On average.... How long for a badly sprained anklets heal?

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njbeachmom
njbeachmom Posts: 5
in Fitness and Exercise
I fell down the stairs 3+ weeks ago. my dr thought it was broken but x-ray was negative. I'm walking around
But still have some pain and stiffness. Especially when it rains.

Just wondering how long others have gone with a sprain before its better. I'm itching to go for a run and can't even think about doing that now on this foot. :(

Thanks.

Replies

  • thetrishwarp
    thetrishwarp Posts: 838 Member
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    My brother sprained his foot at football practice and I think he was on crutches for somewhere between 4-6 weeks.

    Edit: He is 16 and very healthy, as well.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    I sprained mine in early December and I still feel pain in it sometimes. I never went to the doctor and probably should, so it may be I did more damage than I thought.

    I can walk and run on it no problem, but when I sit cross-legged, the pressure causes a sharp pain right in that area.
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    Are you wrapping it or wearing a brace?

    Several years ago I sprained my ankle very badly. I was in college and didn't have insurance, so I didn't go to the doctor. I should have. It was fine to walk on with no pain after just a week or so, but I couldn't do ballet without pain for a few months. I had to wear a brace when I danced for about 6 months. Even after the pain was gone, the joint was loose and I was constantly rolling it.
  • EmilyWillBeSlim
    EmilyWillBeSlim Posts: 26 Member
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    I sprained mine at the end on November last year. I couldn exercise at all till the end of january. I did see a physio about it and he set me some exerises to do which helped, but iIt still causes pain now unfortunately
  • jenlarz
    jenlarz Posts: 813 Member
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    Not exactly sure, but I've heard lots say a bad sprain is worse than a break for healing :(
  • Marvalm3
    Marvalm3 Posts: 31 Member
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    I am not sure if this will work for a sprain...

    But, my fiance did something to his ankles while out jogging. They hurt him pretty bad and Advil and Aleve barely gave him relief. A couple days later, he went to a hot yoga class. Between the heat and stretching, he hasn't felt any pain since then!

    Hope you feel better soon!!
  • laken87
    laken87 Posts: 11 Member
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    i sprained mine and it took around 6 weeks to stop hurting. then,no lie,a few weeks later i sprained my other ankle. i have to be super careful bc i still have problems with them both.
  • Donnacoach
    Donnacoach Posts: 540 Member
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    Depending on how badly the sprain 4-6 weeks. After you walk or exercise you should still be elevating and icing. Also, you should wrap it if there is still pain and swelling, just for the added support. Besides just plain ice, something that helps to strengthen after a bad sprain is to take a bucked of ice cold water, put your foot in it, and trace out the letters of the alphabet, with your big toe, while submerged in the water. Hope it feels better quickly.
  • Ironman2be
    Ironman2be Posts: 140 Member
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    I'm pretty sure you need to take a sprained anklet to a jeweler for fixing.
  • Gemmageldmacher
    Gemmageldmacher Posts: 45 Member
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    Sprains always take longer to heal than you think they would or should. I sprained mine in mid-March, and my first good run after it wasn't until early May. I would DEFINITELY recommend seeing a physical therapist or someone specialized about it. I had lingering issues with some ligaments in my leg, which my excellent and amazing massage therapist helped take care of. I wish I had done something about it sooner.
  • saraht131
    saraht131 Posts: 86
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    I badly sprained mine in March 2011. I couldn't even walk on it for about 2 - 3 months and it was still weak and painful on exercise until about xmas 2011. Now I don't get much hassle from it, but it is still swollen more than a year later. Bad sprains can be worse than breaks to heal.
  • Gerry_Lane
    Gerry_Lane Posts: 27
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    If you have been diagnosed with a "sprain", then you have a first-degree tear....yes, a tear in muscle or tendon. Depending on your age and health, it will take 6-8 week to completely heal. That does not mean you will be incompacitated for 6-8 week, but the first 2 weeks may be pretty uncomfortable. Athelets can heal quicker because of their conditioning, but most sports physicians will advise them to tape their ankles for the remainder of the healing process as additional support.

    You should at least wear an ACE bandage, elevate your ankle when ever possible and use ice in the first 72 hours. Then you can switch to intermittent Ice-heat. (heat increases swelling, and in the first phase of the injury, you need to decrease swelling)


    Too much information?

