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The response to the question below was authored by Marc Mitnick DPM

Broken or Sprained Ankle?

by kristen
(pittsburgh)

I was walking down my driveway when my ankle rolled inwards. There was a loud popping noise and immediate, intense pain. It swelled quickly, but took a day to completely bruise. The ankle bone is bruised and so is the bottom of my foot. My foot keeps going numb on and off and now right above my toes is starting to bruise. I went to the ER and they took an xray..said I chipped a piece of bone? But its just like a sprain and they don't cast it? I dunno...it's been 3 days and is hurting enough to make me cry (im 22 with a kid..i know pain)

ANSWER

Hi Kristen,

A broken bone should be treated like a broken bone particularly if you are having as much pain as you state.
There is also the possibility that you did damage to the ligament on the outside of the ankle as well as to the tendon that passes along the outside of your ankle.
In many cases emergency room doctors do not properly treat foot and ankle problems and they send the patient on to a podiatrist or an orthopedist.
I therefore, would suggest that you make an appointment as soon as possible with either an orthopedist or a podiatrist.
You might want to request the x-rays from the emergency room so that you do not have to pay for additional x-rays.
You need to have your ankle examined by someone who treats ankles on a regular basis. This will ensure that you get proper care.
At the very least, even with a chip fracture, it will be necessary to immobilize the ankle, along with the possibility of crutches, which will allow the fracture to heal and in the short term give you some relief from the pain.
If your doctor finds that your pain is out of proportion to the fracture, he or she may order an mri in an effort to evaluate the soft tissue surrounding the ankle bone, to make sure that you did not do additional damage.

Marc Mitnick DPM
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Mayo Clinic

Johns Hopkins Medicine

MedlinePlus

Arthritis Foundation

University of Rochester Medical Center

Harvard Health

Drugs.com

American Academy of Pediatrics

Penn State Medical Center

National Institutes of Health

Columbia University Department of Rehabilitation

ScienceDirect

Stanford Health Care

Illinois Bone and Joint Institute

Mount Sinai Hospital

Institute for Chronic Pain

University of Florida Health

American Family Physician

Cedars-Sinai

University of Maryland Medical Center

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(location unknown)

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(location unknown)

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Unknown location

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New Zealand

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Poland

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South Carolina

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location unknown

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location unknown

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Bre

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anonymous

Dr. Mitnick, Thank you, you were 100% correct. The pain finally brought me to the ER. I spent 8 days in the hospital. The Doppler you spoke of was able to show that there was no pulse in that foot. This was an arterial clot that split and traveled throughout my leg. My leg was almost amputated. I am in rough shape but have all my parts intact!! You certainly know what you are talking about. Thank you for taking the time to answer. Yours Truly!

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Seattle, WA

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New Jersey

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location unknown

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Evansville, IA

Dear Marc

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Jackie

San Diego, CA

Dr. Mitnick, Just want to say thank you so very much for your quick response and very informative reply! After reading what you had to say, I called the doctor's office and was able to get in and see him the same day as my injury. Toe was x-rayed and luckily, it is not broken or fractured. Very badly bruised and will probably lose the toe nail. And although my toe and toe nail are still very black and blue and very sore, they ARE both starting to feel a little better. So again, thank you! I am so very happy that I came across your website. The service you provide is outstanding and immeasurable!

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Albany, NY

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location unknown

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Whichita, KS

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Boston, MA

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Colorado

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Colorado

Wonderful advice

by: Anonymous

This is the best site for foot problem info.

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location unknown

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Canada

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location unknown

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Wisconsin

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location unknown

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North Carolina

Many Thanks Dr Marc!
Thank you for your response. It sounds like a good plan to me. He did not cut the wart out first ...

KG

location unknown

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Bessie Mae

Florida

Dear Dr. Mitnick, Thank you so very much for taking your time to answer my question. You have greatly relieved my anxiety related to the continual tingly I feel in my feet. I will share your response with my podiatrist next week. God bless you for having this question and answer page on your website! Most gratefully,

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New Jersey

Thank you. you were more detailed than what others have told me they finally called from the last xrays and my son is now in a cast for 2 weeks he did have a fracture that was not noticeable.

a mom

location unknown

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Lenoir, NC

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Bellevue, WA

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Jodi

location unknown

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