I suffered a sprain which lead to swelling and pain in my ankle. After a month, I took the medicines given by the doctor, even put a slab and crepe bandage. Why is there still pain and swelling?

Question

Geoffrey Sheridan · Answer

An ankle sprain is a partial or complete tear of a ligament(s) around the ankle. A very minor injury, grade one, will heal in 4 weeks time without much treatment. More major sprain will not heal in a month. Here's why...
After a tear, there is bleeding and a clot forms about the tear. Stem cells migrate to this region and begin to break down the clot and form cells that will begin to make new tendon tissue. It takes several months until the tendon is back to normal strength. In addition, the muscles have weakened due to the ankle pain and disuse that accompanies the injury. Swelling from increased fluids in the tissues (edema) must be resolved with good muscle function. So...It takes time. Ankle strengthening and mobility should be actively pursued so one can return to an active lifestyle.

Janine White · Answer

I had a ligament tear that took 20 years to get fixed. I injured my ankle in high school running down a hill. For 6 weeks I used crutches until I could at least walk on it again. For years, I would tell my doctors that my ankle was swollen and painful and they would tell me to ice it, which did nothing. Finally, I saw a Podiatrist who first took x-rays, then bone scans and gave me injections to rule out bone injuries and other sources of swelling and pain. Finally, I was given an MRI and the tear in my ligament was found. Ligament injuries can be difficult to diagnose and treat without adva

I had a ligament tear that took 20 years to get fixed. I injured my ankle in high school running down a hill. For 6 weeks I used crutches until I could at least walk on it again. For years, I would tell my doctors that my ankle was swollen and painful and they would tell me to ice it, which did nothing. Finally, I saw a Podiatrist who first took x-rays, then bone scans and gave me injections to rule out bone injuries and other sources of swelling and pain. Finally, I was given an MRI and the tear in my ligament was found. Ligament injuries can be difficult to diagnose and treat without advanced imaging and surgery, which is expensive so the insurance company if you have one may require many other procedures before authorizing MRI. Finally, I had surgery to repair the ligament, which included autodonation from my Achilles tendon, required 8 weeks of not walking on the ankle and a year of physical therapy, but I am very happy with the outcome. See a podiatrist who specializes in foot and ankle surgery for proper diagnosis and treatment.

RJ Oenbrink DO · Answer

It means that you haven’t healed.

Have you ever eaten roast beef and come across “gristle”, tough, chewy, hard to cut? We have gristle holding our bones together. It’s called a ligament. Sprains are torn ligaments. Those pieces of gristle have to be tough to hold bone together when we put weight on a joint, walk, etc. They can’t be weak and tear easily or we’ll be a big puddle of protoplasm on the floor.

When they DO tear however, they also contain nerves and blood vessels so they hurt, bleed & swell (due to the bleeding collecting around the torn vessels and gristle).

Do something stupid (walk to soon on a sprained ankle) and it hurts more because it’s tearing more and getting worse. Don’t be a “tough guy”! It’ll NEVER heal to 100% tightness and 100% strength once damaged. Keep abusing it and the percentages drop and you’ll be more prone to future re-injury. Get an air cast or some type of splint (not simple elastic bandage) to really push those torn ends together, don’t bear weight until it doesn’t hurt, keep it elevated above your heart—you want those torn ends to touch each other all the time so that they can heal tighter and stronger! Use crutches/cane/walker/whatever and LET IT HEAL! 
Extra Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid) 1000 mg 2–4 times/d and copper (taking a good daily mineral supplement) helps them heal too as do several other supplements available at a good “health food store” such as Arnica montana and others. Talk to a knowledgeable store owner or employee

Charlotte Shepherd · Answer

You probably aren’t resting it enough. Use the RICE method when you have downtime: Rest Ice Compression Elevate. Elevating it while you sleep by putting a pillow under it will help, it helped me recover from a second degree sprain.

