I think that every now and then we need to be reminded of the frail nature of our human bodies. Yesterday morning as I walked to my kitchen I was turning right by pivoting on my right foot when my 24 years of walking experience suddenly failed me. I clearly did something wrong, as I heard a crunching pop or two in my right ankle and went down. Luckily it's just a sprain but my foot is fairly bruised and still sore today. I'm trying to follow the RICE method for recuperating but one can only lay down for so long before having to eat, work, use the bathroom, etc. Thank goodness I don't work on my feet or I'd be out of commission. If it still hurts next week I'm going to see a doctor but till then I'm trying not to leave my house. The idea of hopping and hobbling to a bus to go to a doctor does not thrill me in the slightest.
Oh, if you find yourself in a bind an upside down hockey stick is a decent makeshift crutch. You'll need 2 hands to operate the thing though.
At the opposite end of the spectrum there are times when we seem to be amazingly resilient creatures. Check out a documentary called "101 Things Removed from the Human Head" if you can find it anywhere. One of those things was a boat anchor, I kid you not.
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A few years ago I also twisted and sprained my ankle. I didn't know about the RICE method, but instinctively self-prescribed something similar. For the first 72 hours I laid on the sofa, with my ankle elevated. I only got up for necessary trips to bathroom or kitchen, hopping on my good foot. Someone lent me a pair of crutches, but I found them very awkward and painful to use, and after a day or so gave them up. I put ice on my swollen ankle but could only tolerate the cold for 10 minutes at most. For 3 days I stayed on the sofa to 'rest' (luckily it was the weekend and I didn't have to work or go anywhere). Then I gradually began to be more mobile, still babying my injured ankle for many weeks. I wore an ankle bandage daily for 3-4 months, and elevated my foot as much as possible during the day and at night. I think I also took painkillers during the first two or three days. After a week or so, I remember rotating and stretching my ankle, slowly at first and more as it healed and became stronger. I babied it as much as possible the first week and then began using it more, exercising it and moving it cautiously, but continuously.
I never did go to a doctor, which I don't necessarily recommend, just mention, and have not had any problems since.
Hope you can rest, ice, compress and elevate, as I know they work. I just didn't know that what I thought seemed wise to do was called RICE and already known and used by others.