What to do when you break your foot

  Ankle pain, swelling and limited movement are often caused by accidental breakage of the ankle joint during sports or walking. Pain and swelling are often caused by injury or tear of the medial (lateral) ligament of the ankle joint. The early non-surgical treatment of the injury should follow the “RICE” principle.  1.Rest rest and brake You can wear a brace or short leg cast for 4-6 weeks. You can move and exercise your toes and knee every day. And then wear orthopedic shoes for 4-6 months [1].  2. Ice Ice A plastic bag with ice and water mixture (ice and water mixture temperature is 0-4°C; ice bag taken out from -20°C refrigerator should not be applied directly to the injury, it will cause frostbite) can be applied around the swollen and painful ankle joint. The purpose of this is to reduce local inflammatory exudation and edema after the injury and to alleviate the symptoms. Do not apply hot compresses or safflower oil immediately after the injury, as this will aggravate the local exudation and swelling and make the pain worse. Hot compresses and physical therapy can be started on the 2nd and 3rd day after the injury to promote recovery.  3.Compression pressure Apply a cotton pad around the ankle joint and apply moderate pressure to reduce exudation and swelling.  Elevation Elevate the injured ankle and lower leg with a quilt or pillow above the level of the heart to help reduce the swelling of the ankle joint through postural drainage.