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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Swelling And Pain In The Knee And Ankle After An Injury?

Fell down steps Saturday night landed on left side of body. Ankle hurt but better with ice. Knee very swollen but better with ice - still hurts a bit but walking no problem. hip had hurt and raised area but better with ice no problem walking. I am having issue with muscles from under left armpit up and over left breast no bruising but hurts about a 6 and breathing makes that a 7 deep breath 8 or better. pressure on area hurts - nothing black and blue and the shoulder appears to work fine in all directions with no pain. Do I need to seek further care or will this heal on its own? Female 5 7 overweight
Wed, 9 Nov 2016
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General & Family Physician,  's  Response
Hi there,

Thank you for an excellent description of your problem. It sounds as though you are handling the leg injuries well, and the only thing troubling you is the pain on the chest/armpit area.

It does look like it will heal well, as the shoulder is not involved. It actually sounds to me like maybe you cracked a rib, but if you are able to deep breathe, then I wouldn't worry about it. Make sure that you are not suppressing your breath or your coughs, because that might lead you to develop a pneumonia from not expanding your lungs well. If you catch yourself doing that, do yourself a favour and take some painkillers for a week or so.

The only difference with a cracked rib is that we expect the healing to be slower than a muscle strain. Expect to feel some pain for at least a month or two, although there will be gradual improvement.

Hope this helps, and all the best to you.

Regards,
Dr. Teh
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What Causes Swelling And Pain In The Knee And Ankle After An Injury?

Hi there, Thank you for an excellent description of your problem. It sounds as though you are handling the leg injuries well, and the only thing troubling you is the pain on the chest/armpit area. It does look like it will heal well, as the shoulder is not involved. It actually sounds to me like maybe you cracked a rib, but if you are able to deep breathe, then I wouldn t worry about it. Make sure that you are not suppressing your breath or your coughs, because that might lead you to develop a pneumonia from not expanding your lungs well. If you catch yourself doing that, do yourself a favour and take some painkillers for a week or so. The only difference with a cracked rib is that we expect the healing to be slower than a muscle strain. Expect to feel some pain for at least a month or two, although there will be gradual improvement. Hope this helps, and all the best to you. Regards, Dr. Teh