Almost 8 months here. Still feel pain on the daily. I just really hope it can go back to normal

Over the years I’ve had massive back, knee, shoulder, Achilles and ankle injuries and I have always been able to wait it out and has always for better with time sometimes up to a year

Thank you doctor for being honest with the info that 80% of ankle injuries heal without surgery. Surgeons want to operate because, well that's what they do and we need to be well-informed before agreeing to any intervention.

That's so interesting! It makes perfect sense! I injured my right ankle in high school, and it healed "fine"... but it was never quite the same again. But then, years later, I injure my left ankle, and gradually, my right ankle got better

Let us know how YOU injured your ankle? What has worked well to help? 🦶We love our FANS and thanks for SUBSCRIBING!🦶 Also let us know what topics you want to hear about! For the shoes and orthotics recommended in the video: wp.me/p9imRX-54n

For ankle ligament tearing, I do agree with him that you don't need to do surgery for recovery with proper Physio, bracing and shoes. However, from my own experience is that you will also need to have lots of time to rest your leg (for about 6 months). So if you have kids, need to run errands/chores, commute to work, you'll likely need to put them off for half a year. Regular activity is ok, but you need to take precautions to not over-exert (even if it seems like there is no more pain) as the insides are still healing - which is the hard part because your brain subconsciously goes back to normal activity. So if you have the financial means and support to be off your normal life for 6 months, you def can recover without surgery with proper Physio. However, i think many of us weren't able to and what that resulted in is it never gets the chance to properly heal and surgery is the only safe measure forward to ensure full recovery. I also personally feel what surgery is very helpful in is to give you assurance and certainty that your ankle goes back to being tight and secured (important if you're physically active and engage in regular sports) but do take note that post surgery rehab can be quite a hassle and takes about 3 months and what you get in return is full assurance on full recovery. However, if due to any factors you aint able to get surgery, proper Physio and support helps too and it takes 6-8 months to recover fully.

Thank you so much Dr. Really appreciate this informative video. It helps calm me down while I am in recovery but afraid to go see a doctor during an unprecedented pandemic in my lifetime.

Hello from India Dr Tom. Firstly thank you for such great foot care content. 7 years ago I had 2 torn ligaments and a torn tendon , however my doctor back then didn’t really explain it much to me and neither did I do much of rehab for it then. I was asked to wear a strapplable splint and I did that for almost 3 months. 2 months ago I did a few activities - stretched a bit too far in calf raises, have been learning an Indian classical dance (Kathak) since October 23 which involves a lot of foot work and banging the feet on the floor , I wore 2 inches heel shoes at an office event after almost 5-6 years of no heels, and did a lot of running around for a family emergency … all of this culminated in my old foot injury aggravating … I have a 1.8 cm split tear in my Peroneus Brevis. I am seeing a orthopaedic doctor and a physiotherapist since mid March .. I have it about 10-12 days rest and have been advised to do strengthing of the feet and ankle, contrast hot and cold foot bath, isometric exercises, ultrasound, compression braces, and electric frequency treatment. I was getting better, but had a flare up again when I walked 3300 steps for some errands 2 weeks ago. I am also taking Chymoral Forte tablets (trypsin and Chymotripsin composition) , my Ortho has extended these thrice so I’ve been taking 3 tablets a day for almost 15-18 days totally. The swelling and pain have reduced about 50 % and I am wearing the compression brace through the day which helps a lot .. however the ankle does pain at night affecting my sleep a bit … I am a bit concerned since it is taking so long and Also is taking so much Chymoral ok? I really want to get back to activity soon.

I broke my ankle 6 years ago unfortunately I still have a lot of pain. Thank you for this video! I will go to another doctor for a 2nd appointment.

