What does bruising around the toes after an ankle injury indicate?
back on Saturday, i injured my ankle while playing basketball. i landed on the side of my foot, and i definitely heard a pop when it happened. it sounded like cracking my knuckles or wrist and it didn’t hurt too bad, so i figured it was just a sprain.
i iced it down the first nice, and have been wearing an Ace bandage the last couple of days. the swelling went down to a point, but it is still a little swollen around my ankle.
the weird part is the bruising.. very dark purple bruises have developed where my toes meet my foot, and also on the side of my foot. a couple of inches above my ankle and to the left i have very dark bruising and red marks.
it is more uncomfortable than painful.. but if i walk on it for a while, it starts hurting. i’ve been getting pain on the top of my foot when i walk, and the bruises above my ankle are also sore.
ive sprained my ankle MANY times and never had this type of bruising. i haven’t gotten any x-rays or anything like that on it.
May 29th, 2010 at 9:31 pm
bruising in the foot can be explained very simply.
when you sprain a ligament you can either overstretch it, or actually tear some of the ligament tissue.
if the tear is significant it causes a deep internal bleeding / bruising, which you often cannot see for days.
Then (here’s the important bit!) when you stand or sit through the day, that bruising will move downwards in the tissue due to gravity.
this is why your foot is bruised (but probably doesn’t hurt much)
I have seen this many times when treating ankle injuries.
May 29th, 2010 at 9:31 pm
You fool get an X-ray it’s more than likely broken.
May 29th, 2010 at 9:31 pm
You may be suffering from low circulation to your foot. Sometimes injuries can cause nerve damage and you may not notice it until later.
If it is still swollen and now having bruises, you may have fractured your ankle, which can cause low circulation to your foot.
See your doctor and have an x-ray, at least just to make sure your ankle is ok. Last thing you want is for it to heal incorrectly and cause permanent nerve damage or high risk of arthritis.