Difference Between Ankle Sprain and Fracture

Ankle Sprain vs Fracture

Ever experienced having your ankle sprained?  Well I have and it was very painful.  It happened as I was arranging things on a shelf and the stool on which I was perched toppled and I fell down.  My foot landed unevenly on the concrete floor and was twisted. Pain was the first sensation I felt followed by a feeling of warmth in my foot.  After a while I noticed that it had become swollen.

I consulted the medical journal and learned that the best way to treat ankle sprain is to put ice on it, and elevate it to prevent further swelling.  Although it was painful I knew that it wasn’t as serious as a fractured ankle because then the pain would be worse.

This is because the injury in an ankle sprain is on the ligaments while if the ankle is fractured, there is a break in the continuity of the bone making the pain unbearable at times.  A mixture of acetaminophen and codeine is the best way to ease it while the pain that is felt with a sprained ankle can be eased with milder drugs.

Treatment of ankle fractures is focused on regaining full function of the injured part, thus the necessity of restoring it to its natural position and making sure that the position is maintained until the bones heal.  This would require a cast or splint to be placed on the injured part.  Sometimes surgery is necessary if all other treatments are ineffective.

The most that you can get from an ankle sprain is a swollen ankle and a little pain, while an ankle fracture can give you injuries ranging from just a crack in the bone to a bone that sticks out of the skin, which is very painful and takes longer to treat.

While you can have a hard time walking with a sprained ankle, it doesn’t immobilize you as much as a fractured ankle does.  Forcing yourself to walk with a fractured ankle can make the injury worse.

Recovery from a sprained ankle will take less time than from a fractured ankle because a fracture is more severe than a sprain.
The best thing that you can do when you have taken a fall or been in an accident and injure your ankle is to seek medical attention immediately to be able to assess the damage and get the appropriate medications for the injury.

Summary:
1. In an ankle sprain, the ligaments are injured while in an ankle fracture, it is the bone that is injured.
2. Pain in an ankle sprain can be bearable while the pain that you feel with an ankle fracture is a lot worse.
3. Rest, elevation, and ice compress can ease the swelling of an ankle sprain, while an ankle fracture would require surgery and more radical treatments.
4. It is still possible to walk with a sprained ankle, walking with a fractured ankle can worsen your injury.
5. It takes less time for a sprained ankle to heal, while recovery from a fractured ankle could take several months.