I had a grade 3 ankle sprain 5 months ago, I was in a cast , just recently got out of a boot , I’ve seen many doctors and many specialist and I still continue to have stiffness and pain in my ankle

Ive sprained my right ankle significantly about 4-5 times. I've had at least 3 of these locations mentioned. I've had the outer ankle ligaments (spring floor gymnastics landed round off on an inverted foot... That one was the worst and took 6-8 months to get back and couldn't walk for maybe a few weeks and needed crutches and a boot). Same location 5-6 years earlier it was a trampoline doing an Arabian I landed crooked on and inverted the ankle. Then I picked up figure skating. The injuries in this sport have been not as severe. I had an eversion sprain or damaged the cartilage doing an off ice single leg landing for a 360 jump (practicing for axel). Don't land on hard carpet in shoes. Wear socks and do it on slippery floor so your body still spins and doesn't lock from the friction. I most recently sprained my peroneal tendon on ice. My toe pick stuck on a 3 turn and I went back and medial to my foot while the foot stuck in the ice. This one and the eversion sprain seemed to heal the fastest. I could get on the ice within 2 weeks. The eversion one I could still skate since the boot protects you. For my peroneal injury I can't skate backwards and find it pretty limiting so just doing fitness stuff off ice and letting it heal. Swimming makes it worse since the ankle flops around too much. I started my PT immediately the next day after the injury (don't even have to go, I know the exercises now after it being the 4th or 5th time). When it is swollen basically you just wiggle and avoid bad pain and challenge yourself on the not so bad growing pain. Psychologically, the gymnastics spring floor injury was the worst. Thoughts of giving up the sport forever (I was 32). Since then I have gone to trampoline parks and wore ankle braces, but it took me years to face that. After the 4th injury I'm like *ugh come on not again * and more frustrated and impatient. But I at least have had more than full recovery after each one. Half the shit I can do on the ice and my balance is crazy I couldn't have done when I was younger because I never focused on ankle and arch strength and balance as part of my fitness routine. I can do all kinds of crazy spins and stuff on and off ice. The human body is amazing. God did a great job. Just takes a ton of maintenance. Very very high maintenance. But very worth it and better than becoming old and frail. I'm 37 now and still better than a lot of teen athletes on the ice, and it is my 8th sport. Hope this helps others.

I was diagnosed with a Grade 1 sprain. 9 weeks out and still swollen and painful. In a tall boot with crutches. The most underrated, undertreated injury.

I had a bad sprain 2 years ago. I have repeatedly re-sprained it since then. My most recent sprain is still painful. MRI said no torn ligaments, but it's still swollen and painful 3 weeks later. I am so tired of it.

Honestly a fantastic clear video thank you very much I hope this helps a lot of people

Thank you very much for you video, I’m confident now that I need to rest it and plus exercise it. Very well explained thank you. Very good teaching and explaining. 👍🏼😁❤️

My ankle has been permanently swollen for over a year. Time for me to go see a specialist.

Thanks so much for this informative video. Great information about the ankle and healing.

Tore two ligaments. Eight months on still swollen and bruising of the bone was showing up on an MRI seven months after the incident. No need for surgery of the ankle, very stable, no cartilage damage. However swelling is still very persistent even if slightly down from what it was.

It's been 4 years and my ankle is still slightly swollen

You videos are awesome, such a fun guy but very helpful, I have ankle pain which I've had for a few months, I cannot rest with my job and I have children so I'm not sure I'll ever heal, I love your vids 👍

2years ago The impression were as follow: Tear of the anterior talofibular and calcaneofibular ligaments. The osteophytic formation along the anterior inferior tibia and superior talus may support the diagnosis of anterior. Now I’m doing another MRI.

You really broke things dwn,sir!Knowledge is king!

Anybody tried using ASL braces I've bought a few pairs from Amazon. I've found these are helping me slowly reintroduce exercise. Also I'm using resistance bands in the morning to help flexing maybe start off with a few reps work your way up every other day. I'm also massaging it every night to promote blood flow to the areas feet are very intricate parts of our bodies. I'm 4 weeks in still with mild swelling, sometimes a niggle. But I gotta have hope and keep on working at getting me back to 💯. I've watched so many videos on here i may train to be a podiatrist 😅. Look up rehabilitation exercises for ankle sprains/injuries. 🙏🦶💪

I’m 62, had a distal fibular fracture. 6 weeks in the walking boot, follow up x-ray, bone is healing. But, the ankle is swollen and sore. The orthopedic doc did not recommend PT.

