Did i sprain my ankle or fracture my foot?

Question

I was walking down the stairs when my friend yelled my name and surprised me. This caused me to land on my foot funny in a way that bent my ankle 90 degrees toward the left. This morning I can move my ankle fine but the top of my foot is still swollen from the impact and it hurts pretty bad...is this a sprain or a fracture?

Answer 1

There is really no way to know for sure without an x-ray. If the pain isn't too bad, you could give it a day or two and see if it gets better. Good luck.

Answer 2

Well JJD, it could be either. When bones fracture or muscles sprain the usual immediate reaction is swelling in the area. Sometimes accompanied by immediate bruising, this indicates that small capillaries have been broken as well and release blood which causes a hemotoma and usually warmth and always pain. A real break might manifest with a protrusion or even puncture the skin....always an invitation to the ER right away. In the case of bad sprains or fractures, if you applied ice immediately (use the famous frozen peas in a bag), have immobilized the affected area and taken some aspirin (good for inflammation & discomfort) and are still unable to tolerate weight on the foot, I think you should see a Doctor to ascertain the extent of your injury. Walking on a fracured/broken foot/ankle may be entirely possible but can do more damage and delay the healing process. If it is fractured/broken and you stall treatment, you may subsequently have to see an Orthopedic surgeon for a "re-break & set" procedure. If you have insurance coverage, by all means get thee to a Doc SOON!!

Answer 3

It sounds like you rolled your ankle so I don't know why the top of your foot would have impacted anything. It sounds like a simple sprain around the maleolus (ankle bone). I would recommend applying a cold pack up to 20 minutes at a time, several times a day. (not directly against skin, use thin fabric barrier) There is a product call "Pain-off" which is a mixture of aspirin, caffeine and acetomenophen which provides pretty good pain relief and can help reduce swelling. Ibuprofen is standard anti-inflammatory (causes swelling to subside) Don't take ibuprofen or aspirin if you are allergic to aspirin. Don't take ibuprofen if you have liver disease or reduced liver function. If the condition persists or worsens, get it x-rayed. That's the only way to rule out fracture. Avoid putting much weight on it. (I've been an EMT for years...)

Answer 4

usually with an ankle sprain it is swollen right at the ankle joint...im not sure exactly where you are talking about though.
i would say you should get it checked out if it doesnt get any better.

in the meantime use price

Protect- try not to do anything that wil hurt it anymore
Rest-try tostay off it
Ice -keep ive on for 10 minutes every 2 hours
Compress - try wrapping it up..you could also put ice and wrap liek an ace bandage around it
Elevate- keep it above your heart...liek if you are laying in bedput abunch of pillow under it.

and remember..use ice NOT heat!

i am thinking it is more of a sprain..but go to a docotr just to be sure.

Answer 5

Go get an Xray from a doctor. Sounds more like a sprain to me but it def could be a fracture.

Answer 6

You absolutely could have additional trauma to the foot. Hair line fractures can be picked up by an MRI.

Answer 7

only one way to find out, see your Dr. and have x-ray, there are so many bones in your feet u could have broken one or have a bad sprain...elevate it and apply ice packs, will help swelling go down and ease pain. ceealice

Answer 8

ok this exact same hting happend to me. i went to the hospital and i have to get a splint and then wear a boot. they said i chipped a really small piece of bone. but a week later it already healed so they said i sprained it super bad. but you need to go to the hospital or doctors to get a splint or boot becasue if you walk on it while its swolen it wont heal. then you'll have a bad ankle for the rest of your life.

Answer 9

I don't know. Why don't we do an xray?