The Case of the Injured Ankle
Ankle injuries bring patients into our Cuyahoga County podiatry practice all the time. They’re extremely common, but at the same time it’s rare that a person who’s hurt their ankle understands immediately how bad the damage is. Knowing the difference between a sprain and a break can be a bit of a mystery.
The difficulty lies in the similarities of symptoms. With both a sprained ankle and a broken ankle, you’re going to experience pain, swelling, and bruising. So the best course of action is to have your ankle checked out by a qualified foot and ankle specialist. Enter Dr. Megan L. Oltmann and Dr. Craig B. Frey of Foot & Ankle Associates of Cleveland. They’re experts in detecting the kind of injury you’ve got and guiding you through the best treatment.
Clues that it’s only a sprain
A sprained ankle means that you’ve damaged the soft tissues surrounding the various ankle bones. If you’ve overstretched a ligament or it’s got a small tear, chances are you’ve got a minor sprain. Pain, swelling, and bruising will be on the moderate side and your ankle may be able to bear some weight.
The plot thickens
On the other hand, you might have a severe sprain, where you’ve completely torn apart one or more ligaments. You can’t put any weight on your ankle at all. Don’t even think about getting your fingerprints anywhere near the area – it’s incredibly tender. The pain doesn’t improve at all and will probably feel worse the next day. But here’s the crux of the problem: these clues that point to a severe sprain can also point to a fracture.
Mystery solved
There’s no need to wonder how bad your ankle injury is. Our podiatry office in beautiful Solon, Ohio is equipped with everything you need to solve the mystery once and for all:
- Podiatrists with expertise in traumatic injury and injury repair
- A highly trained staff to make you feel right at home
- Digital x-ray equipment that gives us an immediate, accurate look at the damage
For prompt and professional care of your ankle injury, contact us online for an appointment, or give us a call at (440) 903-1041.
