Do I have a serious injury?

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24

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  • natvanessa
    natvanessa Posts: 230 Member
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    Ummm, if this happened at work you should report this to your manager right away. The reason is they will cover all of your medical costs/doctor visit (provided you were on the clock and working at the time). It's called Workers Comp and a lot of employees don't realize they have this coverage!!

    I know, because I am an HR Manager so a little red flag just waved at me when you said you were at work. Please report this to your manager, they will send you to the doc!! :smile:
  • Contrarian
    Contrarian Posts: 8,138 Member
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    A doctor might know.

    I'm sure one would. Just thought I'd check the boards seeing that we've got a lot of smart people on here. Thanks for your valuable input.

    :wink:

    Describing an injury to an internet forum is really not an effective substitute for an examination by a medical professional, no matter how clever the posters on this site may be. Surely you realise this, so there is no need to be snippy about getting the response that one would expect.
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
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    If you are going to get it checked out, you should talk to your employer about having it done through workers' comp. Your health insurance may not cover it if they find out it should be covered by workers' comp. (I used to handle workers' comp for my company and I've seen this happen. It was a pain in the butt to get it straightened out.)
  • srp2011
    srp2011 Posts: 1,829 Member
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    See a doctor - it may only be a minor sprain, but they will be able to tell you if you need to stay off of it, and for how long, to make sure something minor doesn't become something major if you work out on it...
  • msliu7911
    msliu7911 Posts: 639 Member
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    For tonight/today I would try to keep as much weight off it as possible, levitate it, and ice any swelling areas. If you're still able to walk and you're not in a horrendous amount of pain by moving anything then you can afford the hours to see if it's something that will go away with some time and maybe an over the counter pain reliever.

    If by tomorrow you're in the same level of pain or worse then I would get to a doctor simply as a precaution. It may be nothing but it's better to go and be told that than stay away and wonder if it's going to be a problem in the long run. Take for instance back in '10 I had an 8 hour shift at a job with no break or sitting and came away with a very sore knee that had me limping. I have a known joint disorder that dislocates things and puts them back in on their own so I waited 2 days (the day after my shift was a holiday) and then sought medical attention. I ended up needing physical therapy and a cane for several months and had I not gone it would have eventually gotten worse to need surgery. Long story short, better safe than sorry.

    Wow! I agree.. better safe than sorry.
  • PuggleLover
    PuggleLover Posts: 261 Member
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    I hurt my hand in gym class one day... finished school, played softball, went home and ate dinner. Finally decided to go to the ER 8 hours later... it was broken.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,229 Member
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    Also, broken bones can be brought back to 100+%, sprained, strained or torn muscle, ligament or tendon cannot.

    This is definitely true. But even ligament and tendon would be excruciatingly painful to walk on. Even more so than broken bones.
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
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    I'm no doctor, but I know when I broke my ankle there was *no way* I could walk. So, my guess is you didn't break anything. But is it serious? I have no idea... Good luck!

    ^This. If it were serious, you would definitely know. Just the fact that you have to ask tells me that you just bruised yourself up a bit.
    Not true. Bad advice.

    Whatever. I have had my fair share of foot and knee injuries.
    This isn't your injury. It's on someone else's body and you are in no position to tell her not to seek medical attention.

    As I said, I've had a broken bone that was definitely not excruciating. That doesn't mean it wasn't serious.
  • ccbing
    ccbing Posts: 162 Member
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    I work for an orthopaedic surgeon. You may still be able to walk on a foot/ankle if it's fractured. It could be a non displaced fracture or a sprain. Knee could be sprain as well. First off...I'm not a doctor. I would take it easy, elevate (above your heart level) ice it tonight. If it swells, bruises, or hurts tomorrow you should prob. get an xray. An Xray is the only way to really see what's going on. If it is fractured you def. don't want to make it worse by putting weight on it. A non displaced fracture could turn into a displaced fracture easily, then you have more serious issues :(
  • godblessourhome
    godblessourhome Posts: 3,892 Member
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    my mom fell while ice skating over christmas. she insisted it was just a sprain because she could walk on it. two weeks later she finally went in for x-rays and her foot was broken in two places. she still limps when she gets tired and has to wear a brace at night.

    go to the clinic tomorrow; it is better to be safe, than sorry.
  • msliu7911
    msliu7911 Posts: 639 Member
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    If you are going to get it checked out, you should talk to your employer about having it done through workers' comp. Your health insurance may not cover it if they find out it should be covered by workers' comp. (I used to handle workers' comp for my company and I've seen this happen. It was a pain in the butt to get it straightened out.)

