Shin injury with ankle and foot swollen

Dear Ask The Doctor: I hit my shin last week pretty hard. it is sore but i am able to walk and move it fine. there is no swelling or bruising on my shine however now my ankle is swollen and my foot (under the inside of my ankle) is bruised. my ankle and foot have no pain or numbness. i have iced and elevated it. i also took ibuprofen and the swelling is going down, but the bruising seems to be spreading. does this sound like something serious?

Dear Gerald: In the view that you are able to walk and move fine, most likely you are experiencing sequels of the blast: pain and inflammation. The healing time is different for each patient, and also depends on the severity of the initial injury. The suggested strategy in your case should be: physical therapy aimed to stretch the muscles of the leg and foot, using ice packs after the exercise routine to decrease inflammation and pain, relative rest (avoiding activities that reproduce the pain), and use of anti inflammatory drugs (example: Advil).