recovery time for pulled tendons

[Peitolm]

at a recent Judo training session, I managed to get my foot bent wrongly and went down to the mat with quite a bit of pain and a sharp *crack*.
I agree with my sensei that the injury is llikely to be just pulled tendons, as the pain went relativly quickly and I was able to stand on it quite happily within a few mins.
However, this was 2 weeks ago and I've not stepped back onto the mat, and can only now get out of the car without pain. It does still twinge occasionally, generally when i move it in a direction it hasn't gone in since the accident.
Does anyone know what the recommended recovery time for this type of injury is, and what the best things to do to try and prevent any aggrevation. (this accident happened the week I was due to fight in my first tournament, And I'd like to get back on the mat to get ready for my next grading).


Cheers,

C

[Gene Williams]

You should probably see an orthopedist; some breaks act like pulled tendons/ligaments. You're looking at six weeks before it heals completely...IF you behave and don't over-use it.

[Peitolm]

ack, time to go see a doctor then,
I suppose the swelling should have gone down by now... ?

[Gene Williams]

You need to be elevating it several times a day and sleeping with it on a pillow. Ice it also several times a day...no heat! You need to lay off working out for a couple of weeks, then easy does it. No impact activities...ride a bike. Ibuprofen or Naprosyn work well, but they sometimes mask the pain so you do stupid stuff and re-injure it. I'd rather do without the meds so I can feel the pain. Keeps me honest.

[Joseph Svinth]

For the first couple days, it's definitely what Gene said. After that, you need to working on active physical therapy. For some ideas here, see http://www.aafp.org/afp/20010101/93.html .

However, you indicate that it's already 2 weeks since the injury. This means that a minor sprain should already be well on its way toward resolution. That it isn't suggests to me that you need to see an orthopedist or a podiatrist sometime in the next couple days. (Wait too long on some of these muscular injuries, and the impairment becomes permanent.)

[MarkF]

I broke my ankle almost exactly as you described it, it swelled, but didn't hurt much. However, I couldn't put any weight on it, and even our doctor said, with x-rays in hand, that it wasn't broken. When it didn't get better in a week, he sent me to an orthopod, who took one look at the x-ray and said "Yes, it's fractured. See that little bone right there? It's the growth center, and there is a possibility of no more growth in your foot."

I swear, it was just as you described. Everyone turned in my direction when I took the fall.

Get it checked before it heals in correctly. I damaged tendons, muscles, etc., as well.


Mark

[Peitolm]

Well I was walking around with it strapped up for a few days, but didn't elevate it once i'd left the dojo.
Looks like I'll have to try and see the doc, and get an appointment to see an orthopedist.