Acupuncture

Thanks for input everyone. It's my ankle. So, I'm one month plus on injury and definitely a second degree sprain but quite possibly third. Doc tried a move that made me yelp and he thought for sure it was a complete tear of something . . . hoping to avoid surgery.
I'm trying to be patient with the time thing and religious about the PT/RICE thing. Good thing the snow's still lousy!

OK then.... if there is still swelling I recomend... stay off it and get that swelling OUT!

try an Homeopathic topical called Arnica, some times Arniflora, or product i uses specifically is called The Arnic Rub.

i got it at PCC, but I am sure you can find Arnica at any hippie store ; ) LOL

Helps reduce inflamation and bruising and tissue damage... I SWEAR BY this and have a killer proof of pudding story if you need more data!

Then lets see... how is you ROM... Range of Motion?
10%?
20%?

Pain on a scale of 1-10 10 being OMG cut it off!

Holly ,
Heal fast and the most important thing is get a acupunturist, therapist , naturpath , doctor or whoever that has a skiing addiction. I favor doctors who ski.

... he thought for sure it was a complete tear of something . . . hoping to avoid surgery.

If it is a complete tear -- the only thing that will fix it is surgery.   There are two ways to find out if it is a complete tear -- wait weeks or months for it to heal and when it doesn't -- then get the surgery.

OR

Get a diagnostic MRI right now to see how much the tendon(s) are torn.

If your insurance will cover the MRI -- and it reveals a complete tear -- you'll save week or months on your recovery...

... acupuncture was almost twice as likely as conventional therapy to bring about some pain improvement (46.7% vs. 27.4%).

...  sham acupuncture was just as effective as traditional acupuncture (44.2% vs 47.2% improvement), suggesting that putting a needle anywhere is just window dressing for placebo, and that the improvement was due to the personal attention delivered during the acupuncture sessions ...

Do not doctors administering "conventional therapy" also deliver personal attention?  Should they not at least reach the placebo level of cure? What is your evience, then, that sham AP produces merely placebo effects?

The statistics seem to support one of two conclusions:

1) AP of any sort is more effective than "conventional therapy", even if done by your aunt, or
2) conventional therapy interferes with the placebo effect one would expect from the office visit.

I would suggest that doctors stop doing anything but smiling, and patients should eschew doctors and AP professionals and get free AP from whomever has a handy needle !

Do not doctors administering "conventional therapy" also deliver personal attention? 

All this attention is making me feel better already.
Aaaannnd, I'm waiting for the nurse to call back with an MRI appointment. My conclusion is that a potpourri of modalities seems to be the most effective means of healing.