Sprained Ankle injuries...

[Matthew]

Has anyone here had this on the job injury? Care to share the story, like how long you were out from it.

I sprained mine on a slip and fall 1 step out of the truck super saturday '08.
Of course the whole safety bs'ers were immediately talking about ' its better to stay on it and work then take time off ' and my manager was talking about ' it doesn't seem that bad, you can walk '
but anyway i went to my ER and was given the dont work for 2 days note then went to other doctor and he said dont work for 2 weeks, mind you the whole time my manager was annoying me talking about ' what! 1month for a ankle? thats alot ' which is bs but i was semi new still only having 2 & 1/2 years with UPS as a FT driver currently(as of right now)

anyway long story short after 1 month i told the doctor put me back to work as i thought it was better but did not know they would immediately slam my trucks again like nothing ever happened.

SO NOW, my ankle has been bothering me again by lunchtime and now my knee on the same leg is in pain also. i think i was trying to go easy on my ankle and my knee was doing too much work so now what should i do? I cannot survive on $500 a week only from comp if I go back out, and I do not think Light Duty is a good choice as I need to just stay off it as much as possible.

PLEASE give good input/feedback/comments. Thanks

 

[softshoe]

Just think how good those ankle and knees are going to feel after your 30th year of delivering.

 

[Matthew]

^ yes I know that is why I want to take care of it now, just hurts on the leg that i feel on

I thought I was ok but it has been feeling like crap recently...

*hope for better comments than the previous post as well

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

OK, I'll try to post to your standards:

A month off for a sprained ankle does seem excessive to me and may indicate that it was more than just a sprain, especially since you are still experiencing pain in your ankle. I would think that the pain in your knee would also indicate that there may be more to this injury. Did you go for an MRI either initially or at any point during the month that you were off? Did you follow your dr's instructions (elevate, ice)? Was physical therapy part of your treatment and, if so, did you give 100% while at therapy and when doing the exercises at home? I think you should make an appt to go back to the doctor who treated you, discuss your concerns and ask for an MRI. The decision as to whether you go back out on comp or not will not be yours to make--it will be your doctor's decision.

 

[sano]

What are the doctors recommending?
I sprained my ankle about 15 years ago in a basketball game. Now it seems like once or twice a year I re injure it. It hurts a lot when it happens but then aches for a week or two. Doctor tells me that I need a surgery to tighten the ligaments that stretched. I feel your pain.

 

[What'dyabringmetoday???]

I would do whatever UpstateNYUPSer recommends.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

I would do whatever UpstateNYUPSer recommends.

Make sure you pack your Dramamine.

 

[Matthew]

no mri but maybe i need one..... a year later???

 

[Integrity]

Has anyone here had this on the job injury? Care to share the story, like how long you were out from it.

I sprained mine on a slip and fall 1 step out of the truck super saturday '08.
Of course the whole safety bs'ers were immediately talking about ' its better to stay on it and work then take time off ' and my manager was talking about ' it doesn't seem that bad, you can walk '
but anyway i went to my ER and was given the dont work for 2 days note then went to other doctor and he said dont work for 2 weeks, mind you the whole time my manager was annoying me talking about ' what! 1month for a ankle? thats alot ' which is bs but i was semi new still only having 2 & 1/2 years with UPS as a FT driver currently(as of right now)

anyway long story short after 1 month i told the doctor put me back to work as i thought it was better but did not know they would immediately slam my trucks again like nothing ever happened.

SO NOW, my ankle has been bothering me again by lunchtime and now my knee on the same leg is in pain also. i think i was trying to go easy on my ankle and my knee was doing too much work so now what should i do? I cannot survive on $500 a week only from comp if I go back out, and I do not think Light Duty is a good choice as I need to just stay off it as much as possible.

PLEASE give good input/feedback/comments. Thanks

Matthew,
I am not telling you what you should specifically about this situation, however I will tell you that you need to do the right thing for yourself and those that care about you. That means you need to do what is right to get yourself healed. This needs to be a priority. Now to the specifics.

I am not going to tell you what to do, but I will tell you what I would in your situation, based upon the information that you have given me. You need to make the decision as to how to proceed in your individual case. It is your body.

