🚀 go-pugleaf

In <1993Jan4.150931.26136@lpi.liant.com> joes@lpi.liant.com (Joe Stewart) writes:

>Two questions:

>   a.  How to prevent them?

 Don't run on areas where hidden objects could flip your foot. Your injury
in the dark cannot be avoided if you can't see where your stepping.

 I've had several ankle injuries and now take much greater precautions. Watch
out for leaves covering rocks, roots, holes. Ankle stretching helps abit but
a violent twist will still cause serious injury.

 Shoes with wider soles/heels are more stable than other types.

 Running when tired makes one more susceptible to twists.


>   b.  What to do when you get them?

>Oh yes, the swelling has come down a bit and the ugly, blue bruise has begun
>to show up.  I can see the blue best on the inside of the ankle, though the
>discoleration has spread to the top and outside of the ankle.

 If your foot is stuck in a comfortable but unnatural position I would 
recommend seeing an orthopedist. The degree of bruising makes me reminisce
about a sprain I got on a chunk of ice in the road. My ankle swelled up to
the aprox size of a small baseball or large golf ball, almost
immediately. I didn't use the ice I stepped on, but a nearby piece to ice
it up on the spot.

 After 3 days of hoping it would get better I got tired of all my friends
telling me I better go see a doctor-- so I did. (I got used to gingerly 
hopping around so I entered the office with a lot of energy). The doctor 
took the x-rays, told me I had no breaks, just tendon/ligament damage (the
bruising up the side of my calf), and proceeded to force my ankle back into
a normal position (instep aprox 90deg to shin). He told me to hold this     
position while he wrapped my foot in a cast. It was fairly painful but I
figured I only had to hold it for a few more moments. When he told me I
could relax, I was a bit suprised to find that I couldn't as the cast prevent-
ed me from returning to my non-painful position.

 Remember how I hopped into the office? Well, getting out was another story.
Ten pounds of new mass on one side of my body (happily I forget which side),
and new crutches, while cringing in pain, the other patients in various 
stages of broken-ness, probably had a bit of catharsis-like glee in seeing
me, practically careen out through the waiting room. I came in through the
waiting room in aprox 15 secs; to took me aprox 3 minutes to get out!

 This is not to scare you or deter you from seeing the doctor. Your injury
is probably not as bad as this, but if you do have to go, at least you will
be a bit more mentally prepared than I was.

-- 
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