Sprained ankle: still in pain!

[yuvi14]

Hi,
About 5 months ago I sprained my ankle. Ever since then people have been telling me different things and I just don't know what to believe. For instance: an hour after it happened I was taken to a hospital. The nurse there just put some tape around it, and said "ok, you can start walking on it when you want". My teacher told me that it was good to walk on it- even if it hurts a lot… and said that he knew this from experience, so naturally I believed him. No one even thought of telling me to borrow some crutches or anything!! My mom took me two months later to a Doctor whose speciality is ankles, feet and so on, and he said that it should go away in 6 weeks. He said if I REALLY want to I can go have physiotherapy. The physiotherapist told me that it will take many months. I was in complete shock. She said if I really want to I can use an ankle brace. Anyways, I still have pretty bad pain when I do everyday activities (fast walking, turning suddenly, jumping and so on).
I am so tired of this sprain, and I feel like it will never go away! All I want is to stop feeling pain all the time. Is there anything except for rest and physiotherapy that can be done to quicken the healing process? Like laser treatment, heat treatment, massages or something like that? I'm even willing to wear a cast for a month if that will give my foot enough time to heal up properly.
I don't even know what the pain is from, because I feel pain all around the foot (on both sides of the foot, on the top and so on). I also have some swelling on the top of the foot (it's hard, not soft like the initial swelling immediately after the ankle sprain) and it makes my foot look deformed when you look at it from the side. My foot especially hurts in that area, both resting and after walking. Could this be the source of the pain? How do I make my foot normal again (massages maybe?)
Please help me! No one is giving me enough information about this topic, and maybe I'm just wasting my time, when I could have got it over with months ago using some laser, or something like that!
Send me any suggestions,
Thanks

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[Canuck Physio]

Hi,
About 5 months ago I sprained my ankle.
Hello, could you state how this happened, in which way?Ever since then people have been telling me different things and I just don't know what to believe.
Hmm,...
For instance: an hour after it happened I was taken to a hospital. The nurse there just put some tape around it, and said "ok, you can start walking on it when you want".
A nurse is not necessarily qualified to make a decision regarding foot/ankle stablity so I can't vouch for this being the most appropriate course of treatment
My teacher told me that it was good to walk on it- even if it hurts a lot… and said that he knew this from experience, so naturally I believed him.
Again I would argue that this is poor advice, pain is something that the body tells us is happening that may either a: be causing more damage, or b: alerting us to previous damage and we should back off. Walking and activity is fine, but it should be done without the onset of pain.
No one even thought of telling me to borrow some crutches or anything!! My mom took me two months later to a Doctor whose speciality is ankles, feet and so on, and he said that it should go away in 6 weeks.
Again a poor prognosis for something that hasn't gone away in 5 months. Usually 6 weeks, 12 weeks are just numbers given for injuries because anything longer than that in many cases, but not all, become psycho-social pain issues.
He said if I REALLY want to I can go have physiotherapy.
Great sounds like someone who will properly help you to manage the problem, and has the anatomy and physiology understanding to know what is going on
The physiotherapist told me that it will take many months.
I agree, if it has been 5 months now, you should expect a few months of discipline and an appropriate treatment plan to overcome this and be 110%.
I was in complete shock. She said if I really want to I can use an ankle brace.
Anyways, I still have pretty bad pain when I do everyday activities (fast walking, turning suddenly, jumping and so on).
These are all activities that should be taken care of with an appropriate treatment and management plan
I am so tired of this sprain, and I feel like it will never go away! All I want is to stop feeling pain all the time. Is there anything except for rest and physiotherapy that can be done to quicken the healing process? Like laser treatment, heat treatment, massages or something like that? I'm even willing to wear a cast for a month if that will give my foot enough time to heal up properly.
Unfortunately any of these treatments won't magically cure the problem. In fact wearing a brace all the time may actually hinder progress. However, a brace may be useful for times when your ankle becomes overly fatigued and needs extra external protection, or during rehabilitation exercises where you want to stay within the safe range

