“How do I know if my ankle injury is serious?”
I am a 37 year old male. I got an ankle injury yesterday. How do I know if my ankle injury is serious?
18 Answers
The only way to know is to see a doctor and have an xray done.
Do x ray or MRI
The only way to know if it was serious is to have an Xray done and see a podiatrist. A lot of ligaments, tendons and bones can get injured with an ankle injury.
We follow the Ottawa ankle fracture rules. However, it is advisable after any ankle injury to go into a CAM boot or lace up brace. X-rays are usually only needed if experiencing bone pain.
Dr. Patel
Dr. Patel
Dr. Jay Mermelstein
Podiatrist (Foot and Ankle Specialist) | Primary Podiatric Medicine
Mount Vernon, NY
Pain swelling bruising are clinical signs . Your pain level though subjective is also important. You should see a podiatrist or orthopedist for further evaluation. You may need x-rays and depending on the clinical picture an MRI may be helpful.
See your doctor. They can be more nagging than expected if not properly treated
If you can't walk without pain, you should see a doctor
You will not know unless you go see a doctor immediately and have x-rays done
Would recommend evaluation of the ankle injury to determine the severity of the injury. This would include X-rays and possible MRI.
Jonathan M. Kletz, DPM
Jonathan M. Kletz, DPM
Do you have a lot of pain, swelling, and bruising? Are you able to bear weight on the ankle? If you have any of the above symptoms or cannot bear weight, your injury is serious enough to warrant an evaluation and X-ray. Remember, if you aren’t sure, have it looked at.
I hope you are feeling better soon.
I hope you are feeling better soon.
The only way to know if your ankle injury is serious is to go to an urgent care or emergency room have them evaluated and take x-rays. Ankle injuries are not something that can be diagnosed or treated without seeing the injured part
Hello,
If you do not improve over the course of 2 weeks then I would seek medical attention. Try rest, ice, elevate, anti-inflammatories and immobilization.
Good luck
Dr. Lui
If you do not improve over the course of 2 weeks then I would seek medical attention. Try rest, ice, elevate, anti-inflammatories and immobilization.
Good luck
Dr. Lui
If you are unable to bear weight on your extremity then that is always concerning for ligament rupture or fracture. I wish you the best of luck in your recovery.
If you are not neuropathic, then pain.
You won’t really know until you have a history taken by a doctor familiar with these kind of injuries, physical examination, and necessary diagnostic tests. Then you need to see how you respond to the treatment plan. Some may need further work-up if things don’t go as expected. Otherwise, you are relying on luck.
If you have any concern about this, then it's telling you to see your doctor.
Any injury should be evaluated by a foot and ankle surgeon (podiatrist). The outer appearance my not show much, but there can be significant injury and addressing this early will yield the best functional outcome. I recommend you make an appointment to be evaluated by a foot and ankle surgeon (podiatrist)
If an ankle injury is very serious, you usually can not walk immediately on the foot/ankle associated with the injury. This could mean you fractured your ankle. However, sprains and ligament tears/ruptures are common with a simple ankle sprain or injury. Sometimes, soft tissue injuries actually take longer to heal than an actual fracture. If a patient comes to our clinic and the sprain was many months ago, but they are experiencing a great deal of pain, we may try conservative care to start (injections, ankle braces, compression, rest, etc), but if the problem persists, we send our patients for an MRI to rule out an osteochondral defect, ligament sprains or ruptures, or tendon pathologies that may result from such injuries. Depending on the pathology, the treatment may vary from conservative care to surgical intervention.
