The symptoms of a sprain and of a fracture are very similar. In fact, fractures can sometimes be mistaken for sprains. That’s why it’s important to have an ankle injury evaluated by a doctor as soon as possible. The signs include:

  • Pain, often sudden and severe
  • Swelling
  • Bruising
  • Inability to walk or bear weight on the injured joint

With a sprain, the ankle may also be stiff. With a fracture the area will be tender to the touch, and the ankle may also look deformed or out of place.

If the sprain is mild, the swelling and pain may be slight. But with a severe sprain, there is much swelling and the pain is typically intense.

Tendinitis and acute tears of the peroneal tendon result in both pain and swelling. In addition, the ankle area will feel warm to the touch with tendinitis. With an acute tear, there will be a weakness or instability of the foot and ankle.

Tendinosis may take years to develop. Symptoms include:

  • Sporadic pain on the outside of the ankle
  • Weakness or instability in the ankle
  • An increase in the height of the foot’s arch

With the subluxation you will notice ankle instability or weakness. You also may notice sporadic pain behind the outside ankle bone and a “snapping” feeling around the ankle bone.

 

Diagnosis

The first thing a doctor will do is ask questions about how the injury occurred. Then the doctor will examine the ankle, noting the amount of swelling and bruising. The physical examination of the ankle may be painful because the doctor needs to move the ankle to evaluate the pain and swelling in order to make a proper diagnosis.

The doctor may order an ankle X-ray to determine whether there are any broken bones. In addition to an ankle X-ray, your doctor may ask for X-rays of the leg and foot to determine whether there may be other related injuries. If the doctor suspects a stress fracture, the doctor will ask for other imaging scans such as an MRI, which will show more detail about the injury. If there is a fracture, the doctor may also ask for a stress test, which is a special X-ray taken with pressure applied to the joint. This will help the doctor determine whether surgery is needed.

For most ankle injuries, pain is controlled by using an over-the-counter medication such as acetaminophen or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug such as ibuprofen. The specific treatment of the injury depends on the type of injury.