How Do You Know If Your Ankle Is Sprained – Ankle Sprains Cause Less Pain Ankle sprains are one of the most common sports injuries. Because of the many tendons, ligaments and muscles in the ankle, sprains can take some time to heal. Treating a sprained ankle at home is easy and usually requires no more attention than ice packs and bandages. However, if the sprain occurs higher up the ankle, you should seek medical attention to make sure you haven’t broken the ankle, which is a more serious injury. TIP: Look for pain higher up the ankle.
Ankle fractures are usually non-weight bearing Knowing the difference between a sprained ankle and a broken ankle is important, as broken bones can heal improperly if left for too long. Here are three signs to look for: TIP:
How Do You Know If Your Ankle Is Sprained
Attempting to walk on a broken ankle is not recommended as it can complicate the injury. If you think your ankle is broken, it’s best to see a doctor and get an X-ray to confirm. The best way to avoid sports injuries such as sprained and broken ankles is to wear the right shoes. If you think you may have a sprained or broken ankle, call us at (913) 338-4440 or contact us online.
What Is Peroneal Tendonitis?
Our Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs) are fully licensed and regulated by the state of Kansas, and our boutique centers focus exclusively on foot surgery. This allows us to provide the best equipment and dedicated staff to treat most of the foot surgery problems we deal with. Our outpatient facility allows our patients to have a shorter stay in the facility and an environment with less risk of infection. Known in the medical world as edema, swelling of the feet, ankles and legs can be very annoying and concerning. When left untreated, your swollen ankles can become painful, make walking difficult, cause stiff joints, and stretch the skin. And while the causes of ankle swelling can range from harmless to life-threatening, we’ve got experts to explain why your ankle is swelling up like a balloon.
Although the reasons vary depending on what’s causing your ankle to swell, symptoms of edema occur when there’s an increase in fluid and it builds up in the spaces between tissues and organs, explains Gillian Adams, M.D., a family physician and medical director of MedStar Alexandria. This backup fluid can leak into the tissue, causing swelling. It’s also more common in the ankles, feet, and legs because gravity pulls the fluid down.
There can be some serious health effects from sitting for too long. If you do work that involves standing or sitting in one place for long periods of time, you may experience some swelling in your ankles as a result. “When you move, the muscles involved in that movement help pump fluid and blood to and from your extremities,” explains Steven Weinfeld, M.D., chief of foot and ankle surgery at Mount Sinai Health System in New York. Without additional help from moving muscles, blood and fluid can pool in the feet and ankles.
Overweight and obese people may experience swelling around the ankle for two reasons, says Dr. Weinfeld. First, the extra weight pressure placed on the joint can cause fluid retention around the joint. In addition, excess hormone storage in extra fat cells can contribute to hormonal changes that also cause fluid retention, he said.
Reasons For Ankle Discomfort
Whether you walked on the coffee table or twisted your ankle while running, injury is probably the most common cause of swollen ankles seen by doctors. When you injure your ankle, your body sends extra blood to the area, explains Dr. Weinfeld. “This not only brings in healing cells, but also helps the swelling harden and immobilize the injured joint,” he said.
Dr. Adams adds that calf injuries can also be the cause of ankle swelling because fluid will pool at the base of the calf, causing inflammation and increased fluid. In addition, blood vessel damage or trauma can cause swelling, he said. In case of injury, swelling may also be accompanied by redness or bruising.
Because of their complex interaction with the body, some medications (including OTCs) can contribute to ankle swelling. “Certain medications can cause fluid retention,” explains Dr. Weinfeld. “Certain blood pressure medications, anti-inflammatory steroids, and even NSAIDs like Advil can have this effect.” Hormones like estrogen and some antidepressants can also leave you with ballooned ankles.
Venous insufficiency, a condition in which your veins don’t work properly, can affect the flow of blood back to your heart and let it pool in your feet and ankles, says Dr. Weinfeld. “Veins have one-way valves that basically can stretch over time and allow fluid to leak out,” he explains.