Step 1
I would gather any documentation that I have about the injury. If I did not document the original injury day by day then I would write up a report for myself to explain the history of the injury and where I physically stand today. I would make the report as simple yet as detailed as possible. I would then document how I handle the injury daily. I would make a file just for this injury.

Step 2
If I haven't reported this injury or recurrence yet then I would do this immediately. I would do this in writing. I would make 3 copies and I would give one to my Union Steward , my Hourly Co-Chair of my safety committee and one to my immediate supervisor.

Step 3
I would make sure that I get copies of any injury reports that UPS files and I would make sure I get the claim# and keep all of this together in the file for this injury that was made in step one.

Step 4
I would make sure that I let the doctors be the doctors and just follow my treatment plan to a fault. I would not deviate from the treatment or restrictions, not one bit.

Step 5
Once I have my medical plan in place I would seek counsel from a worker's compensation attorney. I would do this immediately after my diagnosis and treatment plan are in place.

Step 6
If I have any questions or concerns during this process I would make sure I put them in writing and I would, in as much as possible, get the response in writing. I would document all responses.

This pretty much covers what I would do.

Sincerely,
I

 

[pickup]

Okay here's the deal. I tore my ankle ligaments in a basketball game when I was seventeen. I was in a cast for 6 weeks. and for six months later, if I stepped off a curb the wrong way , I would feel it and was deathly afraid of tearing it again. Time went by and I forgot about it as the ankle got stronger. A few winters ago,(about 20 years later , I tore the same ligaments again, slipping in the snow, off duty. I remembered what it felt like ago and looked like 20 years ago and it looked and felt the same way. I did not like the prospect of being in a cast again. I was off for the next two days. So when I got up the next morning, It was really swollen. I hobbled over to the pharmacy looking for an ace bandage. It turns out ace also manufactures a black ankle brace that goes around your ankle and is tightened by laces and a velcro strap. I bought it and got it put in on at home and it worked really well. I could have worked that day but still had 34 hours before I had to go back to work.

After back at work for a few days, the only pain I had was from walking funny because the part of the brace went under my foot and so essentially added maybe a 1/4 of an inch of height to my right leg. So I went back to the pharmacy and got another ace brace and put it on my left ankle just to even out the height for both legs. It worked like a charm. After two weeks, I could have gotten rid of them and for many days I didn't wear them, but if there was a chance of snow or ice. I put them on for preventative purposes. Now mind you I was a feeder driver then and now so my work is a little different than yours but I was shifting in the yard and that does involve a lot of getting out of the trailer and back in as well as walking the length of many a 53' foot trailer a few times (checking that no loaders are on board as well as closing swing doors.) and I had no problems.

So the ace ankle braces worked for me (not to be confused with ace bandages, although they are found in the same section of the drug store). I believe each one costs about 12 dollars at the time.

So that was my solution. Maybe it can work for you.

P.S. A few months ago, I noticed that the ace ankle braces are still being sold in the pharmacies.

 

[pickup]

Also, I believe your knee is in pain because your body is , whether you know it or not, compensating for the weakened ankle area and moving the stress away from it and to other parts of the body . So your knee is now taking the brunt of your movements in ways that it wouldn't have if you didn't have the ankle injury. That is just my opinion and I supposed I could have stated it better but I am tired. If you can stabilize that ankle, then it can take more stress and in such a way that your body walks and move the way it is supposed to and perhaps then your knee will feel less pain.

 

[SWORDFISH]

UPSTATE, 1 month is nothing for a ankle sprain. Can be much longer. As for your injury I have very badly sprained both of my ankles from basketball when I was younger. My ankles needed surgery to tighten them up as well cuz when I would walk they would just give out on me and they were always in pain. I couldnt ever get out of bed and walk normal for the first 15-30min of waking up. I did some research and got some help. I went to physical therapy for awhile and incorporated a work out they made for me into my weekly workout plan. Second improved my diet and found a supplement that really helped me. It took awhile but now Im feeling great and didnt have to have surgery. The muscle I built made a huge difference and now when I turn my ankle in basketball its like Im invinsible cuz it just hurts for a few days even if I step on the ankle bone.
I personaly am a believer in staying out of work till your healed enough to work cuz this job will not allow some injuries to heal. Come back when your ready not when they harras you into being ready. Financially I would start from now on perparing an emergency fund for situations like this so your prepared. DAVE RAMSEY 101

