Friends and family ask me all the time what to do when they hurt their ankles. The biggest concern when you injure your ankle is whether or not it is just a sprain or a more serious fracture. This post is for them, and for you. It is designed to help you know if you have a sprain or a fracture in your ankle.
This article is not to be used as medical advice. It is just to help you figure out when you should go to urgent care. If there is any doubt at all, seek medical help as soon as possible.
The Difference Between an Ankle Sprain and an Ankle Fracture
The ankle is most commonly injured during movement. You can roll your ankle doing any activity such as walking. You may be an active person and play sports like basketball or soccer. In these sports you may step on someone's foot or get caught in the turf/grass and roll your ankle.
Rolling your ankle is normal.
It is when it move more than the range of motion your ankle allows that you will have an injury. This is why ankle mobility is just as important as ankle stability.
Ankle mobility allows your ankle to absorb movement and avoid injury.
Ankle stability allows your ankle and foot to hold you up.
When you roll your ankle, there is a risk to some of the bones in the area. In most healthy adults rolling your ankle will only cause some stretching to the ligaments in the area (ankle sprain), but a few of you will have more serious damage.
It all depends on the severity of the movement. How fast it happens, the type of surface you are on, and the amount of weight (yours and others involved) through the ankle all play a roll in the severity of your injury.
To identify a sprain, check the following symptoms:
Swollen
Tender to touch in a specific spot
Painful
Discoloration
Able to move, but sore
Can stand on it without increased pain within 24 hours
To identify a fracture, use the previous list and then check for the following:
Dark discoloration
Tender to touch in the entire area
Unable to put weight on leg after 24 hours
Unable to move ankle at all (even with your hand)
Recovering From An Ankle Sprain
To recover from an ankle sprain, the process is pretty straight forward. You need to start from the beginning.
Return range of motion
Work on stability (balance)
Return to walking
Return to exercise (low impact - squats, lunges, upper body exercises in standing)
Stairs
Jumping/Running
Recovering From An Ankle Fracture
The process following a fracture is very similar, but the timeline will be delayed. Most of the time if you have a fracture you will either be casted or put in a walking boot. Until you are cleared to start movement of the ankle, don't move your ankle/foot.
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