Rebecca VA Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 My 12-year-old was walking her dog yesterday morning. She decided to do some ballet steps and jumps on the sidewalk and she slipped on some wet leaves. Her ankle has been hurting since then (about a 5-6 on a scale of 10), and she's limping. She's going to be dancing in The Nutcracker in a few weeks, doing jumps. What would you do in this situation? Should I take her to a regular doctor? Urgent care? The emergency room? Or should I (try to) wrap it myself and hope for the best? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 Personally, I'd want to be sure that it wasn't fractured or something. I'd probably end up taking her to her regular doctor and see what they suggest. You want her totally healthy quickly for her ballet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 Are you sure it's a sprain? Does this child have a history of sprains? (My husband has a long history of sprains and although we took him in the first, really bad one, we haven't for any of the others. But he's an adult, we have a lot of experience with ankle sprains, and he's not planning to leap around in a tutu anytime soon.) I'd probably call the doctor, explain the situation to a nurse and follow her/his recommendation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 Well, since she is going to do the Nutcracker in a couple of weeks, I would take her to her regular doctor as soon as possible. I don't think this warrants an ER visit. But then again, I'm not a doctor nor do I play one on TV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 I would use ice on it a *lot* and take her to her regular doctor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 I don't go when the doctor can't do anything more than I can do. I would do RICE: rest, ice, compression, elevation plus ibuprofen. The important thing is to deal with the swelling quickly, which is the compression part. Keep icing it 20 min at a time, several times a day (try for once an hour or more) for the first 48 hours. Ibuprofen helps with both the pain and swelling. Stay off of it (rest) She shouldn't walk on it and should keep it elevated (have her prop it up on a stool while she's sitting, on a pillow when she's in bed (again, that is to control the swelling) That is all a doctor is going to tell you to do. There is nothing medicine can do to speed the healing of a sprain. If it doesn't start feeling better in a few days (or feels worse), take her in for an x-ray in case it's a fracture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WiseOwlKnits Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 I would take her to rule out a fracture. Doctor if they're open, urgent care/ER if the doc isn't. If it still hurt after taking her to the doc/ER, I'd make an appointment with an orthopedic doc. I fell down a flight of stairs when I was in college. The doctor in the ER told me I'd just sprained my ankles (yes, both...I am a TOTAL klutz) really bad and treated it as such. 6 weeks later when I was still in pain (and home for Spring Break), my mom took me to an orthopedic doctor, who told me I'd torn every tendon and ligament in my ankles. The only solution to fix things at that point was to operate on both ankles, casts for 6 weeks, and then months of physical therapy because everything had started to re-attach in the wrong spots and I'd walked on them for 6 weeks after the injury, causing more damage. 10 years later, I still have problems with my ankles. But if I'd seen an ortho right after it happened, he said it would have been much easier to fix. So I'd be very proactive about it. But then after what I went through, it's probably easy to see why. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 I can't imagine not taking her to at least the doctor. It is worth the cost of a co-payment to have the doctor feel the ankle and make sure it is not broken and an x-ray if she suspects anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 I'd want to rule out the fracture -- I did that a couple of years ago, and only went to the ER so dh would stop making me crazy with: "What if it's broken?" (I had tripped over his shoes the night before) -- It was broken --RICE and I would have the fracture ruled out. Oh, and same thing with DD's arm the same year I fx my ankle -- she kept telling us it was okay - five days after the fall, we went to the ER, and it was broken. You don't know until they take the x-ray unfortunately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 I'd go to the doctor, or at least call the nurse at your office for guidance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 I would use ice on it a *lot* and take her to her regular doctor. :iagree: Sprains can take forever to heal, and since she'll be dancing, I would want to make sure it was taken care of properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca VA Posted November 18, 2009 Author Share Posted November 18, 2009 Update: We're back from seeing the nurse practitioner at the pediatrician's office. She told us she wasn't an orthopedist and couldn't do anything. She gave us a referral to the radiology center -- across town -- for x-rays. She said we might want to go to the pharmacy and pick up an ankle brace. The x-ray tech said he didn't see any breaks (I know the radiologist still needs to see the x-rays as well). So we're back to where we were earlier this morning. The ankle still isn't wrapped, nor was I