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Injured Foot
Hi. I have a relatively weak ankle and have injured my ankle in the past while doing sports. Last night I was texting and walking in the room and my ankle gave way and I hurt the side of my foot. I iced it immediately, however, when I woke up, it was swelling quite badly and I could not put any weight on that foot. I was wondering how long I should wait and continue to ice the injury and monitor before I should go get an x-ray. I would prefer to not go to a hospital during this time if possible. I have uploaded the photo of the injured foot and my normal foot for comparison. Thank you for your help!!
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Orthopedics is a medical specialty that focuses on the diagnosis, correction, prevention, and treatment of patients with skeletal deformities - disorders of the bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, tendons, nerves and skin. These elements make up the musculoskeletal system. Your body's musculoskeletal system is a complex system of bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles and nerves and allows you to move, work and be active. Once devoted to the care of children with spine and limb deformities, orthopedics now cares for patients of all ages, from newborns with clubfeet, to young athletes requiring arthroscopic surgery, to older people with arthritis. The physicians who specialize in this area are called orthopedic surgeons or orthopedists.
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I am so sorry for the delayed response and to hear about your injured ankle. It does sound like a low energy mechanism and judging from your history, it sounds like an acute-on-chronic ankle sprain. How is the swelling and pain now? And have you seen a doctor and gotten an X-ray done as correctly advised by Dr. Dinesh G ? For general management of the swelling, please elevate your ankle with 1-2 pillows whenever you are lying or sitting down. Icing does help as well. Do not apply directly to skin and not for more than 20 minutes each time. Do let us know how you are getting on and will be happy to provide further advice.
Some may go to an emergency department for a condition like this, however I would not recommend that as the waiting time may be considerable. There are a few GP clinics that have X-Ray capabilities which you can consider to save time in case you end up needing a scan, these include the Raffles Medical Clinic at level 2 in Raffles Medical Hospital (RMH). In the mean time, try to avoid bearing weight on your foot and if the pain is severe, get help or use crutches/wheelchair (if you have any) as you make your way to the clinic. Hope this helps!
I no longer have any pain when I am walking around, although I have not tried running. When I do exercises that involve jumping or putting my body weight on my left feet, it hurts slightly after - it is a very bearable pain. I normally try to avoid these exercises or I ice the foot immediately after. However, since it has been more than a month, I am wondering if this is normal.
I did not go and get an x-ray, mainly because it started to feel better after one week so I thought it would just go away. I am also wondering if it would be advisable for me to start running again to see how it feels.
Would love to hear your advice! Thank you!!
I would suggest to give your body more time to rest, and would definitely advice not to start running yet. Perhaps consider some non-body weight exercises for the time being. Its good that you have followed Dr. Hamid Razak 's excellent advice to rest, ice and elevate the leg, and it would be beneficial to continue this . That said, the fact that the pain still persists is an indication to have it evaluated with a GP. Not forgetting also that with the COVID-19 lockdown, movement is restricted and you already are not moving around as much as you normally would.
If the pain is mild and it does not affect your daily activities, then seeking a review or even a scan at this point is not recommended especially given the ongoing lockdown, since it is unlikely to change management. However if the pain is progressing, especially if it is essential for your career/lifestyle that you return to running as soon as possible, then this may be a consideration. Either way, I will be working at the lvl 2 clinic in RMH tomorrow, happy to help with an evaluation if needed. Take care and stay safe!