    Ya since I already made an incident report tonight I will probably talk to HR about how to go about this. I feel silly being that person who has to claim workers comp, especially since it was kind of my fault for not knowing how to walk down stairs lol. But I do understand the legal implications behind it... and I might as well take advantage since I pay for it.
  • sisterlilbunny
    sisterlilbunny Posts: 691 Member
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    As someone who recently (January) had a broken heel and twisted ankle from stairs, I'd advise a doctor. Casts (plaster or walking boot) are seriously no fun. And yeah, I could do a modified walk too which was even freakier when they said it was busted.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,229 Member
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    I'm no doctor, but I know when I broke my ankle there was *no way* I could walk. So, my guess is you didn't break anything. But is it serious? I have no idea... Good luck!

    ^This. If it were serious, you would definitely know. Just the fact that you have to ask tells me that you just bruised yourself up a bit.
    Not true. Bad advice.

    Whatever. I have had my fair share of foot and knee injuries.
    This isn't your injury. It's on someone else's body and you are in no position to tell her not to seek medical attention.

    I'm not telling her not to seek medical attention. If she tries the RICE method and doesn't improve, then she absolutely needs to see the doctor. All I am saying is that it really doesn't sound serious.
  • sarajane31
    sarajane31 Posts: 18
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    I'm no doctor, but I know when I broke my ankle there was *no way* I could walk. So, my guess is you didn't break anything. But is it serious? I have no idea... Good luck!

    ^This. If it were serious, you would definitely know. Just the fact that you have to ask tells me that you just bruised yourself up a bit.
    Not true. Bad advice.

    Wasn't giving advice, just sharing my experience. Like I said, not a doctor. :)
  • natvanessa
    natvanessa Posts: 230 Member
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    Sorry just read your post more carefully--you did report it. BUT it's not too late to tell them you changed your mind and you do want to see a doc.....
  • Athena98501
    Athena98501 Posts: 716 Member
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    It does sound like a very minor sprain, but it never hurts to be cautious. Don't run on it until it and your knee feel normal again. Icing it periodically will be good to do. If it starts to bother you more, I'd add ibuprofen and an epsom salt soak.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,229 Member
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    I'm no doctor, but I know when I broke my ankle there was *no way* I could walk. So, my guess is you didn't break anything. But is it serious? I have no idea... Good luck!

    ^This. If it were serious, you would definitely know. Just the fact that you have to ask tells me that you just bruised yourself up a bit.
    Not true. Bad advice.

    Whatever. I have had my fair share of foot and knee injuries.
    This isn't your injury. It's on someone else's body and you are in no position to tell her not to seek medical attention.

    As I said, I've had a broken bone that was definitely not excruciating. That doesn't mean it wasn't serious.

    Toes are a completely different entity than tendon or ligament tears (usually what is referred to as a sprain). The OP didn't mention any swelling. Swelling is usually a good indicator of something serious, either way.

    I'm not going to debate the issue with you. She is perfectly entitled to see a doctor if she wants to. And her employer will pay for it through workman's comp. She asked opinions about whether or not the injury is serious and in my opinion no.
  • natvanessa
    natvanessa Posts: 230 Member
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    If you are going to get it checked out, you should talk to your employer about having it done through workers' comp. Your health insurance may not cover it if they find out it should be covered by workers' comp. (I used to handle workers' comp for my company and I've seen this happen. It was a pain in the butt to get it straightened out.)

    Ya since I already made an incident report tonight I will probably talk to HR about how to go about this. I feel silly being that person who has to claim workers comp, especially since it was kind of my fault for not knowing how to walk down stairs lol. But I do understand the legal implications behind it... and I might as well take advantage since I pay for it.

    Great, definitely take advantage of the coverage, but you don't pay for Workers Comp coverage, your company does. It has nothing to do with the insurance you pay for. This is a seperate thing. Just fyi :-)
  • javamonster
    javamonster Posts: 272 Member
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    You'd be surprised, I broke my toe and it wasn't nearly the kind of pain you'd expect. But there was red swelling. I'd have it checked out.

    Hmm wow.. red swelling is exactly what I have. I would expect a break to be all colors of the rainbow. :) This is good info.

    I fractured my ankle in three places, dislocated it, and ruptured all the tendons and ligaments. There were no rainbows involved. There was also relatively little pain involved. Radiography is wonderful technology.
  • msliu7911
    msliu7911 Posts: 639 Member
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    A doctor might know.

    I'm sure one would. Just thought I'd check the boards seeing that we've got a lot of smart people on here. Thanks for your valuable input.

    :wink:

    Describing an injury to an internet forum is really not an effective substitute for an examination by a medical professional, no matter how clever the posters on this site may be. Surely you realise this, so there is no need to be snippy about getting the response that one would expect.

    I wasn't planning to substitute it for an examination. There's no harm in posting to get an idea of what may be ahead of you, or what to do in the meantime before you actually do see a doctor.

    My fault for posting in the forums and getting "snippy" when someone provides a less-than-helpful wisecrack remark. :wink:

    To everyone else who has provided me with VALUABLE GUIDANCE/ INFORMATION... THANK YOU! :flowerforyou:

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