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Suggest Treatment For Swelling In The Ankles After A Sprain Injury
Question: Hi I sprained my ankle last week and I was advised to keep my foot up for a few days and no weightbearing or lifting and no driving for at least a week. The swelling went down. Now I tried driving 15mins today to my son's football match and when I got there I walked 2mins and stood with other parents for 5mins then felt like I was going to faint, felt sick and shaky. I was made to sit down had a cup of tea and felt a bit better but now a few hours later i still feel a bit funny. My leg feels the same a when you have been sleeping on your arm. Ankle slightly painful. What does this mean? I was planning to go back to work in the office tomorrow but worried now. Could you let me know what it means and do you provide sick notes?
Brief Answer:
Advises and signs to worry about and next steps to feel better
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thank you for using HCM to post your health query.
I read carefully your question and I understand your concern.
So as I understand it it looks like you have kept your leg elevated. But it it not clear if you have been doing any activity during these days, like going yourself in the toilet, or at least moving around in the house without baring weight on your foot. This is very important, because we don't want to have a clot formation because or being immobile for 5 days. That would be an emergency and you would need to go to the ER asap.
Some thing that may predispose to having clot formation is if you have varicose veins, or previous history of deep vein thromboses, or if you use oral contraceptives. But again, that would be the case if you didn't move at all during these 5 days.
Otherwise, I think you have had a little lightheadness because of your brain which needed time to adjust to the change of activity that it didn't do for 5 days.
So I would say that if you don't have any pain in your calf or swelling in the leg, or cough or shortness of breath (these would be the signs of a possible clot going in your lungs) then you just 1)try to bear gradual weight in your leg, 2)take painkiller if needed, 3)put on an elastic bandage to bring some stability to your ankle, and 4)walk around slowly while you move to your work place. 5) Maybe it is not a good idea to drive yet, so if possible ask someone to drive and pick you from work. 6) Drink plenty of fluids (water) because it helps to feel less pain and to heal faster. Avoid smoking and drinking if possible.
We don't provide sick notes. But as I said, I think that it will be ok for you to go to work if you don't have pain in your ankle and if you can take it slowly to walk.
If worse or not better, I would recommend seeing a local doctor.
Hope this is helpful.
Let me know if you need more clarifications.
Otherwise please close and rate the answer.
Regards,
Dr. Papaqako
Advises and signs to worry about and next steps to feel better
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thank you for using HCM to post your health query.
I read carefully your question and I understand your concern.
So as I understand it it looks like you have kept your leg elevated. But it it not clear if you have been doing any activity during these days, like going yourself in the toilet, or at least moving around in the house without baring weight on your foot. This is very important, because we don't want to have a clot formation because or being immobile for 5 days. That would be an emergency and you would need to go to the ER asap.
Some thing that may predispose to having clot formation is if you have varicose veins, or previous history of deep vein thromboses, or if you use oral contraceptives. But again, that would be the case if you didn't move at all during these 5 days.
Otherwise, I think you have had a little lightheadness because of your brain which needed time to adjust to the change of activity that it didn't do for 5 days.
So I would say that if you don't have any pain in your calf or swelling in the leg, or cough or shortness of breath (these would be the signs of a possible clot going in your lungs) then you just 1)try to bear gradual weight in your leg, 2)take painkiller if needed, 3)put on an elastic bandage to bring some stability to your ankle, and 4)walk around slowly while you move to your work place. 5) Maybe it is not a good idea to drive yet, so if possible ask someone to drive and pick you from work. 6) Drink plenty of fluids (water) because it helps to feel less pain and to heal faster. Avoid smoking and drinking if possible.
We don't provide sick notes. But as I said, I think that it will be ok for you to go to work if you don't have pain in your ankle and if you can take it slowly to walk.
If worse or not better, I would recommend seeing a local doctor.
Hope this is helpful.
Let me know if you need more clarifications.
Otherwise please close and rate the answer.
Regards,
Dr. Papaqako
Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
Answered by
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