I sprained my ankle 3 months ago. as soon as I sprained it I kept running. Did burpies, went to school, played hockey. Hurts so bad:(

Sprained my ankle defending in ⚽️ forward hit the ball so hard that my foot bended. I went back to playing within a week and reinjured. I've been resting and strenghthing it back for a month now. I still have some tenderness on the fibular ligament in the back, so I am thinking on resting for another month to fully strengthen and when I stop feeling tenderness.

I first sprained my ankle while skateboarding, a few months later I fractured it and it stayed swollen it’s been like this for the past 3 years and doesn’t seem to get better I can still walk run and to other things but if I do those things for a long period of time it gets really sore and hurts , the major thing that hurts is like a nerve or some type of tendon I’ve been to the doctors but they don’t seem to do anything…

I am a teacher and sprained my ankle a year ago while coming down the stairs. Xray showed no fracture but MRI showed inflammatory synovitis with mild ankle joint effusion. I had no option to quit the job at that time, so I took no rest and kept working all days. I used to get cramps and pain while standing, walking, climbing stairs and swelling by the end of the day. The injury became more serious and I had to quit the job. It's been almost 2 months now I have been resting at home. But still I can't walk properly and my ankle shows stiffness, redness, swelling and burning pain. I can climb the stairs but can't go down the stairs easily. It really hurts. I feel hopeless and helpless thinking that my ankle has been permanently damaged. Not understanding what to do.... totally fed up now.☹️😫

Texas Orthopedic Hospital, Houston: My salt N Pepper surgeon looked at my spiral fracture of my fibula, in ankle area. He said surgery or no surgery are both acceptable. I'm in my late forties & 60 pounds overweight. So I elected for surgery, and slow recovery ( ~3 months no weight bearing ) for long term health and future arthritis avoidance. Per internet research must do following : no smoking, lose weight, eat clean / reduce sugar intake, & do sweaty upper body workouts. BTW , I found out taking extra calcium supplements in an effort to help bone healing doesn't help bones & may hurt your kidneys in the form of sharp stones . Also, extra calcium may contribute to plaque formation / stiffening of vascular system ( High Blood pressure ) in overweight , middle-aged folks' cardiovascular system like myself.

Thanks for the vid Im 8 weeks on from grade 2-3 ankle sprain with avulsion playing soccer. Walking boot was helpful Also I found warm water soakage to be great. And the exercises. Back walking fine now. However still some swelling and dorsiflexion + single leg balancing isn't great.

Ankle hurting for years (2-3), tingling on top of foot and toes, didn't have insurance. Never remember spraining it or twisting it or falling. Went to the doctor she says something's torn, waiting on an x-ray to confirm

My ankle has been swollen since March between the atfl and cfl. It doesn't hurt. It's not bruised. No broken bones. I've been going to physical therapy but nothing is helping and no one can give me an idea of what is wrong.

Thanks for the great information. I have had multiple ATFL injuries over the years and some I'm sure were level 3, but never diagnosed. I have struggled for over 10 years now and wear a lace up boot when doing certain activities. My question is at 67 is there any protocol after so long of time past to rehabilitate my ankle. I have chronic ankle instability (CAI), nerve tingling in my toes that started under the sprained area, but I am not sure if I should wear the brace all the time, and or what exercises at this point will help me or hurt me. I also have started wearing barefoot shoes trying to get my feet to work better. Yes I have seen a couple doctors. Don't feel they even tried to help. Not one ever mentioned my ATFL.

What about when it was misdiagnosed? I sprained my ankle 2 times in less than 2 years and every time I went to ER, they took an Xray and said I just got my ankle sprained, 4 years later I started having excruciated pain I couldn't even walk so finally I was referred to a Podiatrist got a MrI taken and this is what they said: Signal changes involving the anterior talofibular ligament likely related to prior injury- FLUID: Small tibiotalar and subtalar joint effusion. - Mild edema is seen involving sinus Tarsi.. Tarsal tunnel is normal. Muscles are normal. - Moderate to severe bone marrow edema was seen involving the anterior lateral aspect of the calcaneus with subchondral extension to the region of the calcaneocuboid joint and anterior process of the calcaneus. There is cortical irregularity and decreased T1 signal in the region of the anterior process of the calcaneus which may be secondary to underlying fracture. No conclusive evidence for cartilage defect. I had surgery to correct a bunion and they proceed with subtalar arthroscopy to remove the fluid 6 weeks later the pain is still like nothing was done and now I feel more miserable cause after taking time off from work my results are not there. Please any advice.

