Ankle injury - how to reduce swelling
Discussion
How would I reduce swelling from an ankle injury?
It's been 10 days or so, and it's still so swollen I am struggling to get shoes/boots/anything on.
I've tried ice, and I've tried tubigrips (is that the right name?) and elasticated bandages, but they all seem to make it swell more.
Any ideas?
It's been 10 days or so, and it's still so swollen I am struggling to get shoes/boots/anything on.
I've tried ice, and I've tried tubigrips (is that the right name?) and elasticated bandages, but they all seem to make it swell more.
Any ideas?
I used the HEM method (google it) but in simple terms - foot in an ice bucket/hot bucket 5 times a day and LOTS of mobility. The worse things you can do with a rolled ankle is leave it for scar tissue to form, you'll be limping for YEARS! Get a wobble boarded, do the alphabet with your toes, etc, etc
Oh...and some HARD massage to get the fluid away (my sports physio was brutal)
Oh...and some HARD massage to get the fluid away (my sports physio was brutal)
I broke my ankle a quite a few years ago but have also had bad swelling in them following something called a bi-lateral and anterior compartment decompression.
First thing is you need to keep it elevated as much as possible....even if you are sitting at a desk during the day.
As described above alternating hot and cold treatemnts can help reduce swelling greatly. I used to do this with a shower head...2 mins hot water, 2 mins cold...five times for each. Do it two or three times a day.
And as the man said...physio and lots of it and yes it's painful bloody painful but rehab is very,very important.
First thing is you need to keep it elevated as much as possible....even if you are sitting at a desk during the day.
As described above alternating hot and cold treatemnts can help reduce swelling greatly. I used to do this with a shower head...2 mins hot water, 2 mins cold...five times for each. Do it two or three times a day.
And as the man said...physio and lots of it and yes it's painful bloody painful but rehab is very,very important.
alas, unfortuanly,many years of Tae Kwon Do, cycling, running etc... means I have become something of an expert in managing ankle injuries. Please note, this is "friendly advice" and you do this at your own risk, you really should go see a doc though.
So, i'm going to guess you have sprained your ankle. By now scar tissue will be forming.
Try these methods to reduce swelling and to strengthen your ligaments and tendons.
- reduce swelling and bruising: this can take LONG time to heal, but you can help it with ice or ice water. Very cold, make sure your foot is not covered for any longer then 10/15 mins at a time. Keep the ankle elevated above your heart, if you havent done so already get a bandage on there and rest it.
- to strengthen your ligaments and tendons: Stand on the floor and raise your foot so you are on the ball of your toes. repeat 10 times. Make circles with your toes. repeat 10 times. If you can get a tensa-band or a huge elastic band, put it over your toes and pull the band towards your opposite shoulder, move your foot outwards so you push against the resistance. Likewise pull the band to your chest while your leg is extended straight infront of you and move your foot back and fourth. Stand on your injured foot, raise your good leg so you are standing on one leg and push up top the ceiling so you are standing on the ball of your foot without holding on to anything for support. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat.
The NHS will be able to send you for physio, but it can take up to 8 weeks.
So, i'm going to guess you have sprained your ankle. By now scar tissue will be forming.
Try these methods to reduce swelling and to strengthen your ligaments and tendons.
- reduce swelling and bruising: this can take LONG time to heal, but you can help it with ice or ice water. Very cold, make sure your foot is not covered for any longer then 10/15 mins at a time. Keep the ankle elevated above your heart, if you havent done so already get a bandage on there and rest it.
- to strengthen your ligaments and tendons: Stand on the floor and raise your foot so you are on the ball of your toes. repeat 10 times. Make circles with your toes. repeat 10 times. If you can get a tensa-band or a huge elastic band, put it over your toes and pull the band towards your opposite shoulder, move your foot outwards so you push against the resistance. Likewise pull the band to your chest while your leg is extended straight infront of you and move your foot back and fourth. Stand on your injured foot, raise your good leg so you are standing on one leg and push up top the ceiling so you are standing on the ball of your foot without holding on to anything for support. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat.
The NHS will be able to send you for physio, but it can take up to 8 weeks.
Carthage said:
How would I reduce swelling from an ankle injury?
It's been 10 days or so, and it's still so swollen I am struggling to get shoes/boots/anything on.
I've tried ice, and I've tried tubigrips (is that the right name?) and elasticated bandages, but they all seem to make it swell more.
