Sprained Foot

[Charris]

Hi all,

I was hoping I could seek some advice on an injury I sustained to my foot a few weeks ago.
Three weeks ago I was playing some (fairly) low intensity badminton with a friend when I rolled my left foot, putting most of my weight onto the upper left hand side of my foot and falling onto my left side. The pain in my foot at the time was pretty excruciating (a good 7/10) and I spent twenty or so minutes on the floor in pain before I was able to get up. At first I thought I’d sprained an ankle or something daft but at the time of the injury I was able to move the ankle and toes.

I originally intended just to go home and ice the foot but after a few hours the spasm like pain was so intense a friend drove me to my local A&E to get it looked at – I’ve never broken a bone but was convinced that I must have done myself a mischief! The foot was x-rayed (non-weight bearing, as it was far too painful to exert any pressure onto it) and I was later diagnosed as having a ‘severe sprain’. The x-ray was examined and I was deemed to have no breaks or micro-fractures which was good news. I was given a basic sprain recovery leaflet and a pair of crutches and sent home and told to take some anti-inflammatories and ice the foot.

So that was three weeks ago… For that first two weeks I would ice the foot once a day and was popping a few ibuprofen every day, as well as wrapping the foot up. The foot was very swollen for the first week, pretty much in an all over fashion. Once the swelling started to go down around the week and a half point nice colourful bruising started appearing – it was primarily (and darkest) around the toes, but there was also significant bruising on the outside edge of the foot near the heal, the general top of the foot (apologies for lack of scientific terms!). Later I also found out that there was bruising on the underside of the foot, in the general arch area.

At the two week point I went back to my GP – a little concerned – as I still couldn’t walk on the foot unassisted and it was severely bruised (the whole foot was pretty pinkish looking compared to the other, too). She reviewed the x-ray and was content that there were no micro-fractures but recommended I go to the fracture clinic for further examination. I have an appointment booked in a little over a week, but I am concerned as to whether I should be pushing for an earlier appointment (I admit, the delay is a little frustrating)!

Three weeks on, and the swelling has near enough fully subsided and the last of the bruising is disappearing on the toes and the bottom of the foot. I have regained some strength and mobility in the foot, and can ‘step’ on the foot unassisted, when wearing trainers, but barely. I am currently commuting to work and am having little difficulty driving (no pain etc.) but walking any distance or up the stairs etc. really is out of the question.

I’ve done a little reading on-line and suspect some mid-foot ligament damage, but I don’t want to be ‘that guy’ who jumps to ridiculous conclusions based on what he ‘read on line’. I’d be extremely grateful for your opinions and thoughts on this as it is a little concerning. I’m a pretty active guy and the lack of physical activity is admittedly quite frustrating! Currently I am putting some weight on the foot when walking around, which is a huge improvement since the initial injury, but am concerned whether this is the right thing to be doing at this point. Likewise I’ve also been doing some foot exercises (toes scrunches, ankle circles etc.) just to keep the foot moving and flexible – am also showing some slow improvement with those but I wonder how much of that is to do with the swelling reducing.

Best wishes and a huge thank you for your thoughts on what could be going on.

Callum Harris

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[StatesPT]

Callum - Sounds to me like you are doing the right things. While waiting to rule out fracture or other nastiness I think it is advisable to take an 'active rest' approach where you start moving the foot and putting comfortable pressure on it (say 3/10 pain scale) and then assess how it reacts later in the day. If it hurts more then adjust your activity downward but keep up whatever level of movement is tolerable. Ice and rest on occasion if that feels good. Also, try a crutch or walking stick to take pressure off the foot which may allow you to walk longer at a 3/10 pain level. This also helps limit a lot of limping. Get in to see a Physio for more directed activities and a program to get you back on the badminton court. Good luck!