I sprained my ankle 6 months ago but still not able to walk Iike before

I just transitioned into an air cast after spending 6 weeks in a boot cast. I was diagnosed with a sprain of the calcaneofibular ligament of right ankle. I took a freak fall while hiking. I start PT next week but want to get a jumpstart. The pain is definitely still there just not as bad so is the swelling. It’s the stiffness at night that really hurts. I’m so ready to start walking but I’m literally scared that my ankle will give way. It will be 3 months for me on Sept 11th.

I've been wondering, is recovery time faster for people who were really active before the injury? I've only been able to read about general population cases, or people who arent very active at all. Those same people also still complain about pain over a long period of time. I haven't been able to stumble on really active people cases.

I have a scar on my ankle and I’m able to peel the surface of it from time to time. Is there a treatment for such scar?

I jumped off from an 8 foot rock at the beach and landed on wet sand and crushed my ankle and never had surgery or anything but I did have to use super feet inserts to correct my pronation and now my right ankle still swells up eight years later this gives me hope because I think I can do some stretching to help it.

Wow this video explained all my symptoms and concerns. I finally realized what I have have been suffering from. Neuroproxia! I injured my ankle and after immediately started getting shooting pain to my pinky toe and now big toe and around my ankles. I have gotten cortisone injections and didn’t work. The only injection that worked a little was epidural injection in my back for lower extremity 🦶. However, I can’t stand on my ankle more than 3-4 minutes without hurting!!!!

Tore my cfl this year 2days before valentines by nearly getting hit by a car and I haven’t been able too see my podiatrist due to covid as it’s been sore but I am getting excercises in.. that was a bad injury was 3months in moon boot couldn’t walk.

Doctors and Mechanics are very similar.

Can a completely torn ligament heal without surgery? So incredibly informative! Thank you!

Needed this 🇯🇲 2 years of pain after car accident

I have sprain for last 12 years and when ever i hit inner corner of my heel at stairs the same feeling comes back for pain when i twisted my ankle :(

I broken my left ankle in a bad car accident 11 years ago. I even had surgery on that ankle. Just a little bit over 5 years ago that I tore a ligament in my right ankle in a bad fall just outside of my apartment. My right ankle was swollen and so bruised everywhere on that foot. I thought it was broken when I was trying to get back up a couple times. That one happened on October 19,2017. It was my sister’s 46th birthday. I called 911 for it and then my mother on it. I wore a boot for it for a couple weeks. On my left ankle 3 different casts.

The one thing that you kept on repeating Tom was 'stabilize' the ankle with a brace or boot. By this, I'm obviously assuming that you mean to immobiliser the ankle and keep it still for a 'long period of time'. It's been 3 months and I know 100% that I've torn multiple ligaments somewhere deep inside the ankle. My question is: should I immobilise it now? Or is it too late to immobilise the joint?

I just got sprained ankle today :)

8 years and it's so vulnerable to sprain, I hate this

I do moderate running, 30K a week. A few weeks ago, I went running with someone else at a much much slower pace than normal. I used the slow pace to experiment with different running techniques. Nothing special happened on the run, but the next day I had some very mild ankle pain on one foot on the inner ankle. I did 2 more 5K runs after that with a day of rest between each run, and what little pain I had went away after 1K on each run. It felt more like stiffness than pain. It was still a very mild pain/stiffness and it came and went, but I noticed my ankle was swollen a little. I stayed home mostly off my feet for 2 days, and the swelling went away. The pain was so infrequent and little that I wouldn't have noticed I had a problem if it weren't for the swelling. The next day I walked a total of 1.5K, going to and from the car and small things, and the swelling came back. Now it's been almost 3 weeks. I feel something is not right, but I wouldn't describe it as pain and the swelling won't go away.

Why does this video not deal at all with SWOLLEN ankles, post-sprain, but only with pain when the title only mentions swelling? My sprained ankle is still swollen nearly 2 years later, but isn't painful. I want to know why, and what I can do about it.

