Last week, after a lifetime of playing sports, I finally got a pretty bad injury, for me at least. A badly sprained/twisted ankle. And, at all things, playing badmitten, not football, basketball, volleyball, etc. all of which I have been regularly engaged in. Caught a quick shot low, another fired back at me on the other side, spun my top way faster than my ankle. Audible "pop" was heard by all.
Tough on the surveying. After a week, I am no better, possible worse, unable to walk without crutches. We kind of hobbled around last week and did some light field work. Not sure about this coming week, but will hobble through somehow.
Have to reconsider future sports activities. This is going to cost me. A consideration for all of us with small firms where we largely do the work ourselves. I would post pictures of my swollen and purple foot, but it would not be pretty.
There is a brace in the form of a boot. I had a bad sprain several years ago, and it took over 6 weeks to walk on it, without this brace.
yes, go to an orthopedist and get a boot. A physician assistant is just as good as any MD is what I found out when I injured a calf muscle. He had me back on my feet very fast but it took several weeks to totally heal.
I have a hip muscle on the right giving me fits right now. It's fine during the week when I'm using it then on the weekends I can barely stand up for the first few hours in the morning. I mean once I'm up I'm fine but getting there is agonizing.
> There is a brace in the form of a boot.
The boots can be helpful, but you have to be careful with them. My wife overtaxed her achilles tendons over a year ago (the trek to Everest base camp put the icing on the cake), and her GP put her in boots for 4 months. They didn't do much for her tendons, but they did screw up her back pretty good. We think the restraint of the boots caused her to overwork her iliopsoas groups (hip muscles), which caused her back to spasm. She's chucked the boots and is now slowly rehabbing her back. It's been a very slow and frustrating process.
I've had lumbard surgery, a neck fusion, and herniated a couple more disks in lumbard region after surgery. Stretching and walking are the best physical therapy. Hope she gets feeling better.
Yes, I've done that before, twice. Purple swollen ankle and all. Its going to be hurt for weeks.
The way I worked this out was to, when the swelling went down, try and walk off the injury. When standing for any length of time I would roll the ankle outward until the pain made me wince and then try and use those ankle muscles, as much as possible, to roll it back in. I still do that to this day when standing for any length of time, because I still remember how bad that hurt.
You probably tore ligamints. How many? need an xray to know.
But if it is like you say, you are looking at a month or so of swelling and pain.
After that, you need to wear a brace.
I did this playing basketball when I was in my 30s. My foot twisted off the edge of the slab and severely sprained the ligamints. It took about two weeks to heal and I was much younger than you.
As a kid, I would sprain my ankle all the time playing sports.
Used to do this all the time playing basketball. Pop means torn ligament(s). But, after a week it should be better. Elevate, ice, wrap/support it.
If it's still not better in a week, doc visit is probably in order.
> Last week, after a lifetime of playing sports, I finally got a pretty bad injury, for me at least. A badly sprained/twisted ankle. And, at all things, playing badmitten, not football, basketball, volleyball, etc. all of which I have been regularly engaged in. Caught a quick shot low, another fired back at me on the other side, spun my top way faster than my ankle. Audible "pop" was heard by all.
>
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> Tough on the surveying. After a week, I am no better, possible worse, unable to walk without crutches. We kind of hobbled around last week and did some light field work. Not sure about this coming week, but will hobble through somehow.
>
> Have to reconsider future sports activities. This is going to cost me. A consideration for all of us with small firms where we largely do the work ourselves. I would post pictures of my swollen and purple foot, but it would not be pretty.
I don't know if this could help, but it probably would not hurt it.
Go to a local vet supply, that has horse supplies. (Farm and feed supplies etc.) Get absorbine horse liniment. Soak your feet in hot water, as hot as you can stand it. Scrub them well, and keep adding hotter water, until they are pink and hot. Coat them with the liniment, put on a fresh pair of cotton socks, and sleep with your feet slightly elevated.
This will stimulate circulation, and speed the healing process.
Of course, go see a doc, and get an xray, and you would of course learn more.
N
Dave, I read about your hip and I’d like to share with you the story a minor miracle.
I played competitive softball at a very high level for over 20 years. It took a toll.
I could still go major yard, but the wheels and the arm were gone. Then bad back and shoulder pain began to set in.
I had to quit softball when my back started acting weird, just above my right hip.
I put up with that back pain for years. I did massage, acupuncture and chiropractic to no avail.
It really sucked. I would get a jab somewhere between a bowie knife and a bolt of lightning at any moment while walking around in the field. Then down for a day.
A buddy recommended a new chiropractor to me. He treats very high end athletes such as triathlon-types and practices a form called Active Release. He was the only Dr. who ever checked out my back and said “I can heal that”. Heal, not treat.
He diagnosed a sprain in the tendon that connects the pelvic bone to the sciatica (?). He used the tape to support the joint and cold lasers to excite the cytochondria and promote blood flow. Remember the women Olympic volleyball players who wore that weird tape on their shoulders? That’s part of it.
Twice a week for about 5 weeks and I was a new man. It’s been a couple years now with no sign of the back issue. Not a bit.
He showed me the stretches to do which shaped up my shoulder too. I thought I had a torn cuff. Nope. Just a muscle that was overcompensating for an old “Pete Rose” moment at third base.
Dave, you should be able to find a Dr. who specializes in Active Release. I am now pain free and it’s more awesome than you can imagine.
OMG!! I'm 65 and have nowhere near the aches and pains you young'uns do!! :-O I guess some of us were built better without all those Chineese parts?;-)
Maybe some of us worked in more difficult areas, along with harder. I spent very little time in 17 years hugging a computer.
They shoot horses , don't they?
Sam,
I feel for you man.
I'll bet your ankle looks something this.
Hope you heal quickly - will be praying.
Scott
Haha, I doubt it. I've been to all 50 states and 15+ countries. Four years active duty too with multiple TDY's. Your gonna need a few more years under yer belt before you can play the worked harder card :'(
> Maybe some of us worked in more difficult areas, along with harder. I spent very little time in 17 years hugging a computer.
Your ankle looks a lot better than mine. My toes are a deep mottle purple and I have a long purple streak on both sides and it was more swollen. It is some better. But, now I have woke up with a sore throat and a new baby grand daughter...Olivia....born breach at midnight. That is the way to enter this crazy world.
Sam
Please go see a doctor.
Joe
One of the worst things that can happen to a field surveyor-a hurt ankle.
The worst time it happened to me was in El Salvador, I was working on a road near the border with Honduras. I jumped over a bush, and landed on a large rock. Excruciating pain. The day before I had occupied a trig station on the roof of the hospital in a small city nearby, and saw horrendous conditions in that hospital, this was right after the end of the civil war there and there were still a lot of war and mine casulties walking around. I was thinking how was I going to get out of that country immediately! I could not walk at all. By some miracle it was a lot better the next day.
Definitely take it easy. My daughter recently broke something in her foot, they put a walking cast on it. She is getting around pretty good.
Nah!! Did my time in the field PLUS 24 years hugging a fox hole or a M-16. Some of us just wear better I guess. Oh, hugging a computer is the BEST place to be. You'll learn one day.
PLEASE go see a doctor as soon as possible!! Trying to "tough out" a joint injury will bite you in the butt later in life.
You don't know if a small bone is broken or not. Break one of those and not treat it correctly and you will rue the day later. The "POP" you heard was a warning. Listen to it.
