Should I get a cast? Plz plz answer?!
Question: Ok so I went to a podiatrist a week ago and he said I sprained my ankle. (It happened 2 weeks ago) And so it still hurts bad even when Im wearing my ankle brace. And I have been using the crutches, but it hurts to move it and my foot hurts too but mostly my ankle. I sometimes cry when I walk.
Should I get a cast?
Any type of doctor that I should go to?
Answers: Ok so I went to a podiatrist a week ago and he said I sprained my ankle. (It happened 2 weeks ago) And so it still hurts bad even when Im wearing my ankle brace. And I have been using the crutches, but it hurts to move it and my foot hurts too but mostly my ankle. I sometimes cry when I walk.
Should I get a cast?
Any type of doctor that I should go to?
the guy above me explained it well. go see a foot/ankle surgeon in an orthopaedic clinic. do not see another DPM (doctor of podiatric medicine, or in the foot/ankle world it stands for Dummies Practicing Medicine). they will likely get stress xrays of the ankle to check the joint and sydesmosis. spaces shown in the xray may require further work-up, such as an mri, to see the extent of the soft tissue damage. but if the xrays look good and he/she doesn't feel an mri is warranted, it maybe a grade 3 ankle sprain. bottom line, go see the specialist and they'll discuss options. in the mean time, stick with the above advise.
If you're not getting better you need to be seen by the podiatrist again (don't worry, docs don't get upset if you're not getting better, we just try to figure out what's wrong).
If you've lost confidence in the podiatrist try another podiatrist or an orthopedist (both are trained to deal with sprained ankles). Depending upon your insurance you might need a referral from your primary care doc in order to see an orthopedist.
I would go see a specialist (foot and ankle). He will probably have you get an MRI or CT scan to see if there are any ligament or tendon damage. He can also determine whether or not you need a cast. But until then, I would definately stay off it entirely (easier said than done, I know).
Icing may help, but is only really effective the first 24-48 hours. Wear some compressive socks to help with blood circulation. But most importantly, ELEVATE. Try to get your foot above your heart as often as possible to aid blood circulation. All this will help reduce swelling (which swelling causes pain). .
And if the pain brings you to tears, the specialist came prescribe you some pain killers if tylenol or advil are just not cutting it.
There are a lot of different ways of immobilizing joints now. A cast, of course is the most effective, but can be difficult to care for. There are also removable casts (often referred to as fracture boots) that strap the ankle into a ninety degree angle. This can sometimes be extrememly uncomfortable and painful for sprains though.
Unfortunately, I think you should really look into seeing a specialist and getting an MRI done to identify if there is any ligament damage.