Advice for sprained ankle in Rome?

A walking stick does miracles. A foldable such as this one is the most practical (and the link also gives you the Italian translation).
Good luck!

Did you go to a pharmacy? They'll tell you what to do and what kind of medicine they can sell in such cases without a prescription.

Oh nooooo. I am so sorry you e had this mishap -- it can happen soooo easily.
1. Just so you know, the latest thinking is that doing things for their anti-inflammatory effect is being challenged. (Ice, NSAIDs). Evidence suggests that they may actually delay the healing process. My advice these days (I'm an NP) is "if it feels good, do it"! Ie: ice vs heat; compression vs no compression.
2. Make sure a bone didn't fracture... the most common (and to determine whether an X-ray is warranted), is if there is acute pain upon touching 2 different spots... on your actual ankle bone (or along that bone for up to 2 inches above it). Or, on the metatarsal (foot bone) that runs along your outer side of the foot, leading to your pinkie toe. If you have direct pain when touching either of those two spots, you should get X-rays and an air boot (crutches).
3. If sprained, you may find a cane helpful and inexpensive (and easy to use). And buy you some extra personal space and assistance.
4. Drugs. For sure... ibuprofen (Advil) is very readily available in Italy.
5. I think I'd be looking for some wonderful place I could sit with my foot up, by taxi, as opposed to hank g out in my hotel -- but you'll figure that one out.
If it is a sprain (your foot rolled over, but you did not land on with your body), "activity as tolerated" is fine, and will not worsen your condition. The degree of the sprain will determine how soon you will be able to tolerate walking on it.
Again, I am soooooo sorry.

Vivian

See a doctor to determine if it is a sprain or worse.

I second Zoe's advice from personal experience. Make sure there's no fracture. I was sure I had a sprain (denial) but it was a hairline fracture.

Third the advice to see a doctor. then i would see if you can rent a wheelchair or buy one. If you can manage a little walking, then your friends can push you around museums and churches. Also plan on cabs ..
use your hotel day to research handicap accessible sites.
It may seem like a waste of money, but if getting or renting a wheelchair lets you continue your trip, it will be worth it.

Doctors in Italy is a medical practice we used in Rome when we lived there. See them to ensure no ongoing problems. They are wonderful!

My sympathies. I tore a hamstring early in a northern Italy trip. Definitely RICE and unfortunately an emphasis on rest. I also used NSAIDs, ibuprofen in particular.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sprained-ankle/basics/definition/con-20032428

Treatment for a sprained ankle depends on the severity of the injury.
Although self-care measures and over-the-counter pain medications may
be all you need, a medical evaluation might be necessary to reveal how
badly you've sprained your ankle and to put you on the path to
recovery.

Being a man, I just used self-care which may have been a mistake. I should have iced for more days than two or three.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sprained-ankle/basics/treatment/con-20032428

Treatment for a sprained ankle depends on the severity of your injury.
Many people simply treat their injuries at home.

Medications

In most cases, over-the-counter pain relievers — such as ibuprofen
(Advil, Motrin IB, others), naproxen (Aleve, others) or acetaminophen
(Tylenol, others) — are enough to manage the pain of a sprained ankle.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sprained-ankle/basics/lifestyle-home-remedies/con-20032428

For immediate self-care of an ankle sprain, try the R.I.C.E. approach:

Rest. Avoid activities that cause pain, swelling or discomfort.

Ice. Use an ice pack or slush bath immediately for 15 to 20 minutes
and repeat every two to three hours while you're awake. If you have
vascular disease, diabetes or decreased sensation, talk with your
doctor before applying ice.

Compression. To help stop swelling, compress the ankle with an elastic
bandage until the swelling stops.

Don't hinder circulation by wrapping too tightly. Begin wrapping at
the end farthest from your heart. Elevation. To reduce swelling,
elevate your ankle above the level of your heart, especially at night.
Gravity helps reduce swelling by draining excess fluid.

I'm so sorry. I did a real number on one of my ankles in the Dolomites in 2015. It continued to bother me for quite some time, but I did manage to keep going. I just walked slowly and didn't cover as much ground as usual.

If your ankle is still too painful to walk on tomorrow, you might consider some sightseeing-by-train or -bus. Ask the hotel about nearby pretty countryside. Buy a round-trip ticket and ride out and back. This presumes, of course, that you can at least get up the stairs to the bus or train.

Do be very careful; the sprain will make the ankle weak for a long time--way beyond the period during which you'll feel pain. It's easy to reinjure a recently-sprained ankle.

If you think you will need consideration at the airport, request wheelchair assistance from the airline before you get to the airport.

Note that a doctor's visit may be much cheaper than you would expect -- I saw an ENT physician in Germany (two visits) for about €25. Might well be worth it to get a professional hands-on opinion.

