and before you say i shouldnt be asking on here, go to the hospital etc etc……..i dont want to go and wait 5 hrs in accident and emergency for an xray.

2 weeks ago i thought i twisted/sprained my ankle whilst circuit training. painful, but thought itd be fine in a few days. its now 2 weeks and still painful, and its clear that its not my ankle, but the top of my foot thats sore, spreading to where it joins the front of my leg. it hurts when i change direction on it, put weight on it, that sort of thing.

so……..from thinking it was a sprain, to now wondering about metatarsals etc etc, without any knowledge of where different bones and tendons are, natch 🙂

ive got some physical tests for a job next week which include running, and lifting etc.

should i just take anti-inflammatories and hope it gets better in the next few days? obviously if its a break, they wont work, but then id be stuffed anyway wouldnt i? and it wouldnt need a cast i dont think, as i can walk on it and get about, altho pedalling or running in anger are out of the question at the mo.

yes i know youre not doctors, but im just after some general “no it cant be a break or you wouldnt be able to walk on it” or “sounds like tendons/ligaments and they normally take a few weeks to heal” sort of stuff.

unless anyone actually IS a doctor of course and can perform a virtual diagnosis 🙂

cheers

The usual rule of thumb is “if you think its broken its not, if its broken you know” too 100% accurate but not far off.

Ligament damage takes ages to heal – longer than bones in many cases. Is it bruised or swollen? Is there a sore point if you press on it?

Not one for A&E anyway – its not an emergancy if you have had it a couple of weeks. GP time

Get to A&E, go when its quiet. Worst can happen you’ll get a cast for your interview, which if v important you can remove. I had a broken tibia for 2 weeks. Suffered on, like you, until i went to hospital. You may not suffer long term if you leave it. Then again. . . . .

Its not an emergency. Go to your GP.

Sorry sadexpunk but this is a really silly thread, go to you GP! ,thats what they are there for!

I went to my GP after a couple of weeks when I’d actually broken a finger. First thing he did was tell me to go to A&E.

thats exactly whatll happen. GP will say go to hospital.

no, theres no sore point when i press it, or swelling, so i spose thats a good sign?

if ligament damage, will anti-inflammatories help?

ta

If it’s not like this, it’s probably fine….

Yeah, I would definitely rush to A&E. If you’re worried about the long wait call an ambulance – you’ll find that the doctor will see you quicker if you do that.

And whilst you’re there, I would insist on having an ECG. Don’t let them fob you off with “but you haven’t got any chest pain” – you’ve had a nasty shock and there’s no point taking chances. Plus it’s always nice to know everything’s alright with the old ticker.

Oh, and make certain that they take your blood pressure – they sometimes forget to do that.

btw, I’m not a doctor ……. but I know about this sort of stuff.

If you decide to get it seen, get it seen at A&E, as that’s where the GP will send you anyway – in my experience.

Last time I went to A&E for an ankle injury it took about 1hr in the evening – depends where you live I guess.

As for,

no it cant be a break or you wouldnt be able to walk on it

– this is totally untrue.

Ligament damage can often be worse than a break too as well, although if it’s ligament damage it tends to swell up loads, and be very painful.

Anyway, when I went to A&E, they took an X-Ray. The gal that did it thought she spotted a slight fracture but the more experienced person thought otherwise, so I just got some crutches.

Here I am 5 months later, and it still hasn’t heeled up properly – I can run and stuff, but it’s often painful (spesh in the morning), and I don’t have full flexibility in it *weep*

Get it seen too – if its broken you need to take care so that any bones can repair themselves properly. If you don’t the problem could last for months.

Skip the GP and A&E, go straight to B&Q and buy a bucket, some cement and a bag of sharp sand. Make your own bucket shaped cast asap and rest it for 6 weeks.

Be fine and if they ask why you have a bucket of cement on one of your feet at the interview, just say ‘oh really, I hadn’t noticed, I wonder how that got there?’ – that will confuse them.

Erm… you can’t wait more than 4 hrs in an A&E – targets etc. So they will X-ray it in <2hrs just in case you need something doing.

Also go early on a weekday morning, that’ll be quietest.

No wait, that’s all silly, ’cause it happened ages ago… defo not an emergency.

GP will say wait and see, 6-8wks for ligaments etc, you’ve been getting around fine, and by now if it was broken it would require surgery to re-break & set.

Good luck 😉