Question
Dr. Katz:

About 6 weeks ago, I twisted my right foot inward to such an extent that by the time I caught my balance, the top of my foot had nearly full contact with the ground; the twisting was accompanied by a very loud popping sound and immediately made me dizzy and nauseous enough to have to sit down.  I'm currently serving in Afghanistan and all of our roads and walkways are covered in loose gravel, so we get accustomed to twisting our ankles (its the same every deployment) but this time was different.  My x-rays came back fine but the swelling in my ankle hasn't subsided at all, sometimes, if I walk a lot during the day, it gets much worse such that I cannot distinugish the lateral malleolus of my ankle.  The pain is bearable and I have been using a neoprene sports brace since its much quicker than wrapping my ankle every morning.  The docs here tell me that it's a sprain but, I am getting quite concerned that its still swollen and no different than the day I injured it, except that the pain level is much lower.  I elevate it as often as I can and I have traded in running (20 mi per week) for the elliptical (barely 10 mi per month - I'm up to 40 mins with very low resistance but still limp away after the workout).  I was curious to see what you say about this injury and if there is anything else that I can do to help this injury heal.

Answer
Hi Yvonne,

First of all thank you for serving in Afghanistan.
Foot and ankle sprains can take a very long time to heal.  typically with an ankle and foot sprain there is stretching and tearing of soft tissue and nerves.  It is especially difficult to heal if you're still doing significant activity.
If you're able to get an MRI I would suggest that.this will give more information regarding her injury.  Physical therapy would also be helpful modality to help you heal quicker.

Sincerely,

Marc Katz, DPM
Tampa, FL
Advanced Podiatry
www.thetampapodiatrist.com
www.tampacryosurgery.com

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