ligament problem

[k.c.]

turned my ankle over during step class while taking full weight and jumping, heard the ligaments go and couldn't walk.severe pain. hospital x-ray, said was grade 2 ligament damage , had cast for three weeks and on crutches for almost 2 weeks afterwards. now 3 months on and have big toe with no feeling. also am still limping at times without knowing im doing it. back at gym and lots of pain in both sides and top of foot. nearly full ankle movement back. just can't stop the pain. any help??

[johny26]

i am not a doctor

but i've had a grade three open fracture ankle dislocation, tearing of all nerves, tendons,ligaments except the achilles

i have studied ankle problems and been through numerous doctors and am actually having another surgery to replace all the stuff thats hardened and became scarred these past 10 years.

what you are describing sounds to me like nerve pain/damage/ maybe even nerve regeneration. again im not a doctor and i cant give diagnoses.

have you told the surgeon who fixed you up? if you can, get back to see him and alert him about the pain and ESPECIALLY the big toe numbess. when u hurt the ankle, did u feel any type of pain on the inner part of your ankle? around the inner knob?

you definately need to see the original surgeon/doc if possible. if not make an apointment with some other kind of orthapedic/podiatrist.

i can imagine some of what you feel, when i rolled my ankle, i fell to my left trapping the foot underneath the leg, and the arch of my foot touched my leg. gross huh? it tore my skin open and i was sticking my finger inside lolz.

but the time is now for you to see your original doctor, or another one thats qualified. do not let 10 years pass while being in pain and having numbess of your big toe.

keep us posted on how you progress

[k.c.]

thanks for you help and comments,
have torn my ligaments 10 years ago on the same ankle and just seemed that it healed and didn't give it another thought.was training and running half marathons at the time and got back within 6 weeks. too many people have told me once i have injured this it will always be weak.
i just know it isn't right. i think a nerve is definatly the problem as when i take more than 30 mins on the cross trainer, my foot swells and i lose the feeling in all of my toes and bottom half of my foot.
i still wear a ankle surport when training at the gym.
have the answer from the doctor that it takes a long time to heal and should be patience???
am thinking of going private to a specialist to sort it out.
oh in answer to your question, yes a lot of the pain is on the inside side of the foot.

will keep you informed , thanks again for your help,

[johny26]

ankle rollovers are no fun

so it was the outer ligaments that u tore, but the inner knob or around it is whats painful?

sounds awfully familar to mine, mine was a little worse (could see the bone and joint, i stuck my fingers in it lol)

i have read that nerves can take 2-5 years to heal. either vitamin b2 or b12 i forget which, can increase nerve regeneration as well.

on the inner part of the ankle is where the tarsal tunnel runs, it runs behind the inner knob, then goes just underneat it, and splits off into a few more nerve branches, medial plantar, etc..

either you or your doctor needs to tap all around behind and below that inner knob of the ankle, and see if it causes pain.

im not a doc, but i have a basic knowledge of the ankle. i know a numb toe isnt a good sign. but it could just be the nerve regenerating. only way to tell is time, and make sure to increase your vitamins.

if you're a smoker, you should stop (lol coming from a smoker trying to quit) cigarettes can increase pain, and slow down healing. in fact, im supposed to have a surgery febaury 6th, and he'll only operate if i quit smoking 20 days prior, and do not smoke during recovery.

but definately do not just ignore the problem. even though it wasnt a sport injury, u might have luck with a sports injury ortho/specialist. thats basically all a sports injury doc deals with, is ankle's and knee's, shoulders too.

i dont think you're at the point yet, where u need to take some kind of nerve pain medicine. im not sure though. just make sure you keep on telilng them every little thing, and if where you're at cant help, find a good sports injury/ortho.

definately keep us posted, i'll be pullin for ya.