When You "Land Funny" On Your Foot...

Accidents can happen at any point, especially to our feet and ankles. Simply walking down the stairs or stepping on toys laying around can lead to sprains, strains, fractures, or breaks. Let’s say you do hurt your ankle by ‘landing funny’. It hurts a bit and it seems like you might have ‘twisted your ankle’. What do you do?

First, if at any point you hurt your foot or ankle, use the RICE method; rest, ice, compression, and elevation.

Rest - stop walking around and rest your foot and ankle
Ice - apply ice to the area to decrease inflammation and swelling
Compression - wrap the feet and ankle with an elastic bandage
Elevation - take a load off and put your feet up (higher than your heart)

Second, call my office to make an appointment for evaluation. Treatment options differ for strains, sprains, and fractures. If left unattended, sprains and strains can turn into major problems. Don’t delay, make the appointment.

Third, at the office, I will take X-rays and inspect your foot and ankle.
If broken - I will set the break by lining the bones in order to heal properly. If it’s not a clean break and can’t be set, surgery may be needed. Pins and metal plates help to fix and rebuild the bones for proper healing. I will then cast the foot and leg.

If fractured - Depending upon the severity of the fracture and it’s location, I will either cast the foot or have the patient wear a special boot that will immobilize the foot. Rest and immobilization is a common treatment for a fracture. X-rays will determine if a bone is fractured or broken.

If sprained - This is less severe than a fracture and broken bone. The patient will typically wear a boot to immobilize the foot and rest is encouraged to speed up the healing process. Patients resume normal activity and use of the foot quickly.

Citation:

Photo by tongson. (2007). Toy car wreck. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/fcker/457500394/