 

[Matthew]

thanks for all the input so far!
I don't know what has sparked this injury to hurt again but maybe I am worse off now it seems.
I am only 27 and feel old right now because of this, so I will be going to the doctors veryyy soon!
Don't want my left leg affected also because I have been using it mostly to step onto the truck

 

[Signature Only]

Twisted my ankle pretty good 8 years ago. Exiting through the rear door when a gust of wind blew a small package under my foot just as I was stepping down. Lost my balance and fell out. I was at a Coca-Cola plant and lots of guys laughed their asses off. (It was kinda funny, except for the pain) Finished the route and went straight to the hospital with a grapefruit sized ankle. Off work for 3 days, wore a brace for 3 months and brought 3 pairs of really good shoes that provide ankle support.

Ice packs and Ketorolac (if your doctor will give you a prescription). It's excellent for skeletal/muscular injuries. Ketorolac is generic for Toradol but you can't take it for more than 5 days. With the ice packs, it will really reduce the swelling, inflammation and pain. Be sure to get a top of the line ankle brace.

It'll take time for the ankle to heal, but if you support it well and ice it every night you should be able to work without much trouble.

 

[Raw]

*********************************************************.

Don`t know how long you have been pkg car but no matter how strictly you follow the " Injury-Free Injury Protecting Safe Work Methods" you will twist your ankle on a weekly basis. I had a couple very bad ankle sprains when I was a newby but have found out in my case I think the sprains somehow made my ankles so flexable that now when I do twist my ankle it doesn`t bother me at all and actually feels good as if it needed an adjustment! My body has adapted to pkg. car, I`m the ultimate delivery machine!!!

 

[toonertoo]

Matthew, all (mostly) good replies. My first few years of driving I broke or sprained my ankles four times, all with loss of time.
After the fourth time of rehab, I insisted on doing something that truly helped. I mowed my lawn...got used to walking on the kind of terrain we do, instead of the smooth surface, etc that is used in rehab. Then I got water therapy. It was the best thing I ever did. You start out in water up to your neck where it takes the stress off the ankle, (75% of your weight) and allows you to move the injured muscles, thereby strengthening them. Then you move to waist deep, then thigh deep, etc. Also sitting on the edge of a pool, hot tub, dock, whatever and write the alphabet with your foot. Sounds silly but you can feel it. After water therapy, I have not injured an ankle in 12 yrs. Yes Ive hit an uneven surface, but it doesnt automatically snap, as the muscles are strong like they should be.
Give it a try, it is the best way.
Years later, I have arthritis in them and low pressure days are almost unbearable, but they do not break.

 

[NHDRVR]

You should make a decision on this in short order because it's onl going to get worse with time / age / and the job...

 

[Dagoof]

Here is my story hope it helps. About 3 years ago I had one leg slip between the dock and my bumper. My other leg stayed in the truck and twisted my knee. I reported it but didnt go to the doctor. I couldnt afford the time off if there was something wrong. So I continued to work with the pain. Then in 2008 my knee blew while pushing a hand cart. Reported it went to doctor had MRI done torn ACL and MCL. Got it fixed in Oct. was back to work Dec 2nd It felt fine but I thought it was a little early but I let in to managements pushing. Started feeling slight pain again in the knee around the end of summer. I again reported it but continued work My doctor had retired that year so I asked around for the best in my area. It was a 2 month wait to get in to see him. Now Im working with a bad knee so Im overcompensating and I blew out the other side. I finally Told them I cant do it any more The pain was too much I am done the day before thanksgiving. I am still at home with one surgery done and still waiting for the other both torn meniscus. So the lesson I learned was go to the doc as soon as possible stay off as long as possible follow all orders 100%. I also had a Nurse case manager assigned to me this time. I was very hesitant at first but now I see she actually was there to help me not just the insurance company. Two weeks after my second surgery the doctor was going to release me to full duty with no PT. She told him "no that I wasnt ready to go back yet and I needed PT for at least 4 weeks. She also told me to get a 3 ring binder and start putting all my papers from the injuries into it because if something gives loose down the road it will all be in one place and you will know where it is. I put every thing in it now even my check stubs from the insurance co. Hopefully I will be back to work all fixed and I wont have to use them again.