left foot/ankle pain.. please help!

[hkc2011]

About 6 months ago i sprained my ankle at work. I went to the ER a few days later because i thought i could just wrap some ace bandages around my foot and be ok. The Dr.'s took xrays and nothing was out of the ordinary so they gave me crutches and wrapped my ankle bandages and air cast. It obviously still hurt so they told me to ice it every now and again and stay off of it. I work in retail so i couldnt stay home. I went to work but didnt use the crutches. I got a call from the ER saying that something was wrong with an xray so they referred me to a foot specialist. I went in to the specialist a few weeks later (by the time the swelling went away and my foot seemed just fine.)

A few days after the specialists office i started getting this pain in my foot again. This time it started right where my foot and ankle meet about an inch in from outer ankle bone. Sometimes when i get up to walk on it, it's a very sharp pain that radiates through the rest of my foot, sometimes even into my calf. Other times when i'm just walking its a dull achy pain on the outer edge of my foot, it almost feels like theres an extra weight on that foot and its just getting annoying. I dont want to live like this anymore but i don't want to go back to the Dr. only to be wrapped up in ace bandages again...anyone have any idea as to what this could be? Did i not let my sprain heel correctly before and i'm paying for it now??

[sara_eagle]

It wouldn't hurt to got back to the Dr. or even get a second opinion.  Physical therapy is always a good idea after an ankle sprain to help the tendons/ligaments around the ankle to heal properly.  Best of luck!

[jenniferk86]

Well, Did the x ray show an break? You werent specific on that.  I had fractured my ankle when I was playing volley ball and my trainer at the school said it was just a rolled ankle and I just sprained it, so I never went to the doctor.  A break takes 3 months to heal and at least a year before it feels completely  normal.  Torn ligaments and a severe sprain can sometimes present with more swelling, hurt worse and take even longer to completely heal.  If you tear tendons, the foot may never be completely the same.  If it is any consolation, It took about 2 years but now my foot and ankle feel completely normal.  It will probably just take time. In the mean time to reduce swelling if there is any take ibuprofen or any other NSAID once a day to reduce swelling.