Chronic ankle pain with no relief in sight?
I sprained my ankle a few months back but did not break any bones. My doctor put me in a cam walker or a cast and it felt a bit better but I am still having pain with being active or walking a lot. Is this ever going to get better?
That is a good question and the answer depends on what is done for this pain. More often than not, an ankle sprain will respond to being in a boot or cast for about 4 weeks and then therapy with a brace. There are also those few instances where a sprain can linger and cause significant pain until the main problem causing the pain is addressed.
Every so often, a sprain will cause part of the cartilage in your ankle to get scraped off just like falling and scraping your knee. The only problem is that this does not heal like your normal scrape. The floating pieces of cartilage in the joint can lead to more pain and a catching and stiff sensation in the ankle.
Secondly an ankle sprain can lead to sprain of the ligaments that holds the leg bones (tibia and fibula) together. This requires special test with X-ray and manipulation of the joint to find out and treat appropriately. If this is missed there is a significant increase in the pressures in the ankle joint leading to early arthritis and chronic ankle pain. Treatment of this kind of injury may require using ankle brace with physical therapy or surgical intervention to be determined by your doctor. If you are experiencing pain with no relief contact Cornerstone Foot & Ankle today!