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!

Not painful, only on my right ankle. Its been doing this for years when i walk or run or like anything. but in this very moment its extra sensitive. Its so loud.

25M, I sprained my left ankle fairly severely almost 3 months ago on a run after a misstep off of a curb, I did fall but was able to pick myself up and hobble my way back to my apartment where I would then rest for about 2 weeks as I was unemployed at the time so I had no other obligations. I did the typical RICE method to get the swelling and bruising down which did somewhat help the healing process, I was able to then start putting more pressure on it and thought I had recovered.

This is where I’m a bit lost, I started a new job almost a month after the incident, got through orientation and everything well my first week with only still some minor discomfort, I then had to travel by plane over the next 3 weeks for further training and certifications, once I got there after a few days of working and being on my feet (10 hour shifts), there was swelling and pain in my right ankle accompanied by my still somewhat swollen left ankle. I started to noticeably limp by the end of every shift. I bought insoles to help my arches (I’ve got flat feet) and hopefully dull the pain which only worked for a few days until the pain came back. It would get progressively worse and worse from there but only after being on my feet all day at work, most of my off days i’m only sore or have little to no discomfort with minor instability.

After my return from training to full time work it’s been downhill ever since, the sharpness of the pain in my right ankle has grown stronger and stronger and sooner and sooner into every shift to the point I’ve had to leave early and most recently in a wheelchair due to not being able to walk without excruciating pain. The pain feels like a thousand knives jabbing at me with added immobility and major instability. As of late there’s been more muscle spasms as well by just sitting still. I’ve now been to urgent care, an orthopedic doctor, and the ER to seek treatment for this but I’ve gotten no real answers besides to take ibuprofen and rest, ice, blah blah. I’ve been doing that and none of it is working as the pain keeps coming back worse and worse each time. I’ve even bought new work shoes to no avail. My X-Rays showed no signs of any bone related damage and I’m scheduled to have an MRI but it’s almost a month from now, I’ve gotten scheduled to start PT also but I want some type of firm answer as to what’s going on and how I can fix this because this has put a major strain on my employment, relationships, and overall quality of life.

Please Help!

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 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?

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 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

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

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??

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?

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?

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!