Grade 3 Sprain and not being able to feel any progress into week 3 - getting very nervous
I tried to consider myself a very proactive, relatively mindful person when it comes to my body and my health. I had my first sprained ankle and felt the “pop” and dropped to the ground. After going to urgent care and getting an x-ray that confirmed there was no broken bone. I decided to put a boot on and finish a (Hair Client) that day and could feel it beginning to swallow even more. After that, I started the rice method and lightened my load for the next couple days so I can get through a weekend with some extra rest. With no significant improvement in the swelling went and saw an orthopedic doctor on the seventh day got another x-ray, which confirmed no broken bone but soft tissue damage. Dr guessed it was between a grade 2 or 3. I went ahead and got my own MRI the following day to get more insight of what’s going on. I tried again working one of the days I had an easy client, rolled around on my chair mostly with very little weight put on ankle but the next day it actually felt worse. Ended up going back to the doctor, which ended up being around the two week mark from my fall and got the results which were much worse than the doctor originally thought my injury was. It is now considered a grade 3 multi ligament tear and I’m having additional issues with my tendons and peroneal nerve/tendon.
Maybe the doctor was having a bad day, but she made it seem like I needed to deep tissue massage through the hematoma and dry blood that was stuck inside my ankle and try to get some improvement with my tendons and that a lot of it I needed to do on my own so that I could elude surgery. She wasn’t very nice and then kept me on my original 30 60 90 plan of weight-bearing over the next few weeks that was originally giving me per the old scaling of the injury that she thought it was.
This is all new territory for me and I do love my work but I honestly feel unstable now on my ankle in the standing position or the pressure of the inflammation feels uncomfortable.
MRI findings
Your MRI indicates a severe lateral ankle sprain involving a complete (Grade 3) rupture of the anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL), significant bone bruising (contusions) inside the ankle joint, localized bleeding/swelling (\(4.1 \times 4.0 \times 0.7\text{ cm}\)), and secondary strain on the deep deltoid fibers and peroneal tendon sheath. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Summary of Findings
Ligament Tears: Complete Grade 3 tear of the anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) with potential involvement of the calcaneofibular ligament (CFL) and retinaculum. Mild partial tear of the deep deltoid ligament. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Bone Contusions & Effusion: Patchy edema (bone bruises) inside the talus bone accompanied by moderate-to-large joint fluid and blood accumulation (hemarthrosis). [1]
Tendon Involvement: Flattening and tendinosis of the peroneus brevis tendon with tenosynovitis or surrounding hematoma.
Soft Tissue Swelling: Substantial swelling and localized fluid collection/post-traumatic bleeding measuring about \(4.1 \times 4.0 \times 0.7\text{ cm}\) near the outer ankle. [1, 2, 3, 4]
I’m so sorry this is a lot of information and a very long-winded post but I was just hoping to find anybody else who has had something similar happened to them.