Given the discrepancies in advice here---compare Vivian the Nurse Practitioner to Edgar the Googlemeister---I think you should see a doctor rather than rely on what is said here. You need a real diagnosis. It could be a minor sprain, major sprain, or a break. Or none of the above. I am with you in not wanting to cancel the trip---I wouldn't either---but you need professional advice on how best to handle this. So you can continue your trip in comfort. Seeing a doctor in Europe is generally less expensive than in the US. You can start with a pharmacist to point you to a clinic with walk-in services and English-speaking doctors, hopefully nearby.

speaking as one who walked around for 6 days with a very badly broken elbow purple to my shoulder (oh its just a bruise) before being hospitalized for surgery, I would insist you get the thing x-rayed. It is not normal to not be able to walk on a sprained ankle and messing up a broken one with inappropriate treatment could have bad consequences. Once that is ruled out you will be able to plan. (and even without insurance, medical care is cheap in Europe)

I would if you are in a cast or boot then look at ways to tour Rome sitting down and arrange for a wheel chair for sites like the Vatican -- where it will get you to the head of the line and where there are devices for moving in the museum.

There are undoubtedly tours with open cars or whatever.

Hi Angie, if you are feeling well enough to venture out how about one of those hop-on hop-off buses? or even a local bus or tram?

at least you would be able to see the sights, hop off and enjoy a gelato, or sit in a piazza. My point is, if you can stand and walk slowly you don't need to stay in your room

I hope you will get medical advice. 12 years ago I injured my ankle in London, soldiered on in pain for days and still have a bad ankle and sometimes need to use a cane. Of course I should have gone to the emergency room, of course, but I didn't and I regret it constantly.

Sasha,

You might want to edit the spelling in your post from 10:28.

While on the Sicily tour a year ago this past March, my sister slipped on the wet, tiled bathroom floor (doing in-sink wash!) and fell on her wrist. As it was painful the next morning, our tour guide took her to the hospital in Palermo where she was diagnosed with a fractured wrist, put into a plaster cast (remember those??) and sent back to the hotel with a sling and some pain meds. She saw a couple of different doctors in the ER and a radiologist. No charges at the hospital but she's been waiting to see if a bill of some sort would be sent to her home as of course she gave them her home address. 13 months later and here haven't been any charges to her at all. So don't wait too long if that's what you're concerned about and if the concern is more about what you're not going to be able to do, well, best to know what you're dealing with and get it fixed now rather than take a chance on the situation worsening. Good luck and I'm wishing you the best outcome!

Don't read too much of this forum stuff; if you have not, go and ask the Hotel for help asap.

I'd get to an EMERGENCY ROOM pronto, i think it's free to you, just ask about cost, i know a family friend who got hit by a scooter in Rome, she went to the ER, stayed in the hospital and it cost her 2 Euro total!

Ask your hotel For help for an ER.

Otherwise, EXPATS LIVING IN ROME on Facebook recommend Villa Stuart at Via Trionfale 5952, 00136 Rome, Monte Mario, for orthopedics, but that's a Clinic, you need an ER, you can't walk! Don't waste anymore time.

There's also a MedinAction 24/7 contact in Rome where English language physicians make housecalls to your hotel and will help you, they have an APP you can download, or website medinaction.com, and they are on Facebook, you can contact them at any of these sites. They bill your insurance or you pay in cash. Ask how much!

Medical care is not free to tourists although they may not bother with minor issues. We have been stitched up at an ER with no charge but the more serious injury in France cost about $4000 for hospitalization and surgery and x-rays and casting. (if you want a fiberglass cast they will use that if you go to the pharmacy and buy the fiberglass casting tape; it cost us about 15 Euro and I sent my husband to fetch it)

Yes I was thinking that the OP has travel insurance !

Janet, it actually was "free" to my sister, or at least it has been for the past 13 months, She tried several times to pay her/a bill in the Palermo hospital and again before we left the city for our tour. She is certainly more than willing to pay for her competent and wonderful care.

Italy still ranks No. 2 for best health care in the world!!!

Thanks for this post on free care, I knew I heard my Cousin correctly!

I agree with the suggestions of others in that it would be a good idea to seek medical care, just to ensure that you're only dealing with a sprain and not a fracture.

I donate to non-profit organization that provides English-speaking Physicians in many countries that will treat minor injuries for a set price. If you're interested, have a look at THIS website. On a trip several years ago, I used their services at a Clinic in Rome, and the was very pleased with the service. One of their facilities in Rome seems to be affiliated withe the same organization that Laurel mentioned.

Ken---thanks for the heads-up on the typo in my post. My iPad often inserts an "n" instead of a space when I type too fast--- but it is not usually that funny! I was tempted to leave it. . . But did correct it.

