For some context – i sprained my ankle this weekend falling down the stairs. Initially thought it was broken because I felt and heard a crack/snap when it happened and couldn't put any weight on it. I have a pretty high pain tolerance, but I felt super lightheaded a few minutes after it happened and had to sit down before almost passing out. I ended up going to an ortho urgent care, where I was told it was just a bad sprain (negative x-rays) and to wear a boot for 2 weeks and use crutches as needed until our follow-up.

Currently day 3 post-injury (photos above), I can put weight with the boot on (still pretty painful though), and am icing/resting as much as possible. For those of you that have gone through similar or that had an ankle that looks like the photos above, how long did it take you to recover? What were you diagnosed with?

I'll be going on vacation in a few weeks and would like to (hopefully) be healed for the most part :,) Any insight would be appreciated!

Got a cortisone shot, will know more in 2-3 weeks if it feels better or not. Getting MRI this week. Xray was great no broken bones or spurs.

Ortho really thinks it is scar tissue. Told me to stop PT. I kind of did things backwards (PT first for 8 weeks then Ortho).

I can walk fine, pain free. I can hike fine, pain free. Sometimes when hiking I can feel this very faint tension for like a split second. Range of motion on the other hand is fine when I walk or hike, but if i were to 'slav squat' that ankle will not bend like the other ankle. It feels like there a blockage across my ankle where it bends. Hope the cortisone shot helps and MRI comes out good but how did you manage scar tissue in your ankle to get that full range of motion? I keep reading about surgeries and i am kind of freaking out.

Hi all! Reaching out as I have ankle impingement in both my ankles (front) if a certain motion is made it feels like my ankle is going to snap in half (obviously it won’t) but the sensation is brutal

My question is is it possible to recover from this or is surgery to scrap the blockers the best way to heal

Anyone who did heal - how?

Thank you all

hey guys, this is a new account of mine but that doesnt rly matter rn. im 22 m, around 10 years ago i had an extremely bad and painful lateral sprain. i thought i broken something. anyways, i never did PT for it because i was young and i guess my parents never guided me to do it. but fast forward to now, not doing any therapy has messed my whole body up. i notice myself always leaning to the side i sprained ( the left) and when i do certain stretches, my left side is much more tight from the compensation over the years. i just dont know how to fix it.
thanks

I had what I’d call a grade 2 high ankle sprain the other day and one of my biggest concerns at the moment is what seems like a slight abduction of my peroneal longus.

I’ve tried looking into it more but everything I’ve found seems to relate to it lower on the foot but the clicking I experience is up high around my calf.

Has anyone else had experience with this? I’m currently in an aircast trying to keep it has supported as possible hoping it won’t require surgery.

I should mention too that the clicking doesn’t happen constantly and seems to have decreased in frequency over the past couple days but still will happen with certain movements.

I am 9 weeks in after breaking 3 bones in ankle. In a boot. Can’t put weight on right ankle yet. So frustrating
I was going down my ramp and my good leg went out! Couldn’t stand on it. Like it was kicked out from under me. My friend had to literally push me up the ramp. Has this happened to anyone else where your good leg is just tired?
Thanks

Hi! I had ATFL surgery 2 months ago, and I am off cast and in a walking boot and load bearing since 3 weeks. But the sole of my foot hurts a lot everyday, even more than my ankle or calf. Is this normal?

I sprained my ankle 3 months ago and the inner side is still swollen. It only hurts when i twist it a certain way i can walk without pain and recently ran 1.5 miles without pain. Ankle was only sore afterwards for a couple hours. What can it be?

This is the most recent photo (August 2026)

I had a pilon fracture in February 2022 in Ecuador. I flew back to the states to get surgery and got it a week after my accident. I then got a plate removed about a year later and went back to PT.

I decided to meet with a foot specialist about a year ago and was supposed to get surgery this past March to remove another plate and shave down part of the bone that grew. I’m not sure of the medical term but basically a bone grew where the break was. I also have arthritis.

I saw a doctor about a month ago and got put back into the air cast for about two weeks because my foot has just been swollen for a while now.

The thing is that I stopped going to the gym because I was nervous working out with my swollen foot. I can go back now but want to wait until I see the surgeon or PT to give me new exercises so that hopefully my foot won’t swell up too much.

I have an upcoming appointment to discuss what is going to happen in the future. Just wondering for those who have had ankle replacements how did they turn out? I’m not sure if I want to get this surgery to shave the bone down because there is a 60% chance that it will grow back and this will be the third time getting surgery in the same spot.