Denny Michan · Answer

It’s mostly perhaps there’s scar tissue present on the injury zone. You should work on ankle mobilization. Look for ankle mobilization techniques, you’ll find plenty on YouTube. That might be painful, but it will help you release your ankle and put that pain away

Brett Davis · Answer

Joint sprains are zero fun, and being on it at all lengthens healing time. It may take another few to feel totally better. Bruised bones suck, get well soon

Hajime Takashima · Answer

Ankle swelling for nine weeks seem to be bit longer than other cases I have been observing.

First, have you tried joint mobilization? I have explained the treatment before:

Hajime Takashima's answer to Why do ankle injuries take so long to heal? [ https://qr.ae/TWtz9o ]

From my experience with hundreds of ankle sprains, if that treatment does not improve your situation, the osteochondral defect (OCD) is suspected. The OCD is a defect or a bone fragment is chipped off from the surface of joint cartilage. X-ray and/or MRI confirms this diagnosis.

(Image is from ResearchGate)

Under this circumstance, your ankle needs to undergo surgical fixation. Now a days, there are several options for the fixation. Those options are just removal of the bone fragment, bone marrow stimulation (to grow cartilage back), tissue transportation technique (to cover the defect) according to Zanon et al [ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4295677/ ].

I hope this help you to find out solution.

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Stephen Mather · Answer

Because your ankle/foot HASN’T completely healed. Treat the swelling with elevation of your leg/ankle/foot so that it’s higher than your heart whenever you can while lying flat on your back and apply and ice pack to the area for 20 minutes. Wrap your foot, ankle and leg with an elastic bandage or purchase a compressive elastic “sleeve” the runs from the base of your toes, over your foot and up your leg to your knee and wear it when you’re going to be up on your feet for prolonged periods of time and/or doing strenuous activities like sports. Managing the remaining edema (swelling) that you’re still having by elevating and compressing the injury, icing the area, protecting the area from further overuse and/or injury and providing compression to help reduce and limit swelling will facilitate protection of the injured ankle/leg /foot and will allow it to finish healing. By not helping your ankle sprain to finish healing completely you’re continuing to suffer from the effects of the original injury for longer than you should.

Hape Cabe · Answer

If you’ve sprained your ankle, you’re probably wondering why it’s still swollen after three weeks. Here are a few possible explanations:

1. You may have torn a ligament. A sprained ankle is usually caused by stretching or tearing a ligament. If the ligament is completely torn, it will take longer for the swelling to go down.
2. You may have developed arthritis. Arthritis can develop after a sprained ankle, which can cause long-term swelling.
3. You may have an infection. If the swelling is accompanied by redness, warmth, and pain, it could be a sign of infection. If you think you may have an infection, it’s important to see a doctor right away.
4. You may have a blood clot. If the swelling is severe and comes on suddenly, it could be a sign of a blood clot. This is a serious condition that requires immediate medical attention.
If you’ve sprained your ankle and the swelling hasn’t gone down after three weeks, it’s important to see a doctor to rule out any serious conditions.

Kirk Halgren · Answer

Clearly it’s not healing up, so I’d recommend sleeping with an ace bandage on it which will give mechanical support and a reminder to your body while you’re sleeping to take it easy if possible. Any injury below the waist is much harder to heal than above the waist because you can’t really give it a rest. You’ve probably re-injured it or at least slowed the healing process.

You should start walking with a cane until it’s healed up. If the pain is severe, use the cane in the hand on the same side as your injured ankle. After it’s partially healed, use the cane on the opposite side because it’s a more natural gait. Hold your head high and pay attention to good posture so that you don’t load other parts of your body incorrectly which might lead to other injury. Ignore any self-consciousness or remarks from ignorant friends. If you don’t limp when you need to, you will limp a lot longer.

As a veteran roller skater, I’ve had a number of injuries to my knees and ankle. I highly recommend seeing a cranio sacral therapist, especially before you consider surgery. This therapy is non-invasive and put me back on my skates after both a walk-in clinic and my regular orthopedic surgeon were unable to even diagnose, let alone treat an injury to my left knee I sustained during a fall while taking a ballroom dance lessons in my 60s.

