How to determine whether a sprained ankle is a fracture

Everyone will feel very uncomfortable after spraining their ankle, and sprains can be divided into mild and severe. A mild ankle sprain will only sprain the tendons but will not affect the bones. Severe ankle sprains can cause fractures, so you need to go to the hospital for treatment immediately. If necessary, use a splint to fix it to avoid bone dislocation, which will make it difficult to recover later. So, how do you determine whether you have a fracture after spraining your ankle?

1. My quick and simple injury assessment after ankle sprain

1. The area framed by the black outline of the lateral malleolus is the bone if you press hard. If only the ligament is injured, there will be no tenderness or only slight tenderness in this area, while there will be severe tenderness in the yellow area below. If the bone is injured, there will be severe tenderness when pressing on the outline area.

2. The area outlined by the black line on the inner ankle is a hard part where bones appear. If only the ligament is injured, there will be no tenderness or only slight tenderness in this area, while there will be severe tenderness in the yellow area below. If the bone is injured, there will be severe tenderness when pressing on the outline area.

2. Simple diagnosis and treatment process of sprained ankle

1. If the above method determines that there is no bone injury, then you do not need to go to the hospital for the time being. Follow the treatment method for ankle ligament injury (which will be described in the next article) and treat it at home for one week. If the symptoms gradually improve, you can continue the treatment at home until you fully recover. If the symptoms do not improve after a week or even worsen, you still need to go to the hospital for further treatment.

2. If you determine that your bones are injured using the above method, please go to the hospital immediately for an X-ray.

3. If the ankle joint is so swollen that the bone outline cannot be felt, it is better to go to the hospital for treatment.

3. Acute ankle sprain treatment at home

Early control of bleeding and exudation at the injured site within 24 hours is the key to relieving symptoms and also provides a good foundation for subsequent treatment. In the early stages of a sprain, cold treatment (ice compress) can shrink the locally damaged small blood vessels, reduce local microvascular bleeding, alleviate local inflammatory response, and reduce tissue fluid exudation, so as to achieve the purpose of reducing early swelling.