Treating a sprained foot at home

It’s quite easy to injure your leg; for example, by twisting it, you can get a dislocated foot. Women who wear high-heeled shoes are more susceptible to this type of injury. It is very common to sprain your foot in winter by slipping on ice.

Often, a dislocated foot can be combined with a sprain or rupture of ligaments, muscles, and even a bone fracture. In order to begin proper treatment, immediately after receiving an injury you need to be examined by a traumatologist.

Anatomy of the foot and types of dislocations

The human foot consists of 26 bones, and the foot itself consists of three sections:

tarsal;
metatarsal;
phalangeal

The tarsal region contains the talus, calcaneus, cuboid, navicular, and three sphenoid bones. These bones connect to the metatarsal region, which consists of five bones, and those with the phalanges. The toes have three bones, except the big toe, which consists of two bones that form the toe segments. The ankle joint has the tibia, fibula and talus. Thus, the injury may be a dislocation:

tarsals;
metatarsus;
ankle;
fingers.

If a person twists his leg at the ankle joint, then there may be an talus or subtalar dislocation of the foot. These two types can be external, internal, posterior, anterior and superior.

Causes of foot dislocation and how does it manifest?

The reasons for joint displacement can be varied, the main ones include:

wearing uncomfortable shoes;
careless walking, running;
improper exercise;
injuries of various types.

Symptoms appear as follows:

the pain comes quickly and does not go away for a long time;
the injury site swells;
the skin turns blue in the dislocation area;
possible internal bruising;
displacement of the foot to the side;
crunching and creaking in the joints of the foot.

The symptoms of such a leg injury depend on the location of the injury. The foot consists of 28 bones and more than 30 joints. External and pain characteristics may be different, depending on the nature of the damage. It happens that when a bone dislocates, it comes out of the joint and snaps back into place. If you ignore this phenomenon and do not treat it, you can get chronic inflammation of the ankle.

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According to the reason why the dislocation occurred, its classification is divided into 3 main categories:

Traumatic dislocation of the leg is one of the most common types. This pathology can be caused by a direct or indirect blow, falling or landing on the leg, or twisting the leg. Such damage to the leg often occurs in icy conditions, during active recreation or sports, accidents, as well as from wearing high heels.
Pathological dislocation of the leg is a consequence of chronic diseases that negatively affect the structure of the joints and cause disturbances in the working mechanism, as well as degenerative changes in the limb. Such pathologies include rheumatism, arthritis, arthrosis, bone tuberculosis, tumor and any inflammatory processes that provoke dislocation even with low load on the joint.
Congenital dislocation of the leg occurs at the time of intrauterine development - incorrect presentation of the fetus, insufficient development of the joint, pathological course of pregnancy. Girls are more likely to suffer from hip dislocation, while boys are more likely to suffer from patellar dislocation.

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In 95% of cases, if a dislocation occurs, the pain syndrome is very strong, and the totality of symptoms of a leg injury resembles a fracture. Therefore, if you sprain your leg, you should immediately consult a doctor for diagnosis and medical care.

If the leg is injured out of the blue, this indicates weak ligaments of the foot, which in the future will lead to habitual dislocation if proper treatment is not provided.

Displacement of the articular surfaces occurs due to several reasons. Types of dislocations:

Traumatic. It is observed in almost all clinical cases. Occurs as a result of excessive impact on the lower limb. A direct or indirect blow causes displacement. The injury occurs due to bending of the foot or falling. Excessive exposure causes extensive bruising, rupture of nerve fibers and ligaments.
Congenital. The reason is the improper development of joints in the fetus during gestation.
Pathological. Various diseases lead to it (osteomyelitis, tuberculosis).

The displacement can be complete or incomplete (subluxation). In the first case, the head of the bone and the articular cavity completely cease to contact. With incomplete displacement, the interaction remains, but partially.

A dislocated leg can be either congenital or acquired. In the first case, there is a pathology of intrauterine development, however, in practice this happens quite rarely (according to statistical data, no more than 10% of all dislocations of the lower extremities). Acquired dislocation is a traumatic injury with concomitant displacement of the joint.

As a result, the victim experiences damage to the joint capsule and ligaments, and the motor activity of the lower limb is impaired. Traumatologists distinguish the following types of leg dislocations:

Damage to the ankle joint.
Dislocation of the foot.
Hip dislocation.
Damage to the knee joint.
Sprained toes.

Please note that this injury can be caused by a variety of factors. You can sprain your leg, for example, while playing sports, slipping on ice, or tripping in uncomfortable shoes. Foot injury often occurs when the ankle twists. It can also be provoked by diseases of the musculoskeletal system, such as polio, arthritis, arthrosis, etc.