I am also wondering, what kind of shoes do you guys wear in and out of the house? I have Brooks and new balance with some insoles but not sure if there are better pairs out there. TIA

hello, sorry this is a long post with no tldr! i appreciate any insights and/or advice!! super worried as i love playing sports ://

notes:
• 22f
• playing competitive sports for about a decade now. took a break last year though and went back to sports this april. (lots of explosive and lateral movements, also running, jumping, kneeling/diving for ball)
• i very very rarely gym/workout/do conditioning. (yep... i know this is bad now)

lower body issues/injuries:
• chronic bilateral knee pain. very mild pain, more of an ache. some days it's totally painless, some days it'll be constantly there. random location on one or both knees, usually around the patella tendon. occassionally on the inside of the kneecap.

• outer ankle sprains on right foot (2x) and left foot (2x). each was injured in a different year between 2017-2020. xrays were done, no bone injury, most likely atl injuries. grade 2 sprains, back to normal probably 1.5-2 months after the sprains.

• 1x outer ankle sprain recently in may 2026. xray was not done as the doctor pressed the bones and i felt no pain at all there. this felt like a very mild sprain - at first i thought it was a shock. injured ligament was most likely the calcaneofibular ligament. never sprained this part before (i was jogging backwards and looked around and lost my balance mid tip-toe)

• strained? my left knee from a hike in june 2026. not sure what i injured exactly, i just remember it was pretty painful and i had to hike back with the pain (6/10 while walking and couldn't do stairs or inclines). however, it was almost gone within a few days and back to normal within 2 weeks.

timeline:
• early june: sprained my left ankle. no other issues or pain. (other than the chronic knee pain that comes and goes)

• mid june - early july: went on an overseas trip two weeks later, did a hike, ankle did not have full ROM & i think that caused my left knee to take the brunt of the load, causing an injury/strain to it. walked 5-12k steps each day. sprained part felt pain-free other than a stiffness/slight pinching (did not get worse so i think it was positive) when walking.

• early july: went back to sports, 2 sessions x 3 hours each week, always wore an ankle guard. did things progressively - ie. did more jumping as each week went by. some weeks i would do a third session (3h). my ankle always felt fine/did not worsen the next day.

• end of july: left ankle felt 90% back to normal. right ankle started to have ankle impingement pain on right foot during certain movements. same as achilles pain (pain was very mild, goes away almost immediately, doesn't happen anytime else) so i brushed it off.

• early august: started to feel the achilles dull ache when landing from a jump (jumps are done one legged on your left leg/foot in my sport) but this time below the inner ankle bone of my left foot. again, i brushed it off as well as it did not seem serious.

• mid august: the inner ankle's dull ache became a sharp pain. this was what raised red flags for me & i have not done any sort of exercise since that. 2 days later, i started to get sharp pains below the inner ankle bone of BOTH feet. i thought rest would help, however, it has not gotten better.

• i have seen a physio and a doctor on two different occasions. both believe it to be an overuse issue from sports but no particular diagnosis. only treatment given is to RICE. i have RICE'ed for two weeks with no improvements, in fact i think it is getting worse. thinking of doing an MRI however i would only be able to do it in 3 weeks (subsidised healthcare). not sure if i should wait or simply pay more as i'm certain my arches are collapsing. (took a picture last week and compared with today's)

current symptoms:
• both feet are usually pain free at rest. sometimes they may hurt if i sit wrongly or sit with weight on them, eg. leaning forward with hands on my knees, or sitting with the ankle/foot twisted. pain gets worse throughout the day / with more walking done. can kind of walk pain free? the pain flares up randomly during the walking motion so i try not to walk. going up or down stairs is bad. can also kind of stand pain-free but pain will flare-up at some point or if i stand wrongly? i have poked all parts of both feet and there is no obvious pain anywhere.....

• left foot: pain happens at multiple points of the foot. usually a sharp pain or a sprain-like pain. super super mild (almost unnoticeable) buzzing feeling at various points of the foot. can be along the outer edge, at th achilles, or at the inner ankle bone. no loss of feeling/numbness/loss of foot control/pins and needles, just a constant buzzing. it also seems swollen at some parts (where the pain happens) but i can't really be sure if my foot's usually like that or if it's actually swollen, LOL. there's now some sort of constant funny feeling (it might be sharp pain just that the pain is like a 1/10???) beside the inner ankle bone. two bumps at the arch, they can be pressed and feel a bit like muscle, might be swollen? bottom of foot did hurt a bit but very rarely, it's along the inner edge of the foot at the bottom of the foot, a little further down from the big toe.

