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Dr. Andrew Rynne
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Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Swollen Painful Ankles After A Fall. Need Treatment For A Speedy Recovery

Hi there, My name is Lyn and I am 51. I had a fall last night, I missed two steps and went over on my ankles. I had pain immediately after the fall. Within a few hours the pain was so intense I couldn t sleep. Both ankles have swollen considerably with bruising. Swelling is very bad on the outside of the ankle and is spreading around the whole foot . I can walk around, but it is very painful. Have taken pain relief, been resting with my foot elevated, tried ice packs and have bandaged. I can move my toes ok. What is the best thing to do for a speedy recovery?
posted on Tue, 4 Dec 2012
Twitter Tue, 4 Dec 2012 Answered on
Twitter Tue, 4 Dec 2012 Last reviewed on
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Pathologist and Microbiologist,  's  Response
hi there, ankle joint is a very complex joint with lots of tendon and ligament attatchments and so any one of them could be strained or injured. First of all you should visit an ER and get a X-ray or a ortho consultation done as you would'nt want to miss a fracture tho' is unlikely. Ligaments take a long time to heal and so as you have rightly initiated the treatment, a painkiller, cold compresses and crepe bandage with elevation of the limb should give you some relief. Do not try to massage it or exercise it un-nessesarily. Keep the compression bandage on for a feew days till you are comfortable. Bone and tendon injury take its own time to heal and you can not speed them up. Take proper rest and wait it out. Take care.
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Critical Care Specialist,  Dr. Sadiq Mughal's  Response
Hi thanks for your question.
You had a fall and injured you both ankles.
At the outset I would suggest you to consult a physician ,get X Ray of both you ankle joint done to rule out any fracture or dislocation.Ice pack ,elevation of leg and pain killer is ok, but you also need a course of antibiotics to prvent infection of joint.
Hope this answers your question.
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Swollen Painful Ankles After A Fall. Need Treatment For A Speedy Recovery

hi there, ankle joint is a very complex joint with lots of tendon and ligament attatchments and so any one of them could be strained or injured. First of all you should visit an ER and get a X-ray or a ortho consultation done as you would nt want to miss a fracture tho is unlikely. Ligaments take a long time to heal and so as you have rightly initiated the treatment, a painkiller, cold compresses and crepe bandage with elevation of the limb should give you some relief. Do not try to massage it or exercise it un-nessesarily. Keep the compression bandage on for a feew days till you are comfortable. Bone and tendon injury take its own time to heal and you can not speed them up. Take proper rest and wait it out. Take care.