Suggest Treatment For Pain And Swelling On The Ankles

Posted on Fri, 10 Jun 2016

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Fri, 10 Jun 2016 Answered on

Thu, 7 Jul 2016 Last reviewed on

Question : I've had a painful lower right leg for a week, and tonight I noticed it was swollen. The calf and surrounding area are painful even to touch. Also I have a bruise on the inner side of the ankle. I fell off a ladder (3-4 feet up) when one leg of the ladder buckled, and I landed on top of it. My right leg and arm bore the brunt of the fall. I have been wearing a pressure stocking for about a month due to venous stasis dermatitis. I plan to see the doctor tomorrow, but I'm wondering if I should go to a night clinic or the ER. The pain is bearable.

Answered by Dr. Robert Galamaga (26 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Considerations.

Detailed Answer:
hello and thank you for sending the question.

The symptoms you describe our concerning for a possible deep vein thrombosis. In light of this I would not wait until tomorrow to have this looked at. If you have a local emergency department that is nearby I would recommend that you proceed for more immediate evaluation.

The importance of evaluation sooner will allow for treatment to begin more quickly which will generally lead to better outcome. Also if you have a blood clot this increases the risk that you could develop a pulmonary embolism which can be life-threatening.

Again since your symptoms are suspicious for a possible thrombosis I would have this evaluated as soon as possible.

thank you again for sending the question.

Sincerely,

Dr. Galamaga

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Sonia Raina

Follow up: Dr. Robert Galamaga (12 hours later)

Thanks for your response. I should've mentioned in my question that I was taking Xarelto 20mg daily. I did go to the ER, and they did a sonogram on my leg, & it was negative for clots. They diagnosed my problem as a calf contusion and hematoma.
As they say, better safe than sorry. Thanks again, and have a great weekend.

Answered by Dr. Robert Galamaga (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Followup

Detailed Answer:
Thank you again.

Have a great day,

Dr. Galamaga

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Arnab Banerjee