How can i tell the difference wether mu ankle is broken or sprained?!

How can i tell the difference wether mu ankle is broken or sprained?

i fell down today, and my left ankle was hurting so much i could hardly stand afterwards. after i walked for a while it sort of stopped hurting. so i can walk with it, until ive walked for a long time, then it starts getting sore. when im sitting down, now, its sore. It hurts at the bone. and a bit around it. that you can see that forms part of the ankle. if it still hurts tomorrow i might get it checked out. how do i know, before i go to get an x-ray, wether its broken or just sprained?

Well usually with a broken ankle there is swelling, pain, tenderness, and you usually can't walk on it. In more serious fractures or breaks there can be a deformity.
A sprain is usually painful, it can sometimes hurt worse than a break and doctors say that a sprain is worse than a break because it takes longer to heal. With a sprain it is usually painful to walk or bear weight and usually there is no deformity. There is usually pain and tenderness and it can sometimes be hard to distinguish between a sprain or a break because the symptoms can seem so similar.
I would suggest going to the doctor, because it sounds like a sprain to me and in the meantime use the rice method which is what most doctors recommend. The Rice method is
R-rest
I-ice
C-compression
E-Elevation
Rest it by not walking on It, ice it to make the swelling go down, compress it by putting an elastic commonly known as an ace bandage on it, and elevate it. The ace bandage will help prevent swelling and will make the ankle feel better. If your foot ankle or toes feel numb or tingly unwrap the bandage and re-reap it to help and promote the blood circulation to the ankle. Also do not get the ace bandage wet as it will not feel good and it's not really supposed to become wet so you'll need to take it off to shower. since it is the summer I have heard that the pool is a good activity for hurt ankles because it doesn't put very much stress or pressure on the ankle. I would go to the doctor first though to see if he thinks that it is a good idea. If you have crutches they would also probably be a good idea as your doctor will probably prescribe them anyway. You can be using them when you go to the doctors office and they may be able to make them more comfortable. To make the crutches more comfortable there are many websites online that sell crutch underarm pads in cool colors and varieties. They also sell things like those at drugstores all over the place, Or you can use small towels and tape them where your armpits go on the crutches with tape, masking tape or duck tape is always good and they sell duck tape in cool colors so you can make the crutches however you want. You can rent crutches at a medical supply store and you can either rent probably or buy them. or you could get them online or at drugstores. for the underarm pads try typing in crutch pads and you should get a huge list of websites that you can use. you can also type in crutches and you'll get a huge list too. Crutches if you buy them will probably cost anyway from 15-1,000 dollars depending on what size, brand, and type of material used to make the crutch you get. Metal is better than wooden because it is stronger.
If you have a broken ankle you will probably get either a splint or a long leg or short leg cast. If it is badly broken you may need surgery but I would guess not because it sounds like just a sprain to me, but keep in mind that sprains can be bad too. you may if you have a short leg cast or (slc) get a boot type thing that goes over the cast so that you can walk with it but they may give you crutches and the boot or just crutches especially if you have a long leg cast or (llc), because you can't walk with a llc.
With a sprain the doctors will usually give you crutches and a splint, brace, or elastic bandage. If the sprain is more severe sometimes you will get a slc.
There are a million types of splints and braces that doctors can use some of the more common ones that doctors use are
Stirrup Braces
Ankle Braces
and there are like I said many more.
Usually the doctors will give you an x-ray just so that they can rule out a fracture or break. Sometimes the break or fracture will not show up on the x-ray for a few days or weeks.
The type of sprain you have or break you have will really determine what type of splint or brace that you get.
The cool thing about casts is that there are like a hundred different types of designs for casts that you can choose from.
Some of the kinds are
Camo
Hot Pink
Light Blue
Bright Green
and many more.
I broke my arm when I was 9 and I'm 14 now and what I really enjoyed about my broken arm was that I got to have like 6 different casts, so I got to try a new one like every two weeks. I had a cast on for like around 8 weeks so thats why. I had a long arm cast for like 6 weeks and a short arm cast for around two.
If you do get a cast and it becomes itchy like most casts do you can either use a pen or pencil which I wouldn't advise at all because you may hit the bone which is what I think happened with me and I think it may have slowed the heeling process for me. Instead of using a pen or pencil you can buy this thing called cast blast that is supposed to relieve the itch.
Also if you get a cast Do Not Get It Wet! If you get it wet the cast may become ruined and smelly and you will have to go to the doctors and get it re- casted. There are some casts that are waterproof. waterproof casts are great for the summer because of the pools but I don't think that they are used very often, I'm not sure but maybe they are more expensive for the doctors offices to carry. You can also buy this cover for your cast that allows you to go in water and it is probably easier for the shower.
There are two types of casts
Plaster
and Fiberglass
Fiberglass is more commonly used because it is harder and is lighter, I think that it dries faster too.
Always check with your doctor before you try anything new for your cast such as the shower cover because they may not want you to use it.
I hope that this helped answer you question and that your ankle heels soon. Like I said I think it's just a sprain,but It would be a good idea to see your doctor anyway so that you can see what's really wrong with your ankle.
I hope you feel better soon =)