Weird Ankle Thing - Stuck Joint

[dbny]

Tonight older DD screamed in pain and called for me to help. Her ankle had gotten stuck "out of place" and she couldn't get it to go back. It hurt a lot, and although it had happened before, and she was always able to just push it back into place, she couldn't this time. I've had my knee do this, but never my ankle. She finally got it fixed by shaking her leg vigorously. Has anyone else had this happen? If so, what do you do for it?

[ibreakhearts66]

Well, I don't know if it's the same problem, but my peroneal tendons dislocate. It's not my entire joint, but the tendons along the outside. Is this the problem she's having? If so, the only real solution is surgery. Physical therapy can be helpful, but won't really cure the problem. That being said, that might not be the problem at all...

[dbny]

Well, you've given me something to check out anyway. Thanks.

[dbny]

Googled it, and I don't think that's it. If it were the ankle she sprained it might be, but she hasn't injured this ankle at all, and it happened while she was sitting up in bed.

[Query]

For gawds sake see a doctor.

[Skittl1321]

For gawds sake see a doctor.


It's often difficult to see a doctor for these sorts of things. My sister had a knee problem where her knee would get stuck in a locked position, and cause her incredible amounts of pain until and while someone would pull it straight so that it could move again. Since it was never able to be replicated at the doctors office (you can't MAKE it happen) nothing was ever done for it, because as far as doctors, PT, orthos, etc could tell through examination, x-ray, and scan, nothing was wrong. After she tore her ACL, years down the road, and that was repaired, it stopped happening, but there is no way to know if they were related.

I have knee problems now, and have experience the same thing as well, and my PT says unless he can see it, he has no way to suggest a solution or a preventative, because he doesn't know what's happening. He is just having me continue with the strengthening of the inner quad, hoping that fixing the tracking issues will take care of this problem as well.

[ibreakhearts66]

Another idea, torn cartilage? I know first hand that a torn meniscus in your knee produces similar locking sensations (Skittl, I wonder if that's the problem your sister had?). Perhaps she could have damaged the articular cartilage in her ankle and it's getting stuck in her joint. I don't even know if such an injury can occur in the ankle, but it's a thought.

[dbny]

Thank you, Skittl1321! That's exactly the situation. I have a similar situation with my knees. Pains come and go with no predictability. I once had a knee pain that was so severe I could hardly walk, but no problem on the ice, and gone in a week.

I forgot to mention though, that when her ankle slips back into place, she does hear a small click.

[Sessy]

Well one other thing to do could be to not just have them check out the ankle that does it, but to have them compare it to the healthy ankle. My right kneecap is fine by medical standards, but the ligaments (?) holding it in place are longer than they are on the other kneecap. This was found out only when the leg was given a good check out for an other problem, not when my kneecap tended to like, slip to the side.

Maybe your daughter has something similar, her ankle on one side could be slightly different from the one on the other side?

One thing the doc told me is that it's apparently also a genetic thing, the particular type of ligaments I have are more prone to becoming very long and causing that sorta problems (and other fun side effects, like the trick I can do with my thumbs). Maybe you and your daughter have a similar thing.

Well and they could do an echo (ultrasound?) to see if all the cartilage and bone structure and ligaments are clear or if there are tears or moist in the joints and such.

[dbny]

Well one other thing to do could be to not just have them check out the ankle that does it, but to have them compare it to the healthy ankle.

:lol::lol::lol: The "healthy" ankle was sprained last November and still flares up.