The clinical manifestations of a dislocation may differ slightly, depending on the severity of the injury and the specific location of its location. However, according to traumatologists, a dislocated leg has the following symptoms:

Severe pain syndrome.
Changing the shape of the damaged joint.
Increase in local body temperature.
Restriction or even complete absence of motor activity of the affected limb.
Decreased sensitivity, numbness of the injured leg.
The appearance of red or bluish spots on the skin.

In addition, the victim may have pain throughout the entire leg, not just at the site of injury. Clinical signs such as swelling, hematomas, bruises, and subcutaneous hemorrhages are also often observed.

First aid for a sprained leg should be aimed, first of all, at eliminating painful symptoms and alleviating the general condition of the victim. If a girl twists her ankle while wearing uncomfortable high-heeled shoes, the shoes must be removed.

If possible, the person is given a painkiller, after which they try to fix the damaged joint. For these purposes, you can use bandages, pieces of fabric, etc. If there is swelling and hematoma, it is recommended to apply an ice compress or just something cold to the damaged area of the leg. After this, it is imperative to take the victim to the emergency room!

About diagnostics

A dislocation of the lower limb often has similar symptoms to sprains, fractures and other injuries. Therefore, only a traumatologist can make an accurate diagnosis of the victim. For these purposes, the patient is prescribed an X-ray examination.

Clinical picture

It is impossible to begin effective treatment without determining the type of injury, which is impossible if you do not know the symptoms of a foot dislocation:

presence of a crunching or clicking sound when injured;
the occurrence of painful sensations that intensify when trying to move the leg;
limited mobility of the injured joint;
the appearance of increasing swelling;
body hyperemia;
the occurrence of subcutaneous hemorrhages (hematomas, bruises).

All of these symptoms could be a sign of a more serious injury, such as a fracture. Therefore, if your leg has sprained, you need to use an x-ray to verify the integrity of the bones.

What are the signs of injury?

Symptoms of a sprained foot differ from a normal sprain:

When the foot dislocates, you can hear a characteristic crunch. At the moment of the fall, a sharp twisting of the leg occurs. Unlike a sprain, the injury is accompanied by rupture of the ligaments.
Severe pain occurs in the damaged area. A person cannot step on the sore leg; pain impulses block the lower leg muscles. By the way, aching pain in the lower leg can mean a bruise of the ankle joint.
The injured ankle instantly swells and the joint becomes deformed.
Once the tendons are destroyed, the foot becomes lifeless.
The person is unable to move the injured limb.
After a dislocation, blood vessels and muscle tissue are destroyed. A hematoma occurs at the site of injury.

Complications and consequences

If a foot dislocation occurs, treatment should begin as soon as possible, otherwise the injury may become chronic. When damage occurs during a dislocation, the joints partially or completely lose their functionality. Changes also occur in the joint capsule containing synovial fluid. The hemorrhage that occurs when it ruptures leads to the formation of a hematoma.

With improper treatment, early application of a warm compress or heating, an inflammatory process may occur at the site of injury, and the subcutaneous exudate may fester. If an infection is added to the dislocation, this can cause diseases such as secondary arthritis or arthrosis, which are very difficult to cure.

Treatment with ointments

To prevent inflammatory processes at the site of injury, patients are recommended to use:

Venoruton-gel contains rutin, which, when used regularly, eliminates congestion in the damaged area. The product helps saturate cells with oxygen.
Voltaren-gel restores damaged joint cells. Thanks to diclofenac, which is part of the ointment, the patient accelerates the regeneration of tendons and connective tissues.
Fastum-gel is quickly absorbed into the skin and penetrates the damaged area. The drug relieves inflammation and relieves pain.

First aid

Having received an injury, a person immediately begins to think about what to do in case of a sprained foot before going to the emergency room. After all, first aid for a sprained foot affects the further restoration of the motor function of the limb.

In order to protect yourself from complications and consequences of injury by twisting your leg or toes, you must take the following actions:

Provide rest to the injured leg by placing it on a raised surface (a pillow or a bolster made of things).
Apply a cold compress to the injury site. Ice wrapped in a towel, a bag of frozen food, or even a carton of milk from the refrigerator will do this. This will prevent bruising and tissue swelling will not be as severe. Do not apply cold directly to bare skin, as this can cause frostbite to the tissue.
Apply a special splint to the area of the injured joint. If this is not available, you can use improvised materials, for example, a stick or a piece of hard plastic. An improvised splint is tightly tied with a bandage or any other material. It is necessary to ensure that blood circulation at the site of injury is not impaired. If the leg becomes cold and pale, the splint must be loosened.
If severe pain occurs at the site of the dislocation, the victim should be given any painkiller, with the exception of aspirin, since it affects the function of blood clotting and can cause the appearance of an extensive hematoma.
Deliver the person to the emergency room in a personal car or call an ambulance. If you have a sprained foot, you should not take public transport to the hospital.

