Soft tissue injury of ankle or foot
A soft tissue injury is an injury to the muscle, ligament or tendon. It is usually caused by overstretching of the soft tissues. Recovery can take from 2 to 6 weeks and sometimes longer.
It may become more bruised and swollen over the next few days. This is normal. You may also have more pain after rest, and you can expect it to be more painful when you get out of bed on a morning.
Not everyone with a soft tissue injury will be fitted with a support bandage. The doctor or nurse practitioner will decide if this appropriate for your injury.
Do’s
- Lift your ankle higher than your heart, ideally on a sofa with your foot on pillows on the arm of the sofa.
- Apply ice packs (ice or frozen vegetables wrapped in a tea towel) for 10 minutes every 2 hours.
- Gently move your foot up and down to prevent stiffening during the first 24 hours. After 24 hours do the exercise below 10 times each, at least 4 times a day.
- Take simple painkillers, such as Paracetamol, which you can buy at the chemist. The A&E department can advise you on other painkillers as well as your local pharmacy.
Don’ts
- Don’t apply ice directly on to skin – this can burn the skin.
- Don’t walk excessively or do sports until your injury has completely recovered.
Walking
- For the first 24 – 48 hours rest as much as possible.
- You may have been issued with crutches. Uses them for 48 hours after which time it is important to slowly start putting some weight through your foot.
- Try walking with even strides, heel down first then the toes.
- Wear sensible shoes and avoid standing for long periods of time.
If your ankle is not starting to improve after 7-10 days please self-refer to your local physiotherapy team if you are registered with a Gateshead, Newcastle or Durham GP or request your GP to refer you if you have a Sunderland GP, information can be found below:
If you are a registered patient of a Gateshead or Newcastle GP, the Tyneside Integrated Musculoskeletal Service (TIMS) will be your physiotherapy provider: https://www.tims.nhs.uk/
If you are a registered patient of Durham GP, the county Durham integrated MSK service will be your physiotherapy provider: https://patient.inhealthcare.co.uk/selfenrol/v2/form
If you are a registered patient of South Tyneside and Sunderland, the Sunderland integrated MSK service will be your physiotherapy provider: https://sunderlandims.co.uk/
Ankle exercises
- Sitting or lying, rotate your ankle. Change directions. Repeat 10 times.
- Lying on your back or sitting. Bend and straighten your ankle briskly. If you keep your knees straight during the exercise, you will stretch your calf muscles.
- Sitting with your foot on the floor. Alternatively raise the inner border of your foot (big toe) and then the outer border (little toe). Repeat 10 times.
| If you have been supplied with crutches please return them to A&E when you have finished using them. |
Contact details
For advice or review appointments, call the Emergency Department secretaries on 0191 445 2946 (Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 17:00).
For urgent advice out of hours call 111.