It’s also much less costly.

Cay Berg · Answer

You had a grade 2 sprain. The healing period is alot longer than in a grade 1 sprain because alot more tendon fibers were torn. It may take a couple of years to get back to “good as new” so do your range of motion and strengthening exercises. It you haven't done so already, consider talking to a physical therapist.

Chantell Dillard · Answer

It is possible that you have aggravated the ankle. How are you taking care of it? Make sure you rest it as much as possible while you're not working. Wrap it up and put some ice on it to reduce the swelling. Ice for 15-20 minutes 3 times a day. One big thing people forget to do is elevate their leg. By elevating your leg you're draining the excess fluid that's causing the irritation. If you can, you should also try to wear an ankle brace to help stabilize your ankle. Good luck with your healing!

Kyle Walker · Answer

It can take 3–6 months for swelling to completely subside after a severe ankle sprain. If the swelling sticks around longer than that and doesn’t improve there could be something else going on. Speak to your doctor to make sure it’s not something more serious (like a blood clot in your veins).

Bette Stalford · Answer

Arthritic change. My husband had a “ sprained ankle", a year later it swelled and he just tightened his boot laces. Eventually the ache sent him to the GP. He had actually Broken it! and tightening his boot laces had set it, the dr said he had saved the NHS from breaking and re setting it again.

James Beason · Answer

Not a physician

Weight bearing will hurt for several weeks, guess 10–.12 from date of injury A sprain is worse than a break. Tendons ligament were stretched beyond limits. Use an elastic ankle bandage or an ace bandage to support the ankle.

I'm for no weight bearing for a few weeks. Crutches from a thrift store. It may seem extreme, but the ankle is weak. If it rolls you'll really regret it. It could be a weak link for life. At the least keep it suoported.

Swelling has stopped or decreased, start range of motion, up & down exercises. Like using a car accelerator (gas pedal) my philosophy this is important.

Elevate leg and use heat to promote blood flow.

If tolerated ibuprofen 800mg 3 times a day to arrest inflammation.

When its healed begin strength training.

Aqsa Shahid · Answer

It's possible that your foot is still swollen due to inflammation caused by the sprain. It can take some time for the swelling to go down, even after the injury has healed. Applying ice and elevating your foot can help reduce swelling. If the swelling persists or is accompanied by pain or other symptoms, you may want to consult a healthcare professional.

Donovan · Answer

GO SEE A DOCTOR IF YOU HAVE A MEDICAL CONCERN. RANDOM PEOPLE ONLINE CANNOT DIAGNOSE YOU!!

Marc Boutet · Answer

Gently probe with your fingers around the ankle bone on both sides for the injured leg. If it hurts on the bottom or the front side, it’s more likely sprained. If it hurts on the backside, it’s more likely broken. Gently squeeze the foot right and left between the thumb and forefinger just forward of the ankle. If it hurts on either side, it’s more likely broken. If you cannot put your weight on the ankle, and you could not immediately after the accident, you need to get it x-rayed. If you would like more explanations or more illustrations, google Ottawa ankle protocol. In any case, ice, an ace bandage and ibuprofen are your friends right now. And perhaps an elegant Walkingstick or a pair of crutches.

Mark Welsch · Answer

because for some reason you still have inflammation around your ankle. You say it healed, what did you do for it?? Just sitting and taking it easy is not the cure, you need ice to get rid of the inflammation and then you need to exercise it to help it repair. I am guessing that you did not do that or it would not be puffy. Go back and put ice on it for 24 hours then put heat on it for 48 hours and then sit and work your ankle wiht your laeg straight out and be sure to walk correctly so the muscle work right. then see where you are

B. P. · Answer

residual swelling…if you did not undergo a formal rehab program you should to promote better circulation. Try ankle circles and pumps pointing your toes away and towards your head 25 each direction both exercises.Good luck