I just had a Kidner procedure done for a rather large accessory navicular, and simultaneously the surgeon performed an Achilles lengthening and a calcaneal osteotomy. I have a feeling I am in for a very long recovery.

7 years here

Thanks! My daughter had split tear of the peroneus longus and brevis tendons(1.6cm & 1.4cm respectively), is it real that there’s chance it can heal on its own?

Mine feels swollen because it's full of scar tissue. Having rolled it 20+ times over the years

I was told mine is grade 1, 3 years later its still inflamed and i've lost strength

thank you for this informative thing is strange to have an injury in your body and not be aware of what actually happened or occurred i have sprained the same ankle 2 times within 6month and it’s been over a year will go back to physio and see a podiatrist

I had a moderate sprain and the pain spread to middle of foot and near toes. Doing Rice options but pain persists at night in bed . No fracture , just bruises. Thanks doc!!

Thankyou dr.great content 👍my ankle sprained 5 months ago.still have pain sometimes.veins around that ankle seems very tiny than healthy ankle.why it happens 😯

This is an excellent video! I am experiencing everything you've mentioned tight achilles tendon and pain that is over my knee, calf, thigh, and hip. I am sore all over from crutches too. I had a bad injury my ankle rolled inwards while my knee twisted out to the side! I have been in severe pain for 6 weeks now and 5 minute of driving causes really bad ankle pain and Ive only left my bed for the necessities. It will take who knows how long for me to see a specialist. It could be up to another month :(. I am pretty sure I tore a ligament the worst is that my pain spread to my entire leg and even my hip and lower back. I had no idea ankle injuries were this bad

Eversion sprain grade 2. Seven weeks out with some reduced ankle dorsiflexion. Body weight training everyday with balance board improved strength. Seems the last 10% could be scar tissue build up

Almost 2 years got over still pain n swelling is there... So i have completed all home remadies cosulted doctor, taken all medication, wear all Ankle binder still I'm feeling deadly pain

Sprained my right ankle in June , then again august 1st , now again October 18 ... helppppp ,I want to ski 🎿

I sprained my ankle a week ago and I'm already here

i had a surgery because of a fracture in the external left ankle that I could avoid it of course if I wanted it but my doctor recommended to do it! Now it's been 2 months and a half and it stills swelling but I will see after 3months completed..

I broke my ankle 3 different ways 2 plates 10 screws got those out how should I really excise/stretch it. Only asking because I'm only 18 I broke at 17 like the ending and I'm constantly on my feet now but still in with pain.

Sprain ankle 1 year today, grade 3 its still swollen 😢 i rather it did broke and not sprain, it never heals

Hey i dont know if anyone will see this comment at this point, but my ankle doesnt hurt but its clearly swollen and rolls more frequently than my other ankle. Any tips?

My pain is outside of my foot. Thank you for this video! I fell close to 3 months ago and have continued pain on my foot and knees. They have decided to request an MRI but it’s been almost 3 months will an MRI be helpful at this point?

6 months ago I partially tore my deltoid ligament but didn’t know it . A month later after suffering through the pain I went to a doctor and got an mri and was shocked that I had been working full time on a tear. I am grateful it wasn’t a full tear. Fast forward 2023 I am not in so much pain but there is definitely chronic pain especially when I walk or try to exercise. It’s taking so long to heal I’m worried I won’t be able to go back to normal activity

Legend has it dude still has that booger in his nose......after 3, 6, 12 months!!!

Yeah, I think it's nerve injury for me. It's been over a month and a half since I rolled and sprained my left ankle. I have tingling and numbness up the outer part of my leg to outside of my knee to my left buttocks. This so sucks. My ankle swells if I'm on it too long. I stole my fathers compression foot/leg wraps. They make me fall asleep. Lol. But I want to be active. Ugh!

My right ankle is swollen from February but my bone is note broken, but still my swelling is not going and it hurts sometimes not always

My left leg was ligament strain problem due to long jump practice.5 months ago but now still have a pain and swelling of my ankle joint.please comment of my question?

What is the right shoe for a flat sprained foot? Or for flat feet in general?