given any advice on how to do that. The nurse practitioner said we should have just gone directly to the ankle specialist in town. (I wish they had said that on the phone when I first made the appointment!) It was a frustrating morning, and I really don't know if I should try anything else at this point. Thanks, everyone, for your advice. If this morning accomplished nothing else, it confirmed to me that we need to change pediatric practices. I've been trying to go as little as possible to this one because I hate it so much, and now I'm determined never to go there again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 Update: We're back from seeing the nurse practitioner at the pediatrician's office. She told us she wasn't an orthopedist and couldn't do anything. She gave us a referral to the radiology center -- across town -- for x-rays. She said we might want to go to the pharmacy and pick up an ankle brace. The x-ray tech said he didn't see any breaks (I know the radiologist still needs to see the x-rays as well). So we're back to where we were earlier this morning. The ankle still isn't wrapped, nor was I given any advice on how to do that. The nurse practitioner said we should have just gone directly to the ankle specialist in town. (I wish they had said that on the phone when I first made the appointment!) It was a frustrating morning, and I really don't know if I should try anything else at this point. Thanks, everyone, for your advice. If this morning accomplished nothing else, it confirmed to me that we need to change pediatric practices. I've been trying to go as little as possible to this one because I hate it so much, and now I'm determined never to go there again! That is frustrating. Dh & I have both sprained ankles in Judo the last couple of years. I went to a doctor who was of the same caliber as the one you saw. I just kept mine wrapped with a soft ankle brace I bought at the store. Dh saw our new doctor (who specializes in sports injuries), and the doctor told him he could give him a boot-thing, but he turned it down and used the same wrap. Now a Judo friend (who goes to the same doctor) was just in for a sprain, and she took the boot. It's stiffer than the ankle wrap we were using. All this to say--I would go to a pharmacy and get the sturdiest ankle wrap you can find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jann in TX Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 My middle dd is VERY accident prone... I've BTDT way too many times with foot/ankle injuries. I would NEVER have suggested seeing a regular Dr--without x-rays they would not be able to do anything--and if they order x-rays they would only refer you to a specialist if the report came back abnormal. We usually go straight to the ER to find out if it is broken or sprained. Yes, we've had a few long waits--but most of the time we are in and out in less than 2 hours. The time dd actually broke her ankle (and foot) was the time she felt the LEAST amount of pain and had the LEAST amount of swelling/bruising... This past summer dd took a bad fall off of her bike (mountain bike on a dirt road--sharp curve) her bike landed on her foot--it started swelling and bruising immediately. Off to the ER... it was NOT broken but she still needed to see a specialist because she tore some ligaments. She wore her brace LONGER than she wore her cast when she broke her other foot 2 years ago! Luckily we have good insurance that does not require a needless appointment with a GP first. -- I learned a long time ago that general practitioners/peds. are limited--we go to them for colds and such (well check-ups too) but anything else goes to a specialist (especially EAR INFECTIONS--long story there). --Soft tissue injuries to the foot/ankle can take much LONGER to heal--if your dd is not getting better in a few days (and there are no breaks) please take her to a foot specialist (ortho or podiatrist) I had one injury from a mis-step that took 12 weeks in a boot/cast to heal (no breaks)... Hope your dd feels better soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 (edited) I'd get it checked out - a teen here fractured a bone in her foot simply landing wrong during a game of basketball! Our Urgent Care, cheaper than the ER, can do X-rays/blood work - maybe not all can??? BTW - keep her OFF her feet for a few days! Edited November 18, 2009 by JFSinIL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 Wow, that is strange. Our docs can all have x-rays done just down the hall and they are looked at by a radiologist within a couple of hours. We have to go to the ER if we need a cast right away though. I sprained my ankle a few years ago, and I was given an air cast at the doc's office which was soooo helpful. That was the only way I could walk, any pressure made it hurt and the doc said I should not walk on it without the brace if I wanted it to heal quickly. It took about a week and a half to walk without the air cast and another couple of weeks to be pain free, but I hurt it really bad. The doc said it would have hurt less if I had just broken it lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critter Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 Something similar happened to my son a couple years ago. He injured his ankle in wrestling practice, and since he didn't seem to be in much pain, the coach said he didn't think it was broken and just to ice it. However, I decided to take him to Docs on Call to have it