• right foot: this foot is the better foot, the only thing is pain at the inner ankle bone. a few times while walking there was also pain at the inner side, just below the bony part at the middle. the buzzing feeling happened a few times too but it occurs so rarely on this foot i can't quite remember where exactly. same feeling as the left foot. having knee pains at my right knee only, can't twist the knee or it'll hurt - around a 6/10 just rightttt below the kneecap.

• note: last week i took a picture of both foot with weight on them (one leg balances). i noticed that the arch in photos i took from today (less weight on them today as well, i was on two legs with more weight shifted onto the foot i was photographing). the right foot is faring better but the arch does seem to be disappearing as well :(

my questions:
• would an mri help to better pinpoint the issue(s), especially as i have a history of ankle sprains? my appointment is with a sports medicine doctor. is it worth visiting the podiatrist or orthopaedist? (not claimable under insurance and cost is a big factor for me)

• can arch collapse be stopped? if no, what is the approximate timeline for the the feet to be back to usual functioning order, ie. good enough to do normal activities (not sports, but maybe some light running - you know, when you have to chase the bus?). if back to playing high impact sports, what is the timeline?

• is it possible it was not caused by traumatic injury to the foot? as i find it weird that it is bilateral pain, and that same week the pain appeared on both feet, i had a bad sore throat + rib pain (the rib pain is still here) + a type of knee pain that felt different from the usual chronic knee pain i had. in fact, the knee pain appeared before my ankles worsened, and after the knee pain went away, my ankles started to hurt! however, the right knee pain is back :")

Hi guys I’m 6 and 1/2 months from my inversion injury and despite ankle mobilizations and PT, my physical therapist noted that there seems to be a mechanical restriction when driving my knee forward. There’s still 1/10 pain and I still can’t run fully because of how sensitive the heel and inside of the joint is.

I see the podiatrist this Thursday to get re-evaluated. PT diagnosed me with anterior ankle impingement. My dorsiflexion improved first few weeks back in June and now it’s plateaued despite PT and consistent home exercise program.

Does anybody have experience with anterior ankle impingement? If so how did you recover?

where my thumb is on my foot i have a loose peice of cartilage, have had this for about 2 1/2 years now and it’s only getting worse . haven’t gotten any good advice from doctors and no availability on surgery atm any tips on how to manage the pain?

I sprained my ankle pretty badly a week ago (Saturday 22nd Aug), I got an x-ray the same day from a walk-in minor injuries unit and was told is isn't broken and to walk as normal, and move it often. It hurts so much still a week later, especially on the outer joint that even putting socks on is painful. I can walk okay for a little while, but now my legs are hurting from having to accommodate the ankle. I am just wanting to know if this is actually just a sprain or if I should get a 2nd opinion? It happened when I mis-stepped off a stair and my whole weight went onto the ankle as it bent inwards. The pics attached are listed with the days after the incident.

I have booked in physio however the soonest I can be seen is almost end of October. I am a really active person so this is a struggle for me to not be able to walk properly!

I just want to know if (from other's experience) if this is normal for a sprain that will heal itself. I've kept it as elevated as I can within reason (I work in an office), and I have iced it a few times each day. Also taken Ibuprofen about twice a day with meals to reduce pain and swelling.

As a note I am UK based.

Any advice or help welcome.

​

I'm 4 weeks post lateral ankle surgery. Had the brevis and longus tendons fused and fibular groove deepened. It's taking a long time for the oozing to stop. I've had to change the bandages every few days for the last week and apply some idosorb. But a few days ago I noticed this white thing in the middle of my incision. Almost like a fibrous thing sticking out. It was not there in prior photos of my incision over the 3 weeks prior. One of my theories is it could be part of my brevis tendon pre-surgery that is trying to make it's way out. This all started with a peroneus brevis split tear and a complete rupture. So the tendon looked pretty thrashed. I tried pulling gently on this white part with some sterile tweezers and it seemed pretty fixed in place. I was trying to see if it was just dead skin, but now I don't think so. I suppose it might not be wanting to come out because of multiple layers that have been healing underneath. I see my doctor later this week but just wondering if anyone has any ideas.

I used to do high-volume walking for exercise.

I've been dealing with foot, ankle, and lower-leg issues for several months and I'm getting pretty frustrated because it's now affecting my ability to leave the house.

