I have a high ankle sprain but my orthopedic doctor didn't take an mri. should i get a second opinion? if my ligament is torn will it heal on its own?

A matter of trust: It all comes down to trust. If you saw an orthopedic surgeon (especially if they specialize in lower extremity) or a sports medicine physician and you trust them, then a second opinion is likely not going to change the diagnosis. However, please discuss the value of the MRI with your doctor based on how confident (s)he is with the diagnosis. If very confident, then MRI again less likely to help.

MRI: An MRI can grade the sprain and you can tell if surgery is needed or not. There are ottawa ankle rules that can be followed and you can look thee up.

Depends on severity : High ankle sprain(has) is a different injury than a routine lateral ankle sprain, in both mechananism of injury and time to healing.Has usually occurs when the foot and ankle were rotatated outward with respect to the shin bone. Routine sprains are inversion injuries, the foot rolls under the ankle. Has takes about twice as long to recover compared to routine sprains.. Displacement requires surgery.

Depends: A stress x-ray will allow ur orthopedist 2 c if there's instability with spreading of the ankle mortise. If so these in my opinion need screw fixation 2 hold the mortise tight. Then cast boot non weight bearing 4, 6 wks then screw removal ; rehab.