Table of Contents
Why is my ankle still swollen years after a sprain?
But swelling that persists for more than three months may be a sign of trouble. The lining of the capsule surrounding a joint is called the synovium, and anything inside the joint that irritates the synovium will cause it to secrete fluid. Swelling inside of a joint is often a sign that something is causing irritation.
What happens if a sprained ankle doesn’t heal properly?
A sprained ankle can turn into a serious chronic instability if left untreated. When you leave torn ligaments to heal on their own, they can fuse together haphazardly and form weak, inflexible scar tissue. Your range of motion can suffer tremendously, resulting in difficulty walking for the long term.
Why does my sprained ankle still hurt after 5 months?
It is common for people to continue to experience pain several months after the injury. If the injury does not heal properly the pain can continue for months or even years following the injury. About half of patients end up with an unstable ankle after an injury because certain ligaments did not heal correctly.
Can a sprained ankle hurt years later?
A sprain that happened years ago can leave residual weakness that isn’t noticed in normal daily activity, but subjecting the ankle to rigorous physical activity can further damage improperly-healed ligaments, and cause persistent pain and swelling.
Should a sprained ankle still hurt after 6 weeks?
However, if pain persists for 6 to 8 weeks or more, and does not seem to be improving, these additional studies may be required to make a proper diagnosis. One problem that may lead to long-term dysfunction and pain after an ankle sprain is instability.
Will my ankle ever be the same after a sprain?
Once they are stretched out, they will never return to their original shapes. We are left with an ankle that is less stable, especially in the direction that the sprain occurred. To add fuel to the fire, the sprained ligaments lose the ability to efficiently communicate with your brain.
Can sprains be permanent?
Unless the tissue is torn, any kind of sprain or strain injury will heal up usually within days, sometimes weeks, but never longer than that. Therefore, if a doctor is telling you or someone you know that they have a permanent sprain or strain injury, they are wrong.
What happens if you Sprain Your ankle for longer than 3 months?
“An ankle sprain that lingers beyond 3 months is often an injury to a bone, tendon or ligament that is unlikely to heal without intervention,” he says. “And the longer an ankle injury persists without proper treatment, the greater the likelihood that permanent disability will result.”
What to do with a high ankle sprain?
If the injury does not improve with bracing and therapy over time, the best treatment is surgical ligament repair. (For an alternative ankle sprain scenario, also see this patient, whose high ankle sprain was treated with long-term bracing).
Is it bad to leave a screw in a broken ankle?
I also read that leaving the hardware in actually weakens your bone because the screws break up the bone’s mass. The bone can rely on them too much, potentially preventing the bone from growing as strong as it could. I’ve read this on different websites, so I don’t know any of this for fact—just learning from others.
Why do I have pain in the back of my ankle?
This patient has nagging pain at the side and back of the ankle months after an inversion ankle sprain. This pain is caused by torn tendons. If bracing and physical therapy does not resolve the ankle injury with time, the best treatment is surgery to repair the damaged tendons.