Sprained foot...any advice? (Read 2361 times)

Bummer! I've sprained my ankle before, and from that experience I'd tell you it's important to let it heal up right the first time otherwise problems will hang around much longer than they should! (Do you really need to ask how I learned that one?) Perhaps this is a good time to investigate some cross-training? How about some swimming? That's a good one, and if the pressure on your foot makes it painful to swim, you can stick a pull-bouy between your legs and just work the arms. I would guess your doctor would tell you don't run until it doesn't hurt to run. That's what I'd tell you, anyway. If it hurts to walk on it, don't even try to run. When that doesn't hurt, try a slow jog. If it hurts, even the next day, you need more healing time. Give it another week (at least!) before trying again. Remember RICE? (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevate) First word there is "Rest." Unfortunate, but true. If it hurts, don't run on it. If it hurts, don't run on it. If it hurts, don't run on it. If it hurts, don't run on it. When you start back up, pretend you're starting out brand new and need to work back up SLOWLY. Your foot may be prone to re-injury if you start out again too quickly or with too much. Good luck! And don't disappear - keep posting here. It'll help keep you motivated while you're waiting. Janell

::scratches head:: You know? I don't really remember how long I was on crutches. Until it didn't hurt, I think. Plus, every injury's different... If you're going to an "event," you'll probably be on your feet a lot. Even if you're down to one by then you might want to take two with you. It gets very tiring when you're having to hobble around! And if your toes are like sausages now, I suspect you'll not really want to be on your feet much even by Thursday! If you can, try looking into getting a wheelchair for the event. I dont' know what you're doing, but some places will have wheelchairs for rental or courtesy for older folks (sorry!) and for people who have a hard time being on their feet for long periods of time. It's a little embarrassing, so you might want to make sure your injury is clearly wrapped and visible. Shoulder level is good. "Elevate" really means anything above heart level, to let gravity help things come back down to normal. Are you wrapping with an ACE bandage too? What about anti-inflammatories?

Sounds like your friend is lucky to have such a good friend. I've sprained it twice, now. The second time it really swelled up, and I had bruising all over my foot. It was kind of scary! They say when you've sprained something it's more prone to spraining in the future. I don't know. It does roll on me sometimes when I trip on things (I'm kinda clumsy sometimes!) but it's not given me major problems since. I don't think sprains are generally supposed to cause long-term issues, if that's what you're worried about.

Bruises from the crutches? Are you tripping over things or are you bruising your arms? Make sure you're not leaning your armpits on the crutches! You can do damage to the nerves that run under your armpits if you lean your weight on them. Instead, make sure your weight is supported through your hands. Think "strong arms." A lot of people think they need extra padding on the top where the armpits go, but if you have them adjusted right and are using them correctly (NOT leaning on armpits!!!) you shouldn't need extra padding. I'm sorry I don't have any good links on proper crutching, but when you stand upright and straight (as much as possible!!!) and the crutches are under your arms you should be able to fit a couple of fingers between the top of the crutch and your armpit. When you use them you shouldn't feel like you're having to lean way over - it should be comfortable. Well... kinda comfortable, anyway! I just worry when people say that they're having pain with crutches (unless they've got a sprained wrist to boot!!!).

Sometimes it would feel like things were sliding around a little. ::shudder:: That stopped after it healed up. It's been a couple of years now. What I get now is an unpleasant crunching sound, slight discomfort, and things popping if I'm climbing stairs right after a hard run. Actually both ankles will do it, but my previously sprained ankle does it more. I interpret it as my ankles telling me they don't like what I just did and I need to tone it down some. They don't do that after easy or medium runs, only hard ones. How'd the graduation go? You're right that you shouldn't be locking your elbows when using the crutches. If you keep a very slight bend in them that'll help you remember. Are you working with a physical therapist? If you are, they should probably be able to tell you better about what's normal for foot sprains as they're healing. I don't know how long it'll take for popping to go away - it probably depends on how bad you sprained it. I also don't know if it means you should stay off still, since you say it doesn't hurt. What did the doc say? I'm curious. I thought ususally pain was supposed to be the guide on what you did with sprains - haven't heard anything about popping and sliding. If you're able to walk some on it now without it hurting, that sounds like a good sign to me! It's been a week, so I'd be more worried if you weren't seeing improvement! In your original post you said the doc said it'd be a few weeks before you're back to normal. Be gentle with yourself as you ease back into activity!