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What Causes Sudden Painful And Shiney Swelling In Ankles Is Sensitive To Touch?

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Posted on Sun, 12 Jan 2014
Twitter Sun, 12 Jan 2014 Answered on
Twitter Tue, 28 Jan 2014 Last reviewed on
Question : Hi: One nite ago I went to ER as my left foot and ankle was 3 times bigger than it was supposed to be. It was very painful, shiney and sensitive to touch. The doc asked me where I've been over the last few days and I told him to my foot doc to take care of a "bursa" on the other foot. He left after 3 min and prognosed infection due to ingrown toenail, 500mg of Keflex and sent me on my way. Today I still have the swelling, not as bad (I can at least walk a little) but it's no where gone and still very painful. About 3 wks ago I fell on myleft side and created a bruise from the top of my hip to below my knee. X-rays and ultr scan showed nothing. My left leg is still larger than my right and very painful. I'm at a loss! Any doctor who puts a scope to my back and makes me breathe 2 times, and once in the front, is totally unacceptable. Any ideas?
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Answered by Dr. Dr. Shruti Rijhwani (2 hours later)
Brief Answer: Follows. Detailed Answer: Dear Sir, Thank you for posting your query on XXXXXXX Well looking into the query I will like to tell you that your doctor is right in saying that it could be septic but still two possibilities I will think needs to be ruled out . One is deep vein thrombosis ( DVT) which can lead to similar presentation . A USG Doppler is highly recommended for this diagnosis . Second condition which needs to be ruled out is gout . Acute gouty arthritis also can lead to sudden swelling and pain affecting foot and ankle . So getting your serum uric acid doen is important . Since you are on many anti hypertensives it may also lead to attack of gout . For pain relief the treatment will depend upon the underlying condition . I will advise you to see your treating doctor and discuss these options also. Take care. Dr. Shruti
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Dr. Dr. Shruti Rijhwani

Rheumatologist

Practicing since :2008

Answered : 2366 Questions

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What Causes Sudden Painful And Shiney Swelling In Ankles Is Sensitive To Touch?

Brief Answer: Follows. Detailed Answer: Dear Sir, Thank you for posting your query on XXXXXXX Well looking into the query I will like to tell you that your doctor is right in saying that it could be septic but still two possibilities I will think needs to be ruled out . One is deep vein thrombosis ( DVT) which can lead to similar presentation . A USG Doppler is highly recommended for this diagnosis . Second condition which needs to be ruled out is gout . Acute gouty arthritis also can lead to sudden swelling and pain affecting foot and ankle . So getting your serum uric acid doen is important . Since you are on many anti hypertensives it may also lead to attack of gout . For pain relief the treatment will depend upon the underlying condition . I will advise you to see your treating doctor and discuss these options also. Take care. Dr. Shruti