3 months in to nasty sprain; still have pain with specific motions/ swelling/ can’t get comfortable no matter how I reposition when resting . 43… very physically active. So confused.

Thank you for this it was very helpful

So I have sprained my ankle 7 months ago and had a full thickness tear at the atfl and cfl ligaments. Done brace for a couple months a boot for 8 weeks and physical therapy and still have pain and limited rom. What's next?

Hello, Its been a month since my ankle sprain. The ligaments are fully healed but really stiff and there's still swelling, what should I do?

Did you answer the question that is the title of his video? I missed it if you did. It’s called why my sprained ankle is still swollen?

So what about 10 and 9 years ago .... Still have pain and I dislocated it twice .... Never went to hospital to put it back in got husband to do it.... I don't like hospitals.... And now I have arthritis and 109 do need operation ....was told by doctor in ER that my ankle isn't the normal ankle and will need operation ..... Waiting to see orthopaedic surgeon ..... Can't really walk on it still after this long

i sprained my ankle a few days ago,, now its still swollen but does not hurt anymore,,, my concern is that the swell does not get any smaller

What I want to no. If you break a bone in your foot, the outside of your foot from spraining your ankle, is it a must to put a proper cast on becusse fracture?

8 months since surgery for a broken ankle and torn ligaments. Still swollen still hurts

Almost 4 years now

@DrTomBiernacki I would love to see a video on how you overcame your stiff, scarred, contracted ankle after a traumatic ankle injury and how long post injury did it take. I'm going on 2 years since a non-surgical traumatic ankle injury. Ankle and midfoot are tender, stiff and limited despite having quality rehab for these 2 years. I can't do all my outdoor hobbies. I still can't walk anything more than 5k steps a day. How do you know it's still rehab-able and more function is possible, versus being a permanent arthrofiborosis kind of case where? My understanding is AF is not a rehab kind of thing.

I have plantar fascitis / flat foot and bunions for years. Then had painful tendinitis for 4 months following heavy walking vacation. Doctor found no issues with x ray. As I approach 6 months with stiffness, are compression socks or ankle sleeves with straps that cross in X needed for working out? (walking on treadmill)

sprained my ankle 7 months ago in football... still not getting better, it sucks..

Seeing the normal distance between the tib-fib makes me nauseated. I fully tore the tendon that held them together. They had to do a 'stress' x-ray to see it but those bones clearly wanted to social distance. The xray positions they want your foot in seem to require an uninjured ankle to get it

It's coming up to 6 months, I used to dance, hike, roller skate, run and I love water sports, I feel like I'm never going to be able to do those things properly again, I'm 25, I have done everything I can to try and heal the injury but I'm still in pain and it's still swollen, I need to use my ankle for intense exercise, is this not an option without surgery?

No pain after 7 months but the ankle is still massive after the inversion sprain. After exercise, it bulges a little more without pain (prob 3/ 10 max)

Having a sprain ankle is so weird cause the pain makes you not want to use it at all then that makes it harder to tell if its okay to use or not 😂

Grade 3 cfl tear. Use of PEMF therapy to support blood supply for 3 weeks every day. Athlete had excellent proprioception and foot strength prior. What timetable can the athlete follow to being loading the ankle again? It's been 4 weeks of no load and relatively stringent immobilization with routine pemf therapy.

thank you doctor for the video.

currently had for 1 year 4 months seems to never gets better can't play sports work etc without swelling

Snowboarding injury #6 #4 #2 and let's not forget both sides of the middle of my calf. This is what I feel. My calfs and everything cramped on The knee walker and I fell head first into a corner. I raised the seat and sit on it now. I got excited when I could move some of my toes but I think its weeks at home for me.

I don't have any broken bones but my ankle doesn't move upwards and my calf hurts and also the parts where posterior talofibular ligament and posterior tibiofibular ligament hurts a lot when I try to move my ankle. My ankle mostly move upwards like to its stuck

Thanks 😊 been 3 weeks and I’m limping when I walk

I have a fully torn atfl what should I do surgery or stem cells

What about a sprain on the outside of the foot where the ankle bone is sticking out is swollen has been for 3 months no pain but very swollen