Under no circumstances should you try to reset a dislocated joint yourself; this should only be done by a doctor.

If you provide first aid to an injured person in a timely and correct manner, the treatment of a dislocated foot will be more effective, and recovery will come much faster.

Treatment of dislocation at home

After a sprained foot, medical attention is required. Usually the doctor prescribes a special warming ointment that quickly eliminates pain. But if the doctor says that the problem is not serious, then you can treat it at home.

For this purpose, the following means can be used:

Ice or cold objects. They can be placed on the site of injury a couple of times a day, but should not be held for longer than 15 minutes. Otherwise, frostbite may occur, and treating it against the background of a dislocation is difficult. Do not apply ice directly to the skin. There should be some material (towel or bandage) between it and the ice. Using ice can relieve swelling of the foot and reduce pain.

It is also recommended to purchase an elastic bandage that can be used to apply a tight bandage. The leg should be at rest, so you should immobilize it as much as possible. But it is not recommended that the ankle muscles be compressed too much, as this can lead to oxygen starvation.

It is advisable to place your foot on a pillow. Due to this, the outflow of fluid from the diseased area will be much faster.

To reduce the pain of a sprained ankle, you should take a pain reliever (such as Ibuprofen).

The disease can also be effectively treated with massage. If you are not able to do it yourself, ask someone close to you about it. You need to gently knead the surface of the ankle from top to bottom. Then you need to grab your leg so that your thumb is on your foot and the rest are on the top of your ankle. You need to knead your feet with your thumbs. If massage treatment is not effective, then its sessions should be stopped.

Diagnosis and treatment

After providing first aid and waiting for the ambulance to arrive, the injured person wonders how his dislocation will be treated in the hospital. Immediately upon arrival at the trauma center, the doctor will examine the site of the injury, carefully palpate it and refer the patient for an X-ray examination. The image clearly shows all the bones and makes sure there are no cracks or fractures. However, the x-ray does not show the ligament, so an additional computed tomography may be prescribed, which will show the condition of the ligamentous apparatus.

Treatment at home

After the doctor gives permission, you can begin home treatment. Every day you need to apply a cold compress to the sprained area several times. This will help relieve swelling and redness and reduce pain. Throughout the treatment, it is necessary to fix the foot with an elastic bandage, but make sure that it does not interfere with blood circulation in the injured limb.

You can use special ointments, gels and creams after consulting with your doctor. Pharmacies sell a wide range of products that help relieve pain, swelling and hematoma, as well as promote tissue restoration. For a quick recovery, you can’t do without exercises and foot massages.

Technique for reducing dislocation

During the procedure, the segment that has changed its position is returned to its original location. In this case, it should move in the same direction as during the dislocation, but in the opposite direction.

The reduction technique will depend on the type of displaced segment. The procedure is carried out as carefully as possible, without jerking.

Features of reduction for various injuries:

Talar dislocation. The leg is bent at the knee. The doctor holds the heel and front of the foot. Then the foot is curved to the sole and turned inside out.
Dislocation of the metatarsal bones. The foot is pulled by the distal part or by the toe. At the same time, pressure is applied to the base of the metatarsal bones.
Ankle injury. During reduction, the talus is aligned with the malleolar fork. With external displacement, the foot is extended lengthwise and rotated along the longitudinal axis. With internal displacement, traction occurs along the length. The foot is abducted and then turned vertically.

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If you injure your foot, you should immediately consult a doctor. The dislocation needs to be corrected as quickly as possible, because... due to inflammation and hematoma, scar tissue will begin to form in the cavity of the joint. If the injury is neglected, the leg can only be cured by surgery.

Preventive measures

Sometimes a person begins to understand the seriousness of a sprained foot only after experiencing it, while precautions should always be taken. To avoid such injury, you must:

do not rush while walking in high-heeled shoes;
in winter, do not wear shoes with slippery soles;
when going down the steps, look down and hold on to the railing, do not jump over several steps;
do not jump from a height without special physical training and the ability to group.

Well, the most important thing is a proud posture and a high chin, this is, of course, good, but in order not to subsequently think about how to treat a dislocation, you must always look at your feet.