Thanks everyone, for all the good advice. We did not go to a doctor, which in retrospect if we had done it, we should've done it immediately. But my foot is getting better, I honestly don't think it's broken.
Here is what we did do instead: I followed the RICE advice for 24 hours. The day after the injury I just stayed in the hotel and did almost nothing else. We went up to the roof for soda and we took a taxi to dinner, but that's it. A good friend told me not to pout, but just readjust. That was good advice

The next day I stayed in all morning. We booked a golf cart tour for the afternoon. That was pricey but worth it. We saw all the churches we wanted to see, and I just walked slowly. My foot was tender but it wasn't painful. Now it's early evening, and I'm in for the night again. My foot feels better, but it's starting to bruise up and looks bad. It doesn't feel too bad, though.
I will update again if the thread stays open that long.
But again, I would recommend people to go to the hospital generally. It would've eased my mind to know it's not broken then rather than later.

Glad you are feeling better, O.P.
As an aside, I wanted to thank Vivian for sharing her expert medical knowledge.
Nurse Practitioners are a wealth of knowledge and have extensive training.
They are sometimes not recognised for what they do.
My best friend is one, and struggles to be "heard" sometimes!

Thanks for the vote of confidence and kind comments, S Jackson. But, no one "knows me from Adam", so really, I can appreciate where everyone is coming from.

One thing I notice (I think it's a particularly American approach), is the idea of such sentiments as "get an xray, it might be broken". In Canada, we have very specific guidelines that we follow during the physical exam and history-taking, to determine if xrays are actually indicated. It is very possible that you would enter our Emerg or Urgent Care Centre, and based on the exam and history, not have any xrays taken. Our approach is perhaps a bit more cost-saving oriented, but the guidelines are evidence-based, and reduces a person's exposure to radiation, which is cumulative over a lifetime. Of course, there are other factors to consider... such as is she post-menopausal (lower bone-density); the mechanism of injury, etc... none of which to which we were privy in the post.

The OP said it was "sprained". If I said I thought my ankle was sprained, it would be on pretty good authority... I know how to examine it, and I've had multiple sports-related ankle sprains in my lifetime. So, I wouldn't bother seeking medical advice.

Anyway -- I'm delighted to hear she is improving, and I've learned a few things about access to doctors overseas. It's all good. :-)

Cheers,
Vivian

I did some follow-up research on costs of Med in Action house call doctors in Rome and Florence. 100 Euro for a house call from 8 am - 8 pm. 140 Euro for a house call after hours, on weekends and holidays. Found this on website, www.medinaction.com

Hi all, one more note ... We did the rest of the week in Rome with me walking slowly, using the cane. We had a great trip and some truly fantastic experiences.
BUT ... the day after we got home, I went to the doctor. Turns out the ankle is fractured. I have a boot and crutches for six weeks now. Luckily, no surgery. The doctor didn't say "You're an idiot for walking on it for a week," but I could see it in his eyes.
I have really mixed feelings about this. We had a fantastic trip, and I would not have wanted to go home in the middle of it. It worked out. On the other hand, I could have ended up doing something truly awful to my ankle (like breaking it worse by walking on it).

If you look back at my post, you'll see that is exactly what I did. And Janet travels had a black and blue arm for a week before she had it checked out and had surgery while in France--and a week in the hospital. What is it about all of us that we just keep going and put off the med care. In my case, my friends wanted to take me to emergency and I speak the language, but I was in denial. There is an article to be written about our Superwoman attitudes​. Anyway, glad there's no surgery or permanent damage. Just be sure to wear that boot.

Wow--fractured ankle. You must have an extremely high tolerance for pain. I'm glad it worked out o.k., but this is a cautionary tale for the rest of us on future trips. Note to self: always see a doctor for something that might be serious, even if it's not convenient, messes up your itinerary, and might involve a language barrier.

Op.....glad yr doctor is on top of it now.... yup, Bets, super woman syndrome is real...
Co worker of mine returned from a week in France w another couple , was stunned to learn the other woman had been suffering from such severe constipation that her stateside medical team had to order an ostomy. My colleague kept saying, " why didn't they see a Dr in France,? We would have been glad to have stayed another half day somewhere to let her address this.....". ok, an extreme example, but there's no shame in having to meet the local medical community. It's a REAL chance to live like a temporary local!

Take a look at that Doctors in Italy webpage, where it says "We provide clear information," you know all costs before going in, No surprise medical bills! Awesome!

Found this information in my Travel Notes:

Free tourist hospital in Trastevere --
Nuovo Regina Margherita
30 Via Emilio Morosini
00153 Roma
Tram stop is Ministero di Educazione,
Bring Passport and say you are a Tourist;

And this:

Poliambulatorio Canova
does Guardia Medica Turistica
19 Via Antonio Canova
(Piazza di Spagna)

I don't know the source of this information.