Allay my fears of amputation!

April 18, 2007 7:11 AM

What is with these dark spots below my recently sprained ankle?

I know you're not doctors, and I plan to see one soon, but I figure I'm over-reacting to this symptom and need to be set straight so I can stop worrying. Short history:

I was hiking on Sunday and sprained my ankle four miles from the car. We wrapped it and I hobbled home, no big deal. The next day I went to work (office job) with no wrap, wore my normal shoes. I figured it'd heal faster immobilized, so I bought a brace that night and wore it all day yesterday. There was minimal discomfort when wearing the brace. This morning I took it off, and there were marks low on my foot that I took to be stains from the brace material at first, but now I can only assume they're bruises. But I can't figure out any earthly cause for bruises to appear now. They're beneath the ankle on both sides (I only sprained the outside ligament) and not at points where shoes would cause a bruise. They're neither painful nor numb, nor is the foot in general (when I stand there is some pain at the ankle, likely from blood returning to the swollen parts of the sprained area w/o the brace). I've seen enough actors-playing-doctors-on-TV to have vague fears of tissue death and whatnot, but I'm sure there's a more straightforward explanation. That's where you come in!!


Thanks --

posted by Chris4d to health & fitness (13 comments total)

First, I'm sure you know this already, but Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation.

I've sprained both ankles too many times to count, and what you're seeing is in fact bruising - sprains damage a lot of blood vessels, not just the ones localized to the spot of the sprain. Nothing to worry about.

If your sprains are like mine, those bruises will turn lots of pretty colors in the next few days.
posted by pdb at 7:20 AM on April 18, 2007

The swelling will occur soon after the injury but bruising and discolouration may not show until some time later.

Obvious bruising may come up immediately, but often takes hours or even a few days to appear.
posted by iconomy at 7:23 AM on April 18, 2007

I did some major damage to my arms once, and the doctor told me that the bruises might "travel" down my arm and into my hand. This is because a bruise happens when you bleed but your skin doesn't break. In some parts of your body the blood will move around and you'll see it under your skin someplace other than where you were hurt. In my case, I did get a few bruises away from the injury site, and they didn't hurt if I pressed on them.
posted by carmen at 7:36 AM on April 18, 2007

I sprained my ankle a few months ago, and there was indeed bruising that started at the location of the sprain but was pulled down to the bottom of my foot, thanks to gravity. My doctor assured me that was normal. In a few days, the bruises will turn all green and purple.
posted by muddgirl at 7:46 AM on April 18, 2007

This happened to me just a few weeks ago. Sprained my ankle on Monday, wrapped and iced it diligently -- and bruises appeared all over my foot on Wednesday morning.

If it feels like a bruise -- tender and a little swollen -- it's probably just a bruise. But if you're really worried, go ahead and see a doctor. Sometimes ankle sprains can come with hairline fractures that you don't notice until you twist your foot the wrong way -- so if you're paranoid, just go get an x-ray to settle your mind.
posted by ourobouros at 7:47 AM on April 18, 2007

Also, consider taking a break from watching House for a couple weeks while you heal.
posted by ourobouros at 7:49 AM on April 18, 2007

yay, you guys are awesome!
posted by Chris4d at 7:56 AM on April 18, 2007

I did this to my ankle a couple years ago. I waited 3 days to go to the doctor and I'm fine now. Biking, hiking, running, it's all good. Just a little stiff once in awhile, but I'm getting old.

Bad Ankle

You should be fine!
posted by whoda at 8:59 AM on April 18, 2007

My ankle and heel are bruised pretty much all the time due to a long-ago injury. Doctors generally ask about it, I tell them about the injury, and they say some form of "yeah, that'd do it."

I find it's actually a useful barometer for circulation quality/quantity in my foot. IANAD, but I would guess that you'll heal more quickly if you keep the foot elevated enough to keep the bruising to a minimum.
posted by backupjesus at 10:23 AM on April 18, 2007

my experience/explanation is pretty much the same as everyone else's (sprained ankle resulting in blood pooling/bruising in my foot below the injury), but wanted to add an additional recommendation: acupuncture.

i'd never seen an acupuncturist before spraining my ankle. but after two weeks of not-much-improvement (it was a pretty bad sprain) despite taping, chiropractor, RICE, etc., a friend recommended seeing an acupuncturist. it took a few appointments due to the fact that i'd waited, but needle therapy fixed it right up.
posted by the luke parker fiasco at 10:31 AM on April 18, 2007

Yep, it's just blood pooling. Wean yourself off of the brace as quickly as possible to hasten full recovery of strength and flexibility.
posted by Manjusri at 10:57 AM on April 18, 2007

Last year I missed a step while following someone down a hallway. Sprained my ankle & hairline fractured the bone on the outside middle bottom of my left foot. I honestly didn't know that skin could TURN those colors. After 2 days, my toes were the most interesting shades of solid green purple... and I didn't sprain my toes. They weren't injured at all.
posted by miss lynnster at 11:01 AM on April 18, 2007

slightly related for future googlers,
Sprained Ankle on Camelback
(sobering mainly because I am always running up and down Camelback Mountain. Why'd it have to be local...)
posted by Chris4d at 6:25 PM on April 18, 2007