sprained ankle vs. twisted ankle

[Perschmoo]

which is more severe or are they the same thing?

[Perez14]

They can be the smae thing. Anytime you twist your ankle you stretch ligaments and/or tendons at the very least. Which is either a sprain if you get ligaments or a strain if you get tendons. There are varying degrees to each, a stretch being the lowest degree and a complete tear being the highest. Find the bone that sticks out on th outside of your ankle. If there is pain anywhere from in front of it to below it you have a psrained ankle. If you have pain anywhere from about half way between your pinkie toe and your heel, or up the side of your calf you have a strained tendon. If you want you can send me pictures of you pointing to where the pain is on your ankle and I can tell you which is which and possibly how bad it is. You best bet is to go see a doctor though.

[Dubge]

I am just getting over a sprained ankle, happened at work.
It was swollen for 2 weeks and is still soar 3 and a half weeks after I did it (but I am able to work w/o much discomfort)
I would say if you twisted your ankle is will be soar for a couple of days, a sprain takes up to a year with out reinjuring it to fully heal. I sprained the other ankle pretty bad 5 years ago and to this day I still feel it when I streach it a specific way.
I would say have it xrayed because it could be a fracture and you only think it is sprained, happened to a buddy when we were kids and he walked around on it all night

[Perez14]

If they are walkiing on it is most likely a hair line fracture at best. An X-Ray won't show much else besides a little swelling.

[Perschmoo]

thanks for the input.

the reason for the question though is that many times while watching sprots, say basketball, a player will leave with a 'twisted' ankle. it seems that most the time they come back within a game or two. however, if it is diagnosed as a sprain, then they seem to out weeks instead of days. so i was wondering is twist was a synonym for slight sprain or is is completely a different thing.
also, does sprain mean partial tearing of the ligament where maybe twisting refers to a non-tear?

[Dubge]

a twisted ankle is less of an injury then a sprain as to what damage is done I am not sure

[Wolverine]

Sprain is a medical term describing the damage to the ligaments. Specifically (from Dorland's Medical Dictionary): a joint injury in which some of the fibers of a supporting ligament are ruptured but the continuity of the ligament remains intact.

"Twist" is just more of a descriptor for what you saw. If you just watch it happen, you can't tell if it's a sprain, ligament tear, break, etc. So a twisted ankle can be a lot of things.

A strain is an overstretching or overexertion of some part of the musculature. If I remember right it normally refers to the actual muscles, but it might also be applied to tendons and ligaments.

Keep in mind that I'm not in orthopedics, but that's how I understand it.

Dave

[Perez14]

A twist is the same thing as a sprain just a lesser degree. A sprain can be anything from a stretch or pull of the ligament to a full tear. When players come back after a game or two its usually just a stretch or pull. Maybe a small tear and they can bear the pain if there is any.

[Wolverine]

Originally posted by Perez14
A twist is the same thing as a sprain just a lesser degree. A sprain can be anything from a stretch or pull of the ligament to a full tear. When players come back after a game or two its usually just a stretch or pull. Maybe a small tear and they can bear the pain if there is any.

I beat you by just a bit. By definition, a full tear or a stretch with no tearing are not sprains.

Dave

[Perez14]

thats by that definition. Most athletic trainers and doctors that I have worked with call a sprain what I said. It all depends on what school you went to and what book you work out of.

I'm a second year student athletic trainer and have dealt with many ankle sprains over those two years. I know my ankles and knees very well, when you get to shoulders and wrists and stuff is when it gets fuzy.

[joeychitwood]

A "twist" is a mechanism of injury. It has no significance in describing the anatomic injury.

A "sprain" is an injury to the fibers of a supporting ligament of a joint.

A First Degree sprain is minor tearing of fibers with resulting mild hemorrhage and swelling.

A Second Degree sprain is a partial tear of the ligament, with moderate swelling, hemorrhage, tenderness, painful motion and possibly loss of function.

