[ECHOES]

Has anyone experienced this? I have burning pain behind/below my ankle on the outside and my lower leg, with twinges to my calf. I didn't injure it - I am not athletic in any way - but I suspect the horrible leg cramps may have something to do with it, or caused injury maybe.

The ankle has been very painful for about 2 weeks. A week after it started, while limping around due to the ankle pain, I smacked into a 25lb box of cat litter and hurt my toes and front of my foot - lovely red, blue, purple

Went to an Immediate Care center and had xrays. First they said a fractured toe, then the next morning they called and said the radiologist's interpretation is no fracture of the little toe. Ankle is peroneal tendonitis and stay off of it, take ibuprofen, use cold/heat, then exercises to help when tolerated. Isn't tolerated yet

Ibuprofen isn't much help and I am just now able to stay off it - I had an out of town visitor and we were out and about being 'tourists'. My visitor is no longer here, so now I can rest my foot.

Short story, long.. I guess. Anyway, has anyone had this and, if so, any advice of other things that helped? Any idea how long before walking isn't painful after about the first 5 steps of the day?

Thanks for your input!

[sunrise]

ECHOES, I would guess the length of time you are laid up would vary depending on the severity of the injury and its cause. Is it acute, chronic, degenerative, etc.? I have heard that sometimes people wear a brace or cast for a while to help provide support and give the ankle a rest.

Is there any way you can see a regular orthopod for the injury instead of the urgent care clinic? You may get more detailed and relevant advice from a specialist.

Sorry you are hurting.

[ECHOES]

Thanks sunny

I didn't injure it, so I don't know where it came from. I wore a light support for a week and then bought a new one that is more like a brace.

I don't have a PCP at this time, because my doctor retired a few weeks ago. I have to have a referral for specialists and I have a high deductible plan, so seeing an ortho is out, although I would have preferred to go that route.

The Immedicate Care center is run by the large hospital system here and I trust it, but the care and treatment is kind of minimal...

Maybe today would be a good day to choose a new PCP and make that an appointment for a physical next January!

[sunrise]

Originally Posted by ECHOES

I didn't injure it, so I don't know where it came from.

If you have peroneal tendonitis, it's considered an injury, even if you don't know the origin. The injury can be due to chronic use and doesn't have to be caused by a one-time event that you remember. An analogy might be carpal tunnel syndrome from using the computer day in day out but no one event that caused the injury to the wrist. There are 3 categories of injury: acute, chronic, degenerative. Yours isn't acute but it could be chronic or degenerative. The prognosis for the different types is different.

Hopefully, when you find a new PCP, he/she can tell you more. When you look for a PCP, maybe you can find one with an interest in musculo-skeletal. At the clinic where I go, the different family doctors have different interests. Whenever I have a sprain or bone pain or something similar, I go to the guy with the interest in that kind of thing. But he is still a PCP and treats the full gamut of body systems. So maybe you can get your "expertise" under the table in this way without having to see an ortho doc. I hope the brace helps give your ankle a rest.

I hate the whole "need a referral for specialist" thing that insurance companies do. I need to see my sleep doctor but must get a referral from my PCP for that. Why? My PCP has no expertise in sleep and so cannot help me with that, and I have an established relationship with my sleep doctor. It just creates more work for the administrative staff to have to give the referral, do the paperwork, etc. And it takes time and doesn't allow me to see the sleep doctor in a timely way. And they wonder why healthcare costs so much when they add in these unnecessary and cumbersome layers of bureaucracy. End rant!

[ECHOES]

Thanks for the information about the cause, sunny. I suspect then it might be degenerative due to my age, and my weight .

I agree about the referral thing. Meaningless hopps to jump through. I think the process is meant to be discouraging... and it is! It saves the insurance company money if I decide not to pursue seeing a specialist and it is awfully nearsighted for the insurance companies to think that the administrative costs incurred by the physicians aren't ultimately passed on to the patient/insurer. Insurance is just a crazy mess.

I also need a new CPAP, but can't do that without a new sleep study since my original study was over 10 years ago (and my CPAP is that old also). And in 2013 is the year I need my next colonoscopy. I just don't know where they think the average person can come up with $2,000 (deductible) + $8,000 (20% after deductible) for these things each year. okay, end of my own rant. lol