. </p>
<p>If it continues to bother you like this, then it’s time to get it evaluated. I’d be curious to know what the NP said and what she actually did to evalute your ankle. </p>
<p>With that said, I do have the occasional problem with my ankle as well after spraining it 4 years ago. There have been a few times where I’ve been on the brink of going back to the doctor for it, but with a little care it tends to get better for awhile. I also think, to a degree, I believe there is something wrong although there isn’t just because I have a medical background specifically in orthopedic injuries so I think too much about them…</p>
<p>I’m not a doctor. I don’t want to mislead you in the case that you actually have something broken or torn in your ankle, but…</p>
<p>The thinking I’m seeing from top sports trainers is that ankle braces and wraps actually make ankle injuries more likely. They believe that you want to improve the flexibility of the ankle after a sprain, not continue to restrict it. There’s scar tissue from a sprain that already limits flexibility. </p>
<p>I have an ankle that I’ve rolled and sprained many times over the years. I’ve been doing ankle mobility drills to improve the flexibility. Knock on wood, I seem to have quit rolling it, but I’ll know more after a few months of walking on dirt trails.</p>
<p>If your ankle is ever warm to the touch it is a sign there could be something else going on. If it is, I suggest you hop over to an orthopedist for a full eval.</p>
<p>I am 6 weeks post surgery for a mechanically unstable ankle joint, which had been the result of many “roll over” sprains over the years. Before surgery I had several weeks of physical therapy to attempt to strengthen the joint, and just now have begun PT again after the surgery. All is going very, very well, by the way!</p>
<p>So my advice would be to loose the brace and add some exercises for balance and proprioception (which is a fancy word for knowing where you are in space). Go from balancing on one leg (the injured one) to balancing while doing something (like bouncing a ball) to balancing on a balance ball…</p>
<p>But probably you should see a doc first. Just to know what is going on…</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone. I did wonder about reliance on the brace. My previous PT experiences did teach me the same exercises. Guess I will continue with them routinely and get a recheck in a week or so if I don’t see improvement. No warmth, no swelling. Unfortunately, I do not have confidence in the PT or orthopedics I would be referred to. I am satisfied with NP knowledge. Insurance changes have me in an HMO group. Used to have a great PPO, but at least family still has coverage :).</p>