Hurt my ankle please help me!

Question

Okay i was climbing a tree with some friends and i fell like 3 feet onto my ankle sideways on a tree piece. my ankle is lightly bruised and was kinda swollen. i cant jump, climb stairs. i couldnt walk yesterday at all but i can walk today with a mild/lot of pain sometimes, i cant go on my toes i walk on my heels. any suggestions of what may of happened or what to do? im 13 btw

Answer 1

I think you should go to get an Xray ASAP.  It might not be a broken bone, but it's risky to leave a broken bone unattended, especially in someone who's still growing!

Try to avoid any pressure on that foot for now.  

Try to rest it, elevate it (put it up on the couch or on a coffee table, the higher the angle the better), and put ice on it.  If you have a tensor bandage, you could wrap the foot, too.

You may have done a few things:

- broken a bone (either completely or just a slight fracture or a chip)

- sprained a ligament (the connective tissue that holds bones together)

- strained a tendon (the connective tissue that hold muscles to bones)

There are tonnes of ligaments and tonnes of little muscles in your foot and ankle.  It's a complicated part of your body and I think you should get it looked at.  

Make sure you eat really well while it's healing - lots of protein and lots of fruit & veg!

Good luck!

Answer 2

At very least, you sprained your ankle. You may even have broken it. You should ask your parents about getting it X-rayed.