checked. They x-rayed it, and initially said there was no break, but later that evening they left a message on our answering machine that the radiologist had found a break and it was in the growth plate. If we had not taken care of it (he saw an orthopedic doc for a year and a physical therapist) he could have ended up with serious growth issues in that limb. I will always be glad that we erred on the side of caution because his ankle is a sound as ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 I wouldn't bother with seeing a doctor unless they could do an immediate x-ray for an injury which means Urgent Care, the Emergency Room, or the Orthopedist. The local primary care docs can't do that. I have a bad ankle that I've sprained multiple times and had surgery on, and I always go back to the same orthopedist, but I get in right away because I'm a repeat customer. Last time I had a hairline fracture in addition to the sprain, so I was glad that I didn't mess around. Also for icing, I've always had the best results with putting ice-and-water in a bucket and keeping my foot in for as long as I can stand, then take it out, then repeat for up to an hour total. This works better for generalized swelling than an ice pack, and I've done it twice a day when my ankle is real bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 My first thought is that, if you don't want her to have the FLU for the Nutcracker (on top of the sprained ankle), then you might want to skip the ER and Urgent care. I would take her in to the doctor (and try to be the first appt in the am LOL) and have it x-rayed just to be sure it is only a sprain. If she wasn't in the Nutcracker in a few weeks, I would probably just keep her home, ice her ankle, and give her motrin for the pain/swelling if there is any. The ballet changes the action because, if it happens to have a fracture somewhere, time is of the essence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teamturner Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 (edited) If you can find a pediatric orthopedic specialist (sports medicine type doctor) to take her to make an appointment today. My 8 yo dd hurt her ankle almost a month ago and it wasn't getting better. I thought she had just sprained it since she could walk/run on it. It only hurt when she moved it a certain way and not very much. She fell and landed on the side of her ankle where that round thing sticks out. Anyways, took her to a specialist yesterday and it turns out that she has a small fracture on her growth plate which requires a cast for 3 weeks. The doctor said that it is a common injury in children her age. Fortunately I didn't need a referral but if you do, then find the doctor you want to go to and then call your pediatrician and ask them to fax the referral to that doctor's office. I was in and out w/x-ray, doctor time, and a cast put on in an hour and a half. :001_smile: http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Growth_Plate_Injuries/default.asp Edited to add this link about growth plate injuries. Edited November 18, 2009 by Michelle in TX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary in VA Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 We're in VA too and I have a dancer. In addition to the Nutcracker my dd is in, we are going to see Ballet NOVA's Nutcracker in a couple of weeks. Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca VA Posted November 18, 2009 Author Share Posted November 18, 2009 Hi! She's in Loudoun Ballet's production (http://www.loudounballet.org/thenutcracker.php). She's a Tea. We got a call from the radiology clinic, and she does not have a fracture. If the pain doesn't go away in a few days, I'll get her lined up with the orthopedist. This has been an expensive and time-consuming lesson. Thanks for all the advice and stories, everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted November 19, 2009 Share Posted November 19, 2009 I now always take my kids to the orthopedist. This is after three breaks that were misread by radiologists (in two different states :)). Having an orthopedist who can look at an xray and examine the patient too is what is crucial. Even if if is a not a fracture, he or she can recommend other treatments or devices. Twice my dd who has osteoporosis did not have a fracture but had other musco-sceletal problems that needed special care. One was bone bruising and another was an issue with her ligaments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tam101 Posted November 19, 2009 Share Posted November 19, 2009 It's doubtful she fell hard enough to cause a fracture. Here is a great website. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00150 My dd has sprained her ankle playing volleyball twice, same ankle. My dd's would have been a two the first time around. The second time she was wearing ankle braces and still ended up with close to a two. She probably would have broke it without the braces! And stupidly she didn't tell her coach because she wanted to keep playing. *sigh* Ice, elevate, ibuprofen and wrap it before she dances. Keep in mind it could take months for it to fully heal! It's been a couple years since the last sprain and my dd's ankle is still larger then the other. My husband sprained his about a year ago, same story. His was probably a one though. He never experienced in looseness in the joint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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