If I injured my ankle, but not too badly, and played sports with the injury, is that really bad?

Question

I kind of twisted my ankle a while ago (about a week), but it hurts just in the area near the knobby part on your foot. I still played sports even though it hurt a little. Is this really bad? (I didn't see a doctor about it).

Answer 1

Yes,it is really bad.

Why?

Well,generally when you twist your ankle and it causes pain,it's a sprain,and continuing activities on a sprain will cause further damage.

From your description,it sounds like you got a minor,grade 1 sprain (stretching of the ligaments,but no tearing),and that is why you were able to continue with sports.

You really should go see a doctor,preferably one who specializes in sports injuries to get it checked out,just in case you did more damage than you think you did...But for now,you should really use RICE:

Rest (stop playing sports,don't walk too much)
Ice (20 minutes 3x a day)
Compression (wear an ACE wrap or ankle brace)
Elevation (at least at hip level,above the heart is better)

Also,you should take an anti-inflammatory such as Advil or Motrin (both are ibuprofen so it doesn't matter) so that the swelling goes down even more,and that will in turn help with the pain.

If you absolutely insist on not going to the doctor for one reason or another,you should take a week or two off so that your ankle has some time to heal and you lessen the likeliehood of you injuring yourself even more.

Answer 2

Well the answer is yes and no.

For most injuries like this the treatment is a combination or rest and light exercise.

Because you are not a medical professional, the best advice is rest. But under medical supervision you would also do some exercise.

Now your sprain is only a kind of sprain. So you probably haven't done any permanent injury, but you should avoid playing sport. With sport, you could easily do one thing that will turn a minor injury into a major one.

If you really have to, or want to, or crazy enough to, play sport, then you should make sure your foot is properly bandaged.

I know people who have sprained their ankle, and now their ankle is very prone to further injury. You only have one body, so take care of it.

Answer 3

I badly sprained my ankle about 3 weeks ago. I was in a hurry going down the stairs, lost my balance and landed on a bad side of my left foot, causing my left ankle to be stretched going on the inside. The first 48 hours were excruciating and the pain was un-believable. I've never had a serious ankle injury before.

So I immediately treated it using the RICE method. The following day, the bruising and swelling were so horrible. I found out that I got a second degree sprain and immediately panicked after that. I had a football game on that week and it been looking forward to it because I've been training for rt. I had teammates that had similar injuries and it took them months to fully recover, some of them stopped playing altogether. So I kinda had a short-term depression because I can't imagine myself not being able to run and play sports anymore.

Because I was so desperate to recover again, I contacted a lot of people that I know who do sports and asked them if they had similar injuries. One friend of mine, from the boy's football team in my university, told me about H.E.M. Ankle Rehab. I got a copy 4 days after I got injured. I immediately read and followed what was instructed and felt improvement on the first day. I was able to walk a bit, but I was in pain.

A couple of days after that, the swelling and bruising were subsid-ing significantly and on the fourth day, I was walking comfortably again. Although I've had felt a bit of stiffness, I continued doing what was instructed. My sister was surprised that I have recovered this fast. I told her about this book and was shocked on how effective the procedures were. I'm just so happy that this book was shared to me and how effective it is.

Heal your ankle fully & fast?

Answer 4

yes.
i jumped off a trampoline and my ankle hurt. it didnt swell or bruise or have any noticablity of being injured. i waited a few days and got back on my feet. two months later. my ankle was swollen to the size of a tennis ball, VERY VERY painful. and my simple mild sprain turned into 3 severe ankle sprains on the same foot. (one on each side and one on the top) i was sent to physical therapy for 8weeks and ordered not to do any sports and limit my time on my feet. that was about 2yrs ago. now i suffer from pain here and there every now and then on that ankle and i have to wear a brace when i am playing a sport.
therefore....
Protection
Rest
Ice
Compress
Elevate.
- at least for 2 weeks. to make sure it heals properly.

Answer 5

if it hurst just a little and ur not in tremendous pain, playing sports probably wont do any more significant damage. Although id like to tell u to stay off it, that would make me a hypocrite because i played 3 soccer games back to back with a broken thumb......and im a goalie so it does make a difference. if ur just messin around with friends id just chill out. go to the docs if it isnt better in a few days.

Answer 6

It could be. You can damage the muscles and tendons. If they don't tear, they could be weakened. It is better to stay off it and let it heal completely.

Answer 7

you should stay off it until it heals =sounded like a sprain,but the Dr can tell you better what to do for it

Answer 8

You need to rest it so that it will heal properly.