A Third Degree sprain is the complete disruption of the ligament. Stressing the joint will cause grossly abnormal motion. The joint may be unstable.

Even mild low grade sprains can cause persistent pain and swelling, often for months.

Low grade sprains are treated with ice, rapid remobilization and elevation. Higher grade sprains may require casting or even surgery.

It is possible to walk on a fractured distal fibula, so if you have bony tenderness as opposed to soft tissue tenderness, I'd recommend an x-ray.

[Newreeflady]

I can't answer the question, but how bad is it? Can you walk on it? I sprained my ankle pretty bad on a parachute landing at the end of December. I am still having problems with it. I actually finally went and saw an orthapedist, and ended up getting Prolotherapy. I don't know if this is the best thing or not, but it helped fof a while. I'm probably going to get another treatment in April.

Angela

[ONAGI]

I sprained my ankle and knee a month ago. I was leaving a friend's house and slipped on a small patch of ice. I never saw it until after the fall. My ankle and knee swelled up to 4 or 5 times the size it is suppossed to be. Maybe even a little more.

My ankle is still swelled up about 1.5 to 2 times it's usual size. It still hurts pretty bad. The knee was the same way but luckily seems to be healing faster. A lot of clicking and popping lately.

I hope this doesn't take a year to heal, but it sure does seem like it's very realistic to expect that.

[Dubge]

it wont hurt for a year but will take a full year without hurting it again to fully heal. I am going to try to skate on mine today and see how it dose, I probably shouldnt but oh well

[dc]

Depending on how bad, it can be one of those injuries that come back to haunt you. Mine still swells up like a golf ball 15 years later. I have to brace it about 4 months out of the year.

[Desert Fox]

Originally posted by joeychitwood
It is possible to walk on a fractured distal fibula, so if you have bony tenderness as opposed to soft tissue tenderness, I'd recommend an x-ray.
Me, too. :D
http://members.cox.net/foxracrusa/xray.JPG

I hate when I hear people say that if you can use/move it, it's not broken. Every person deals with pain differently than the next. The fact a joint/bone can be moved has zero bearing on its structural integrity.

~Fox~

[ONAGI]

A lot of good information regarding sprain and strains. Having either one of these situations sucks. I was out walking a little bit today it feels like my ankle and knee was swelling up with every step.

Unfortunately age plays a factor as well in the healing process. This injury and the past month seems like eternity. 20 years ago it would have been a done deal in a month, or so it seemed.

[Wolverine]

Originally posted by Perez14
thats by that definition. Most athletic trainers and doctors that I have worked with call a sprain what I said. It all depends on what school you went to and what book you work out of.

A lot of times people get lazy with their use of terms, and use them out of context. It happens in all fields. And after you do things like that for years, you just stop paying attention to the diference. But if you really pin someone down, they know the correct usages, and will shrug as they sheepishly admit to using them incorrectly.
I was just going with the true meaning of the term according to that dictionary (which I then verified with a couple of ortho books and an ER book).
The definitions don't change, just the tendency to use the words correctly. As Joey mentioned, the twist is the mechanism. I twisted my ankle, causing a sprain which took about 10 months of PT to feel close to normal again.

Debi, that's completely true about the injuries coming back. I've seen many people who have trouble with certain joints, and when you really get them thinking about it, they can usually remember having a big injury to it 30 or 40 years before.

Dave

[joeychitwood]

Originally posted by Desert Fox
I hate when I hear people say that if you can use/move it, it's not broken. Every person deals with pain differently than the next. The fact a joint/bone can be moved has zero bearing on its structural integrity.

~Fox~ Very true. This biker actually walked (hobbled) into the ER after a spill on this ankle. Hea was still laced up in a boot, but obviously, motion and function don't necessarily mean a joint or bone is intact.

http://www.images.mdlindquist.com/ankle1.jpg

http://www.images.mdlindquist.com/ankle2.jpg