Any ideas?
Both times I've broken my ankle it's taken months for the swelling to totally subside. The above advice is good in terms of management (RICE, cold/hot cycling, self massage, compression etc.) I would also add putting a pillow under it at night helped me, but I would think it would be worth forking out a few £££ for private physio if the NHS aren't going to treat you within a few weeks. By the time you see an NHS physio you'll be so far behind in recovery that you risk turning a short term issue into a much longer term problem due to lack of mobility, scar tissue growth and so on.It's been 10 days or so, and it's still so swollen I am struggling to get shoes/boots/anything on.
I've tried ice, and I've tried tubigrips (is that the right name?) and elasticated bandages, but they all seem to make it swell more.
Any ideas?
shouldbworking said:
Slight hijack, but does ice etc work on reducing swelling on injuries that arent fresh? backstory = drain cover, sprinting, turn, splat, large raised area thatll bruise up. Happened yesterday.
Yes it does still work. I was told cycling hot and cold alternately is better than just icing for the same length of time....cycling increases the blood flow in and out of the area more or that was the theory at the time. This was ten years ago so the theory may have changed but I was told that by the surgeon who was on the World Sports Medicine council at the time. It definitely worked for me especially when I was in rehab from the operation I had which caused very severe brusing and swelling in my calves and ankles....the brusing was so bad it changed the pigmentation in my skin so you could see where the bruise had been for months after!
Cheib said:
Yes it does still work.
I was told cycling hot and cold alternately is better than just icing for the same length of time....cycling increases the blood flow in and out of the area more or that was the theory at the time. This was ten years ago so the theory may have changed but I was told that by the surgeon who was on the World Sports Medicine council at the time. It definitely worked for me especially when I was in rehab from the operation I had which caused very severe brusing and swelling in my calves and ankles....the brusing was so bad it changed the pigmentation in my skin so you could see where the bruise had been for months after!
I was once told by a physio that adding heat to a swelling actually makes it worse, but I have no idea if that is true or not as I always follow RICE for ankle injury management- which by its nature suggests you shouldnt use heat??I was told cycling hot and cold alternately is better than just icing for the same length of time....cycling increases the blood flow in and out of the area more or that was the theory at the time. This was ten years ago so the theory may have changed but I was told that by the surgeon who was on the World Sports Medicine council at the time. It definitely worked for me especially when I was in rehab from the operation I had which caused very severe brusing and swelling in my calves and ankles....the brusing was so bad it changed the pigmentation in my skin so you could see where the bruise had been for months after!
I had a sprained ankle and the way I got rid of the swelling was elevation ( foot higher than waist) and ice packs on the swollen bit on a regular basis. Took about 3 or 4 days to work.
It took 4 weeks to fully recover which was somewhat annoying.
Edited to add that the nurse in a&e was against the elasticated bandages as being old hat.
It took 4 weeks to fully recover which was somewhat annoying.
Edited to add that the nurse in a&e was against the elasticated bandages as being old hat.
DarrenL said:
I was once told by a physio that adding heat to a swelling actually makes it worse, but I have no idea if that is true or not as I always follow RICE for ankle injury management- which by its nature suggests you shouldnt use heat??
I always ignore RICE - the very idea that rest is a good idea goes against everything I believe with regards rolled ankles.Tiggsy said:
I always ignore RICE - the very idea that rest is a good idea goes against everything I believe with regards rolled ankles.
Mine was not a rolled ankle but rest really did help in fixing the issue.Every time I tried to get it working it made it worse and set me back ( and hurt like hell). Once the swelling is gone then you can move but would get rid of that first.
Next time it will be more RIE for me.
Thanks for the advice - much appreciated. 
In the past, I have torn the ligaments in quite a few joints but this time it's so much worse - I passed out when I did it (pathetic, I know
).
It's still really painful to any touch, and certain movements just stop me dead, so I can't bring myself to do any mobility exercises/massage.
I have a history of dislocating joints so wonder if I dislocated this ankle too.
I'll certainly try alternating cold/hot treatments but am too poor to pay for a physio.
On the plus side, the whole foot has been some entertainingly vivid colours - the last one being an alarmingly Simpsonesque yellow.
In the past, I have torn the ligaments in quite a few joints but this time it's so much worse - I passed out when I did it (pathetic, I know
). It's still really painful to any touch, and certain movements just stop me dead, so I can't bring myself to do any mobility exercises/massage.