Ankle Sprain And Strain Signs And Symptoms
This happens when these valves are damaged or weakened — say, from aging or prolonged sitting. More common in people over 50, venous insufficiency develops slowly over time and is more common in women than men.
Our lymphatic system carries a fluid called lymph (which contains white blood cells and waste products) throughout the body. However, in lymphedema, a damaged or blocked lymphatic system causes fluid to collect in the legs, says the US National Library of Medicine. While some cancers (and cancer treatments) can cause lymphedema, infections can also stimulate swelling. Dr. Adams says that cancer or tumors can make it difficult for the fluid to pump properly, causing a lymphatic blockage. Symptoms of lymphedema also include heaviness or tightness in the arms or legs, inability to move properly, repeated infections, hardening or thickening of the skin, and difficulty sleeping.
Arthritis, which includes many specific diseases, refers to a condition in which the joints become swollen, painful, stiff, and difficult to move. Very common in older adults, it can affect joints throughout the body, including the ankles. “When I do an X-ray back and see that someone has severe arthritis in the ankle, it can certainly account for any swelling in that area,” Dr. Weinfeld said, adding that the inflammation associated with arthritis causes the joint to swell.
One of the most worrisome causes of swelling around the ankle (which often spreads further up the leg) is a blood clot, says Daniel Paul, M.D., founder and CEO of Easy Orthopedics.
What Should I Expect From Ankle Fracture Surgery And Recovery?: Eugene Stautberg, Md: General Orthopedic Surgeon
“If you have swelling on one side that continues down your leg, you need to get it checked out,” says Dr. Paul. In some cases, blood clots can travel to the lungs and cause a life-threatening pulmonary embolism (also known as a blocked pulmonary artery). If you notice other signs of a blood clot—such as pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, red or discolored skin, and warmth in the area—in addition to swelling, go to the emergency room IMMEDIATELY.
In congestive heart failure—due to coronary heart disease or high blood pressure—at least one of the heart’s chambers can no longer pump blood properly. “If the heart can’t pump enough fluid, that fluid can build up,” explains Dr. Paul.
Heart failure is one of the first things a doctor will look for if a patient has swelling in both ankles, Dr. Adams added. If the heart can’t pump blood efficiently, fluid leaks, backs up and collects in the ankles, he says.
Most often, this happens in the feet and ankles, which leads to swelling. In worse cases, it can go up the leg. Other signs of heart failure include shortness of breath, fast or irregular heartbeat, persistent cough, difficulty concentrating, and chest pain if caused by a heart attack.
Top Causes Of Foot And Ankle Swelling
Among the many changes the body undergoes during pregnancy, swollen feet and ankles are perhaps the most common. That’s mostly because of all the extra blood and fluid a woman produces while she’s expecting, which softens the body and helps it grow as the baby grows, according to the American Pregnancy Association. Hormonal changes and added pressure on the veins can also contribute to ankle swelling during pregnancy.
Bacteria that enter your bloodstream can end up in one of your joints. One of the obvious signs of infection? Swelling, as well as tenderness, warmth and redness.
Babies and older adults are especially susceptible to septic arthritis, where a bacterial or fungal infection causes joint inflammation, along with redness, pain, and fever. Skin conditions such as cellulitis — a bacterial infection that spreads quickly and gives the skin a red, blistered appearance — can also cause a swollen ankle area to appear, as it often does on the lower legs in adults, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.
Kidney and liver dysfunction, which affect the amount of fluid in the body, can both contribute to fluid retention that causes ankle swelling. Dr. Adams says that swelling is a very common symptom of kidney disease because the kidneys help balance the ratio of fluids throughout the body.
Edema: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment
When kidney damage or disease occurs, the kidneys leave too much fluid and sodium or not enough protein in the blood, which can cause a build-up throughout the body — especially in the lower legs, according to the Mayo Clinic. “At the point of kidney failure, swelling and tenderness can affect the entire leg below the knee.”
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