around Sept 1 I fell and twisted my left ankle. I had xrays done and the Doctor said that it was sprained. He gave me an aircast to wear and some anti-inflamatory medicine . i took the medicine as prescribed. Twice. I still have pain under my ankle on the outside of my foot. My ankle still shows swelling. and the pain radiates to the back of my heal and on the bottom of my foot. even though the original xray showed no fracture could I have injured something else on my foot. Do I need another xray. do I need to put the aircast back on my foot. I wore the aircast for a month. My job requires me to be on my feet all the time. What should I do at this point. Sometimes it hurts to walk on it. I have also tried wearing arch supports in my shoes. Help

Have you done therapy for your foot. Like traceing out the leters A-Z with your big toe only moveing your ankle.

Is your ankle stable? Can you stand on one leg for 30 seconds?

A bad sprain can take longer than a broken ankle to heal.

I cannot say that their is nothing wrong. If you can walk with out a limp and your ankle is not warm to hot I would not be to concern about some pain every now and then after a bad sprain.

Wear comfortable shoes do not stand in one place if you ankle hurt sit down or get weight off it and move it around.

Try cold foot baths and massage and move around your ankle after words.

If you do not feel like your getting better then see your doctor again.

hope you feel better soon.

Wear your air-cast or ankle splint when you think you ankle is at risk of twisting.

I can't stand on my left foot alone for any length of time. I have done therapy with the A-z I stand on my feet for long periods of time at work. I work 11 hour days and sometimes I can't sit down until I'm finished with a task. 5 to 6 hours before I sit down. Then when I get up It really hurts and I can't walk without a limp. I have not tried foot baths yet. Thanks for your opinion. I will call my Doctor tomarrow and see what I should do next.

Can you kneel your left leg on a padded stool and do your task?

Dear Gloria
A follow-up x-ray is not a bad idea, if you feel that your ankle has not improved and is getting worse. Sometimes fractures appear 10-14 days following trauma and not initally the day of the incident. Unfortunately, the rehabilitation process is actually long for a patient who sustains soft tissue trauma versus an actual bony fracture. Bone usually takes approximately 4-6 weeks to heal, however, if there is soft tissue damage (tendon/ligament damage), the rehabilitation process may take much longer. I usually recommend that patients also go through a period of physical therapy following ankle sprains/fractures, in order to regain muscle strength as well as proprioception. I would recommend that you follow-up with your doctor for a re-evaluation.

Good-luck and thank-you for contacting foot.com,
Sbarlizo, DPM, C Ped
foot.com expert