<p>About 4 weeks ago, DD injured ankle in a club sport. Went to Univ. Health Ctr, was x-rayed. Told it was a sprain. Ankle is still not completely healed, still some swelling. She is walking ok, but not able to really run or dance. What type of doc should I take her to (would orthopedic be best for possible tendon/ligament issues?) - I just want to make sure all is ok, because she is leaving in one week for overseas for the entire summer.
thx
Georgiamom</p>
<p>I took my daughter to an ortho when she severely sprained hers. It was a particularly bad sprain where the ligaments were so stretched out that her foot hung down and she had no control over it - it required casting. We already knew the ortho because my daughter is rather accident prone.</p>
<p>A bad ankle sprain can sometimes take longer to heal than a break. Mine was swollen for about 4 weeks and very tender and sore for another 4. A good support brace can help and if you think it may be broken get a second opinion from an orthopedic surgeon.</p>
<p>I hope your daughter heals quickly and has a wonderful experience on her trip.</p>
<p>as someone who is way too familiar with ankle issues, definitely an ortho</p>
<p>^^^^ My daughter’s ortho said the same as cmb - a bad sprain can actually take longer and can be more difficult to heal than a break. Definitely get the 2nd opinion. And the ankle brace is a good suggestion. My daughter used one on and off occasionally on both ankles after severe sprains/breaks.</p>
<p>Thanks. Now to find one that will give us an appointment next week . . .</p>
<p>My D had ongoing ankle issues. We saw an orthopedic specialist, but the issue continued. My D had severe (swelling and pain) ankle sprains every three months. We tried a sports medicine doctor, another orthopedic, etc. No one could find anything wrong and recommended ankle braces, bandaging the foot for sports, resting and elevating with ice, etc. My D did physical therapy as often as our insurance allowed.</p>
<p>A friend recommended that we visit a podiatrist as they specialize in foot and ankle problems. After a five minute exam the podiatrist had my D walk down a hallway as I watched and asked if I noticed how her knees crossed in front of each other as she walked. </p>
<p>It turned out my D had an extra bone in her foot which caused her feet to roll inward. He prescribed a course of physical therapy to strengthen the ankle and custom orthotics for her shoes.</p>
<p>The podiatrist was the only specialist we saw (and we saw about half a dozen different orthopedics, sports doctors, etc) who actually examined and touched my D’s feet. He showed me the little bump on the inside of her foot that indicated an exta bone and then showed me the extra bone on the X-rays that I brought from the other specialist. </p>
<p>Five doctors and the radiologist never noticed she had an extra bone in her foot!!</p>
<p>The podiatrist told me that he typically diagnosed extra bones and/or pronation issues in most of the teens who visited him for ankle sprains. </p>
<p>I was so impressed I made an appointment for myself as I had a “fused” ankle that would not bend after a severe skiing accident (broken leg in three places and hairline fracture in the ankle). At this point it had been about five years since my accident. He examined my ankle (actually touching it) and said this can be fixed - your ankle is bound down with scar tissue. Three orthopedic doctors had told me I would just have to live with my non bending ankle for the rest of my life!</p>
<p>Podiatrist recommended physical therapy and the PT massaged the ankle breaking down the scar tissue. Finally after five years I could walk normally and the leg and hip pain caused by the stilted gait disappeared.</p>
<p>Wow. I’ll definitely remember that. I’ve made an appt. with a sports medicine/orthopedic doc, so one less thing to worry about during her very short 1 week at home.</p>