Mallory from Mountain Brook, AL, asked:
Hi Miss Julie,
My brother Duncan twisted his ankle playing soccer. It’s very swollen and he’s in a lot of pain.
Can you please scan him and let me know if you think I should take him to the emergency room?
Thanks,
Mallory
Hi Mallory,
I don’t see any broken bones in Duncan’s foot or ankle … however, it does look like he tore some ligaments on the top of his foot.
Imagine the white meat from crab legs. It’s long, fibrous, and cylindrical. Now picture tearing the crabmeat in half horizontally. It’ll look shredded at the edges of where it was torn. That’s what I see when I’m scanning someone with torn ligaments.
If you take him to the ER, they’ll take an X-ray, perhaps put him in a boot, and tell you to go see an orthopedist.
The ortho doctor will then take his/her own X-rays, diagnose Duncan’s injury, and then treat accordingly.
So, you may want to first call an orthopedic surgeon’s office and see how quickly you can get an appointment.
In the meantime, ice Duncan’s foot and immobilize it as much as possible. If you have an ace bandage or removable orthopedic boot, you may want to utilize them as well. In addition, he may want to take an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory like Advil for pain.
The doctor will know how to best treat Duncan and I believe he’ll make a full recovery.
Blessings,
Julie