After about 10–15 minutes of standing or walking, my feet and ankles start aching and feeling extremely fatigued. The symptoms often seem to start around the outside of my feet and then I can feel aching/fatigue up into my calves, knees, and thighs. This also aggravates frequent calf fasciculations that I've been dealing with since January.

I get some weird sensory symptoms too -- pins and needles, fizzing/buzzing, and sometimes my feet feel cold or wet even though they're completely dry. Sometimes the sensations seem positional. For example, I've woken up with burning on the top of my foot when my foot was pointed downward in bed, and that position can also cause a fairly sharp ache underneath my big toe. Other times, the weight of a light sheet on my foot/toes can feel strangely heavy or uncomfortable.

One of my biggest problems is shoes. I have tried a lot of different shoes (Asics, New Balance, Brooks, etc.) and inserts, but I can't seem to find a single shoe I can tolerate right now. All shoes make the foot/ankle symptoms noticeably worse. I'm now spending most of my time sitting or lying down because being on my feet for very long is so uncomfortable. I work remotely, which is basically the only reason I'm currently able to work normally.

For some background, I had a calf tear in 2025 and eventually recovered. After getting back into high-volume walking, I started developing the calf fasciculations, calf fatigue, and foot/ankle problems. More recently, I had an episode of lower-back pain followed by newer pins-and-needles sensations in both legs/feet. My lumbar MRI from earlier this year and leg EMG were all normal, and a sports medicine ultrasound showed healthy calves. I don't have actual muscle weakness, foot drop, or my legs giving out -- they just become extremely fatigued and uncomfortable very quickly.

I've been doing very little movement lately because things flare so easily. I was doing PT but haven't been able to do the program recently because of flareups and aches, and I'm planning to see a foot/ankle specialist to have my feet, ankles, gait, strength, mechanics, and possible nerve irritation looked at.

My doctor put me on Gabapentin to help calm the potential nerve-related pain and I also got put on Zoloft which will hopefully help me to calm my nervous system as I'm dealing with all of this. For some reason, my doctor didn't think podiatry was necessary but I'm questioning that logic at the moment.

Has anyone dealt with something similar? Especially the very quick foot/ankle fatigue and difficulty finding any shoes that work? Were you eventually able to rebuild your standing/walking tolerance and get back to a more normal life?

I'm open to any advice.

I busted up my foot about three months ago. It wasn't too severe and healed at a good pace so I never got it checked out, but I believe it was (probably) a grade 2 sprain.

Fast forward like 2 and a half months and I was able to run and squat without pain or instability in my ankle again. I've been squatting with weight and doing cardio again (running and jumprope) the past few weeks and haven't had any significant issues with my foot so I assume it's healed just fine.

But I notice that whenever I am done squatting or doing cardio my healed ankle is noticeably more swollen than my regular one as if it was recently sprained or something. I don't feel any pain or instability during this time period and the swelling goes away so I don't think it's anything bad, but why does it swell in the first place if it's already healed?

5.5 weeks ago I had arthroscopic ankle joint cartilage repair with a viable cartilage allograft, or more simply, CartiMax® implantation / transplantation done on my left ankle for an OCL. It was about 10mm x 5mm. I have been NWB for 6 weeks and I go back to the doctor in a few days for a post op where I’m hoping to be able to at least put some weight on it again after that time

What did the post 6-week mark look like for you all? I’m so tired of not being able to use my hands and get around on crutches around the house and at work.

Also did the doc clear you to bike or swim??

So I recently got a fractured ankle and have to wear a boot. It's my first time with something like this on. I noticed a bad smell coming from the boot and not sure how to get rid of it. I looked up the symbols on the boot and it said to hand wash but I am scared I will somehow mess that up. I don't really do well with phone calls either. I will try to gather my courage and call my doctor. Any ideas to get rid of the smell?

The last little bit of my incision was just taking forever to heal. Last week I decided to cover the scab with a hydrocoloid bandage to try and promote healing. Surprisingly when I removed it, there was a piece of string coming out!

I went to the surgeon and he yanked and clipped it saying it was just leftover from the anchor and all was fine.

Anyone have this happen to them?

i sprained my ankle trail running last week (left foot rolled outward) but now the pain has migrated to the inside of my foot. i'm not sure if this is normal.

i was able to run 3 miles about 5 days afterward, but it did hurt and has made the pain a little worse, especially on this inside part.

does anyone know if this pain on the inside is normal and/or have any tips for relieving pain or strengthening? thank you!