I have a history of dislocating joints so wonder if I dislocated this ankle too.
I'll certainly try alternating cold/hot treatments but am too poor to pay for a physio.
On the plus side, the whole foot has been some entertainingly vivid colours - the last one being an alarmingly Simpsonesque yellow.
PoleDriver said:
That's been too long for a sprain!
If it was me I would definitely go to A&E and insist on another x-ray! It won't be the first time that they have not spotted a broken ankle on the first attempt!!
Thing is, I can't afford for it to be broken (although I have wondered about going back).If it was me I would definitely go to A&E and insist on another x-ray! It won't be the first time that they have not spotted a broken ankle on the first attempt!!
I wouldn't be able to drive, and wouldn't be able to either work or look after the horses.
Carthage said:
PoleDriver said:
That's been too long for a sprain!
If it was me I would definitely go to A&E and insist on another x-ray! It won't be the first time that they have not spotted a broken ankle on the first attempt!!
Thing is, I can't afford for it to be broken (although I have wondered about going back).If it was me I would definitely go to A&E and insist on another x-ray! It won't be the first time that they have not spotted a broken ankle on the first attempt!!
I wouldn't be able to drive, and wouldn't be able to either work or look after the horses.
So you can do those things now, because you have been told it's not broken but if you go back and they say that it is broken you could not do them?!
PoleDriver said:
So you can do those things now, because you have been told it's not broken but if you go back and they say that it is broken you could not do them?!
If they tell me it's broken, I have to inform the DVLA, and won't be able to get insurance cover to drive (even an automatic).
DarrenL said:
Cheib said:
Yes it does still work.
I was told cycling hot and cold alternately is better than just icing for the same length of time....cycling increases the blood flow in and out of the area more or that was the theory at the time. This was ten years ago so the theory may have changed but I was told that by the surgeon who was on the World Sports Medicine council at the time. It definitely worked for me especially when I was in rehab from the operation I had which caused very severe brusing and swelling in my calves and ankles....the brusing was so bad it changed the pigmentation in my skin so you could see where the bruise had been for months after!
I was once told by a physio that adding heat to a swelling actually makes it worse, but I have no idea if that is true or not as I always follow RICE for ankle injury management- which by its nature suggests you shouldnt use heat??I was told cycling hot and cold alternately is better than just icing for the same length of time....cycling increases the blood flow in and out of the area more or that was the theory at the time. This was ten years ago so the theory may have changed but I was told that by the surgeon who was on the World Sports Medicine council at the time. It definitely worked for me especially when I was in rehab from the operation I had which caused very severe brusing and swelling in my calves and ankles....the brusing was so bad it changed the pigmentation in my skin so you could see where the bruise had been for months after!
Yeah - except that if you have an accident and it turns out you weren't fit to drive, it amounts to the same thing as driving with a cast on.
It sounds like you've broken your ankle to be honest, so it's A&E or zipping the man suit up. I'm sorry and I know nothing of your circumstances, but not treating it now puts you at risk for many more issues in the long term, including a re-break, as you ankle will be much weaker as a result. Obviously only you can decide, but I know what I'd do. For me, I had a month of no driving, but that aside, I didn't find I was limited in doing anything except carrying in my arms (rucksack ahoy) until I was off crutches.
I used an Aircast ankle brace (like Andy Murray - how timely) once my cast came off and it was comfy and light, though not terribly hardwearing - I was on a walking (hobbling) holiday shortly after the cast came off and the rub from big boots affected the softer parts of it pretty quicky. I imagine some ducktape to smooth the friction would help. However, if you're still swollen, you'll not be able to get the right size long term.
It sounds like you've broken your ankle to be honest, so it's A&E or zipping the man suit up. I'm sorry and I know nothing of your circumstances, but not treating it now puts you at risk for many more issues in the long term, including a re-break, as you ankle will be much weaker as a result. Obviously only you can decide, but I know what I'd do. For me, I had a month of no driving, but that aside, I didn't find I was limited in doing anything except carrying in my arms (rucksack ahoy) until I was off crutches.
I used an Aircast ankle brace (like Andy Murray - how timely) once my cast came off and it was comfy and light, though not terribly hardwearing - I was on a walking (hobbling) holiday shortly after the cast came off and the rub from big boots affected the softer parts of it pretty quicky. I imagine some ducktape to smooth the friction would help. However, if you're still swollen, you'll not be able to get the right size long term.
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