    Gerry
  • beckyinma
    beckyinma Posts: 1,433 Member
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    As you get older they take longer to heal unfortunately. I'm 35. 15 months ago I sprained my right ring and pinky fingers at karate, bent them sideways by accident, and they still have pain. I've sprained my middle finger on the same hand and it hurts when it rains, my thumbs got jammed in a self defense class and I keep re-spraining the one on my left hand. I'm afraid it's never going to heal unless I take a significant amount of time off, or stop using my hands, neither of which is likely as I'm just 2 months from my black belt test and an assistant instructor...PT to improve grip strength has helped significantly though. Ask your doctor about PT for rehabilitation.
  • GladImTall
    GladImTall Posts: 65 Member
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    Take it from me- had several BAD ankle sprains when I was younger and in sports and did not allow them to properly heal before I was back at playing sports. Fast Foward 15 years and my ankles are in TERRIBLE condition. I actually had a physical therapist tell me I had one of the worst ankles he's ever seen.

    Take the time. Ice like crazy. See a physical therapist and have them give you some exercises to do on your own to help strengthen the ligaments back up. but for right now, ice and rest!
  • Elf_Princess1210
    Elf_Princess1210 Posts: 895 Member
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    If you have been diagnosed with a "sprain", then you have a first-degree tear....yes, a tear in muscle or tendon. Depending on your age and health, it will take 6-8 week to completely heal. That does not mean you will be incompacitated for 6-8 week, but the first 2 weeks may be pretty uncomfortable. Athelets can heal quicker because of their conditioning, but most sports physicians will advise them to tape their ankles for the remainder of the healing process as additional support.

    You should at least wear an ACE bandage, elevate your ankle when ever possible and use ice in the first 72 hours. Then you can switch to intermittent Ice-heat. (heat increases swelling, and in the first phase of the injury, you need to decrease swelling)


    Too much information?

    Gerry

    This is very sound reasoniing. Weight bearing joints take a long time to heal too
  • ski0721
    ski0721 Posts: 109 Member
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    Oh I feel your pain...literally! I sprained my left ankle a little more than 8 weeks ago. I also did not go to the doctors and probably should have. I can't jog on it yet and it's driving me crazy! That's all I want to do. I do the bike and the arc trainer for cardio currently but I really just want to jog. I'm hoping I can "try" to jog in two weeks. It stinks! :grumble:

    Good luck on healing! I hope it's quicker than my process. I would definitely suggest using an ankle brace for a couple of weeks when you are able to start exercising again. :flowerforyou:
  • Jem_Girl
    Jem_Girl Posts: 110 Member
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    I'm going on one year now for an ankle I sprained last summer while walking up a hill in the rain (tip: don't wear Clogs in the rain :laugh: ). Luckily it happened not long before I had a tonsillectomy so I had a few weeks of staying home in which to recover... but as soon as I started driving to work again it started hurting. Now it's very stiff and can't take a ton of weight after not being used for a while resulting in hop-limps when I stand up. Finally went to the doctor and he referred me to a physical therapist. Moral of the story: Go see your doc or a physical therapist and start getting it worked on now instead of spending a year of annoyance. Maybe it will be a mild one, but better safe than sorry.
  • SuffolkSally
    SuffolkSally Posts: 964 Member
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    About six months to be able to walk more than a couple of miles without without pain, swelling, and discomfort, about a year in absolute total, and my tear has never 100% healed and I am still weak on that side. Very much not want you want to hear I know, but you need rest and physio, and for when you start exercise on it again get seriously supportive footwear and be careful of the terrain, otherwise you will do what I did and fall a couple more times worsening the damage... Sorry. I hope it's not too serious a one, and you're probably in better shape than I was, so the chances are it will be better for you.

    PS I was also told that a bad sprain is worse than a break, by the chirpy A&E nurse who informed me that my leg wasn't broken. "Oh", I said, hugely relieved " that's good news then". "Not really", she replied "it means it's going to take a lot longer to heal and hurt a lot more". Doncha just love bedside manner?
  • SuffolkSally
    SuffolkSally Posts: 964 Member
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    Oh and try taking glucosamine and chrondritin (not sure about spelling) somebody put me onto it and it definitely seemed to help

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