I don't even know what the pain is from, because I feel pain all around the foot (on both sides of the foot, on the top and so on). I also have some swelling on the top of the foot (it's hard, not soft like the initial swelling immediately after the ankle sprain) and it makes my foot look deformed when you look at it from the side. My foot especially hurts in that area, both resting and after walking. Could this be the source of the pain? How do I make my foot normal again (massages maybe?)
Perhaps, but I would like to know what happened with the physiotherapy
Please help me! No one is giving me enough information about this topic, and maybe I'm just wasting my time, when I could have got it over with months ago using some laser, or something like that!

Send me any suggestions,
Thanks

Please see rpelies above, regards

[yuvi14]

I sprained my ankle when I was wrestling with my friend (as a joke, not serious fighting) on a surface that was steep. He pushed me sideways so that my ankle "rolled" inwards- I heard a few noises like cracking or something(like when you crack your fingers or your neck to ease tension).
In phisiotherapy I was given some exercises to do at home, but not necessarily just for the ankle erea (I was told it was for my whole leg-don't understand why though). The phisiotherapist says that I should also walk bare-footed on sand at the beach, because it trains the (I don't remember what they are called) on the side of the ankle, the part which I stretched or ripped. When I told her it hurts to do that, she said that if the pain is on a medium level- not completely unbereable- then I should do that.
So from what I understand: on one hand I need to rest the foot, so everything heals up, but on the other hand I need to strengthen it, even if that means I'm in pain(and pain is supposed to allert you you stop what you're doing).
Thanks for taking interest, and ask me more questions if you don't understand something.
So do you have any suggestions for me? Can you answer some of my questions?

Thanks again.

[Canuck Physio]

I sprained my ankle when I was wrestling with my friend (as a joke, not serious fighting) on a surface that was steep. He pushed me sideways so that my ankle "rolled" inwards- I heard a few noises like cracking or something(like when you crack your fingers or your neck to ease tension).
In phisiotherapy I was given some exercises to do at home, but not necessarily just for the ankle erea (I was told it was for my whole leg-don't understand why though). The phisiotherapist says that I should also walk bare-footed on sand at the beach, because it trains the (I don't remember what they are called) on the side of the ankle, the part which I stretched or ripped.
Hmm your evertors perhaps? Is it the outside of your ankle? It's very difficult to say because so many structures could have been damaged
When I told her it hurts to do that, she said that if the pain is on a medium level- not completely unbereable- then I should do that.
So from what I understand: on one hand I need to rest the foot, so everything heals up, but on the other hand I need to strengthen it, even if that means I'm in pain(and pain is supposed to allert you you stop what you're doing).
Indeed ,when injured there is a fine line between how much activity you can do, and allowing yourself to repair. INjuries are just that, they are physical and metabolic assaults on the body, and the body being intelligent as it is prevents you from furthering damage. HOwever, at the same time by doing nothing the muscles would wither away and become weak and healing won't necessarily occur. This is why it is very important to get an appropriate management plan. It sounds like you could have used some more information from your physio

Thanks for taking interest, and ask me more questions if you don't understand something.
So do you have any suggestions for me? Can you answer some of my questions?
Please do
Thanks again.

as above regards

[jojosephine]

Doctors usually recommend RICE strategies: rest, ice, compression, and elevation. These strategies can reduce swelling and inflammation a few days after the injury.
rest
Rest is key to restoring ankle health, and wearing braces can help stabilize the injured area. Too early exercise or other activities increase the risk of re-injury and are detrimental to ankle recovery.
ice
The use of ice packs can reduce pain and swelling. Although its effectiveness has not been fully verified, it is effective for pain relief.
compression
Compression helps stabilize injured joints and reduces ankle swelling. Pharmacies have convenient compression ankle sleeves, followed by bandages.
Elevation
Raising a sprained ankle can reduce the accumulation of fluid in the joints and reduce swelling of the ankle. It is common practice to support your feet and ankles on a pillow/cushion above the heart.