Leg injury - not sure what it is

Hi.

New member to the forum, due to getting a bit concerned over a leg injury I have.

I was playing football (soccer) 3 weeks ago and I received a kick to the inside of my lower leg just above the ankle, whilst my leg was elevated. It hurt initially but I was able to carry on. When I got home I was hobbling slightly and the area was bruised and slightly swollen. However, it only really hurt to the touch.

The bruising went away after about a week, however 3 weeks on and the area is still painful to pressure and is still slightly swollen. If I run my hand down my leg then it feels as if there is a dip in my leg where the impact was. It is also slightly warm to the touch. However, It does not hurt to walk on it, nor does it hurt during light exercise (cycling, jogging).

Any suggestions as to what this might be and what I can do to recover?

Hi

Since there are no muscles covering the medial side of the tibia, the kick could have easily bruised the bone. bone contusions or 'sub periosteal haematomas' can persist for several weeks to months or even years (depends on the level of injury to the bone). As stated by you, bony contusions don't cause pain on weght bearing however they cause pain on palpation since you are directly touching the injured area.

I would continue to apply ice on the area in order to reduce swelling and pain. This also helps speed healing. I usually supply patients with glucosamine to help with healing as well.

However, if pain will remain constant, I would check with a doctor in order to rule out any fractures.

Regards

You are likely to have a bony contusion either in isolation or along with muscle contusion. There are a few muscles/tendons which run medially (on the inside of your ankle). Namely Flexor Digitorum, flexor hallucis longus and the tibialis anterior. You could have also suffered a contusion to the medial aspect of the achilles tendon.

Rest, ice, gentle massage. Use of a compression bandage. Stretching in particular for the achilles tendon will help. Seek some treatment just to be sure you haven't done any more serious damage.

Hope this helps