Sprained ankle healing and riding--how long?

[54ny77]

I sprained my ankle back in late June/early July. It was a bad one, really bad. Can take a lot of pain.discomfort, but this one had me breaking out in cold sweats and at the cusp of throwing up for a good 30+ minutes.

Fast forward to today (Nov.). I never got it x-ray'd, since I figured it wasn't broken (despite severe discomfort that night, I could still hobble on it and assumed it was just a bad grade 3 sprain; if broken I wouldn't be able to walk at all, right?). For a couple weeks it was rest, ice, heat--the usual.

How long do these kinds of things take to heal? It's come a long way, but it's still unstable insofar as being able to put pressure in certain directions. Bending my foot such that toes point downward--that's a no-no. There's a constant pressure/tension as well. My foot is definitely still swollen a bit, evidenced by one shoe (a dress shoe) being too snug. I've only ridden on it a few times since, and it's so-so (starts to hurt after about an hour and a half). I MISS RIDING!

One thing that relieves pain/tension and increases both mobility & range of motion, albeit temporarily, is if I massage certain areas of ankle/calf, pushing in very hard with knuckle or finger and holding the pressure on certain tendons--kind of like a trigger point massage on a knotted back muscle. I happened upon that activity by accident, as I was rubbing my ankle and randomly started pushing in (and holding the pressure) on certain tendons to isolate where the greatest amount of pain was (and I found it!).

I'm tired of sucking down anti-inflammatories (did that for a good 2-3 months, have taken hundreds of ibuprofen) and have taken to simply getting used to the tension/pain. Some days are worse than others, esp. if I step wrong or trip on something, with my foot landing in a manner that causes searing pain. Seems like that sets the healing clock back each time, and I'll have to layer in a couple of thousand mg of ibuprofen during the day (in 4-5 hour increments) over a day or two to ease the pain.

Suggestions, tips, criticisms are welcome. And yes, I'm taking fish oil. :beer:

[Bob Loblaw]

If you're still in pain after this many months, I'd see an orthopedist for an x-ray or MRI.

BL

[EDS]

Defintely time to see a doc.

[AngryScientist]

i'm no doctor, but don't that many ibuprofin eat holes in your stomach lining or something?

man-up brother, go see a doctor, maybe a sports medicine specific guy.

[54ny77]

EDS--know a good orthopedist or two in town by chance, esp. one that's cyclist-friendly?

Defintely time to see a doc.

[jr59]

Please take the advice of the above posters.

Alao; Props to the readers and posters here, for NOT playing Dr on the internet.

[EDS]

EDS--know a good orthopedist or two in town by chance, esp. one that's cyclist-friendly?

Yes. I will pm you.

[54ny77]

yes it does and that's why i've stopped taking them unless pain is all but unbearable.

it's night and day though in terms of pain & swelling with vs. without anti-inflammatories.

i'm no doctor, but don't that many ibuprofin eat holes in your stomach lining or something?

man-up brother, go see a doctor, maybe a sports medicine specific guy.

[maxdog]

i would say it is definitely prudent to seek medical attention. having said that, i have a lot of experience with sprained ankles. the first thing to do, would have been to immediately submerge the ankle in ice water. mitigating the initial swelling is very important. from my experience sprained ankles can take years to fully heal. proper therapy is also very important. when your ready, biking is an excellent form of this. my wife sprained her ankle about the same time as you. she was misdiagnosed by an er doctor as having a mild sprain. fast forward a couple of months and they decided to put it in a cast. she's now out of the cast, but still has plenty of discomfort and a calcified lump on the side of her ankle. we are seeking second opinions about this lump at present, since it makes it next to impossible to wear normal shoes. medical attention is important, but doing your own research and managing your medical care is as well. good luck.

[BengeBoy]

My sprained ankle (hiking, summer of 2008) is still sore.

Not as bad as yours, though.

See a doc.

[Louis]

Seek professional help. In the meantime:

Years ago I twisted my right ankle pretty badly. (Jump up, land on side of foot.) The result was swelling and lots of funky colors.

The good part was that it had little effect on my cycling. The bad part was that I had some degree of pain / weirdness for at least 9 months afterward.

[Ozz]

"sprained" ankles heal up in a couple weeks....torn ligaments don't.....go see a doc.

[Peter P.]

I had a grade 2 sprain a couple years ago. Doc told me to wear the brace for 4 weeks, I think.

Grade 3 sprains are a complete separation of the ligament from the bone, I think. There's no urgency in getting the ligament reattached because it doesn't change the healing process or quality of recovery. But it sounds like you'd feel better if you had yours hooked back up. Time to see a doc.

Here's mine:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3572/3847062532_b5709d2f4c_m.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2570/3847062424_71ae980c2e_m.jpg

[54ny77]

egads that purple foot, no bueno.....

thanks alot folks (and thanks eds--i'll make an appt. with your referrals).

[Dekonick]

Can't walk without feet - take care of 'em! Go to a good sports medicine / ortho and get that wheel of yours checked before you crack the rim! Nothing a little truing can't fix... ie... do what the doc says AND follow your PT instructions to the letter! Doing too much can set you back as much if not more than not doing your PT at all...

Hopefully you don't need a complete 'wheel' overhaul like I did... 6 months to walk again... almost a year to be close to normal.

[spiderman]

The patient gives the doctor the diagnosis...
You likely at best suffered from an avulsion fracture
Or nondisplaced fracture
And at the worst have an ankle injury with an unstable ankle mortise
That will require surgery...scope at best, reconstruction at worst.
Post an update with an x-ray or mri
If it's interesting and you feel inclined.
If none of the above, rehab it like mad with a pt
Who is aggressive and knows what they're doing
And knows your riding goals!

[93legendti]

In addition, consider Spira shoes:

www.spirafootwear.com.

I have been wearing mine almost exclusively for a month and the pain in my left Achilles, which had bothered me for over a year, has gone away.