Ankle injury bad pain after 12 months any advice?

[Redskea]

Last season (July) I injured my ankle in walking boots.
12 months ago, I am on a southern hemispere season.

The mechanism was running on broken pavement in the dark.
I think sudden I think forced supination and plantar flexion.
It was a work injury but my employer is refusing MRI or further treatment, they think a sprained ankle should be better by now.

It was very bruised from the toes to the knees, very swollen and the most painful injury I have had (way worse than dislocated shoulder)

Walking now its not so bad but in ski boots the pain is BAD

The worst is trying to click into bindings, so forced dorsiflexion with the ski boot acting as a block or pivot point, the worst pain is medial, behind the maleolus and deep.
There is also pain over the lateral ligaments.
Also postive anterior draw test

I've been guiding over summer with a splint inside my mountaineering boots and it was Ok but after 2 weeks back in ski boots its getting rapidly worse, now any little twisting movement with the ankle weighted stabs like a knife.

Other than not skiing (lose my job) any advise/ideas/help?

I'll pay for an MRI myself but still fighting with my employer for work cover and if I start paying my own treatment I think they will never cover it.

(The reason for running in the dark on broken pavement was going out to clear a path to the ambulance to load a backboarded, combative drunk with a head injury and broken vertebrae after night skiing)

F**K my shitty unethical employer with there shitty dangerous broken ambulance loading ramp and too tightarse to provide an external lightbulb!!

[mfa81]

go see a doctor, start with x-ray and go from there! then sue your employer! I wouldn't be surprised if you have a broken, deslocated, cracked bone somewhere...

[Redskea]

The thing that hurts the worst is any time i lean back in my boot (heel into bindings, walking downhill)
So I figure the back of the boot acts like a pivot point and the tibia is forced forward relative to the foot.
I can't work out what thats getting though.
I feel a tearing stab like pulling on stitches

[old goat]

as a doctor I would say what you may need is a lawyer, unfortunately. Your employer isn't a doctor and shouldn't be dictating diagnosis and treatment. I assume you saw a worker's com doctor for the initial treatment. What does that doc say now? Is it the worker's comp doc that is telling your employer that you are cured and don't need further treatment. Unfortunately the worker's comp insurers send folks to docs who will tend to minimize treatment and time off work--if the docs don't do that the insurer will send patients to someone else. I'm not ortho--an MRI may or may not be what you need. What you do need is a doctor who will evaluate and treat your legitimate problem, at the expense of the insurer.

[Vinman]

Right on OG, your employer has nothing to do with you getting treated. They are required to have WC insurance. Call your WC rep and get the name of a case worker. Work with the case worker who acts as the go between for the insurer, you and the employer. They should be facillitating things to get you the care you need.

[Redskea]

So this week on sweep my ski punched through the isothermal slop into the bushes beneath and I continued forward resulting in a nausea inducing tearing sensation from the medial side between the maleolus and achillies. It hurt like hell and I finished sweep on 1 ski.
But it may have been (I hope) scar tissue cos now it hurts less and feels freer
I'm trying cross fibre friction massage to try and break up any other adhesions

Yeah OG its very political here; small town, all dependant on the resort, the injury was VERY badly treated (IMO) last season, lots of pressure to not be injured, I was off skis but still working on foot doing heavy lifts.
Everyone is worried about not stepping on other peoples toes and guarding their own turf and position, actual injuries come in distant last place.
There's no choice of medical providers and the Dr did the paperwork without even looking at the injury! He refused to refer for MRI even after a 'sprain' taking over 3 months to heal with continued bruising and swelling.
A lawyer is an option but I'd have to leave town first.
I just want the thing to be strong and painfree, hence looking for suggestions on the interweb!

[splat]

If you're skiing, you must be in SA, correct?
That's a different animal in regards to most medical treatment expectations norte americanos might have.
Do you have travelers insurance? If so, find the most competent doctor in Santiago or BA and go there.

[Redskea]

No, I am in....Australia!
A place not known for snow, but it does have both snow and skiing
The legal situation is similar to NA
The pain seems much better after the nasty tearing thing last week.
It mostly aches now which is a huge improvment.
Who knew skiing liament wrenching slop could be good for something?
There was a bit of bruising but not significant.

[splat]

In the US, if you show up to a hospital and say you got injured on the job, the medical billing goes straight to the employer for their insurance to cover it. If the legal system there is similar, that's all you, as an employee, are required to do. Stand up to the bullshit!

[Redskea]

Ok not so similar, your boss has to give you written approval first to validate your injury!

[mrduke]

A lawyer is probably the way to go. You can find injury lawyers that give a Free case review (see http://LocalinjuryLawyers.org so you have nothing to lose.

[old goat]

A lawyer is probably the way to go. You can find injury lawyers that give a Free case review (see http://LocalinjuryLawyers.org so you have nothing to lose.

I'm guessing from the fact that this is your first post that you're an ambulance chaser, and not trying to be funny. Am I right? Probably won't do the OP much good--he's in Australia. Hopefully the fact that he hasn't posted since July means he's better.