Day 0 : Ligament rips

In my case, I was playing a game of squash - went for a stretch with my right leg - and my left ankle gave in!

What then happened,

• the first minute was just pain. I couldn't put any weight on my ankle
• use my squash racquet as a mini-crutch and limp to seat nearby
• surprise! the ankle joint is the size of a coconut. that can't be good!

Then, I get a bag of ice immediately to try and reduce the swelling.

My mind reads,

• how bad can this be! In the worst case it must be a fracture
• but i didn't really stress my ankle badly
• did i put too much weight since i was moving?
• do I need to go a hospital?
• maybe I can walk in 15 minutes
• this cannot be happening to me!

Reality

there was no way, I could not even walk 5 meters. I got wheel-chaired to a taxi and went to the hospital.

IT IS A GOOD IDEA TO RUSH TO A HOSPITAL WHEN,
· your ankle is so painful that you cannot walk on it all
· the ankle looks deformed
· the skin over the ankle is broken
· the injury was caused by a severe force such as a fall from a height or a blow
from a heavy object
· the pain and swelling seem to get worse rather than better over the first 34
days (the bruising often gets worse for a week or more before it starts to fade)
(http://alexwee.com/en/information/Ankle_Ligaments_AW.pdf)

At the hospital

• the doctor looks at the huge lump on my ankle and suspects a fracture
• there is some soft tissue damage, as inferred from the redness of the wound
• i immediately get an x-ray done - clean as a whistle. all bones look intact
• doc says, but there is a ligament shadow which is missing! (Ligaments cannot be imaged on a X-RAY).
• Doc concludes - this is a ligament tear. The severity will be known only few days down the line. Meanwhile, I'm supposed to take complete rest.

I definitely didn't see that coming. the swelling hasn't come down yet.

Short-term solution

• So they put a soft cast - with the top half being open.
• Once the swelling reduces they will upgrade me to a hard and more elegant cast.

Medication

• chymotrypsin - to reduce the redness and swelling (obviously, check with your doc)
• pain-killers