I broke my ankle on 11/10, surgery on 11/19, cast off 12/7
I got the knee high boot to wear, I'm still non-weight bearing. He wants me to sleep in it but sleep is impossible. How vitally important is the boot to the bone healing? i wear the boot all day.
i broke my 5th metatarsal on the 29th April, i was given a postoperative shoe to wear by the hospital, i was given an appointment with the fracture clinic on the friday (1st May) gave me a healing time of 6 weeks, i went back the fracture clinic on 12th June, the Consultant i saw was unhappy i wasn't given a beckham boot, i now have the beckham boot and have to wear this for a further 6 weeks, + it weighs sooo much.
View 3 RepliesI broke my 5th metatarsal about 10 weeks ago, no big deal i thought it's a fairly common injury.
I'm 36 and i keep myself quite fit, i've never smoked, drink moderately so i expected to be up and running again in no time. It hasn't panned out that way. The last x-ray was 3 weeks ago and showed a non-union. I can get around ok with the moon boot on, i can walk small distances without, but my foot clearly still isn't right.
It's crunch time now, i go back to the hospital tomorrow for an x-ray and the bone is still refusing to play ball they're going to open me up and put a screw in.
Now this is where it get's complicated. We'll overlook the fact i'm terrified of being anaesthetised, there is another issue with my foot...
When they first x-rayed the broken metatarsal the doctor was more impressed with my big toe. I hurt it playing football when i was 15 and it appears, or at least the doctor believes, it was dislocated and remained so leaving me with a deformed toe and a right foot that's a full size smaller than the left!
He wants to repair the toe at the same time, should he need to operate on the metatarsal.
Can anyone shed some light on how exactly the toe would be repaired? I know roughly what happens with the metatarsal. How long recovery time would be? Will i need a cast or moonboot?
I fractured my left ankle, the fibula, on March 1st. It was classified as a lateral malleolus fracture. I was put in a splint in the ER and saw an OS two days later, who put me in a fiberglass cast for 4 more weeks. After two weeks, he re x-rayed and said all looked good, so he told me to start putting weight on it over the next few days until I was full weight bearing. It felt better every day and I was sure I was on the path to recovery. At the 4 week point I went back in to hopefully have the cast removed and transition into a walking boot. The cast was cut off and my ankle was x-rayed again to make sure all was still on track. My OS came in a few minutes later and informed me that he did not see any signs that the bone was healing, in fact the area between the break had increased, which he showed me on the x-ray. He said my fracture appeared to be a delayed union and I needed it to be surgically repaired. Not the news I had expected and definitely a setback mentally and emotionally.
I had a plate with 5 screws placed on the outside of my fibula, a compression screw placed up through it and a bone graft done this past Monday, April 6th. I was told I would wake up with a splint on and would most likely be casted or put in a boot at my post-op this coming Thursday, April 16th. When I awoke from the surgery I immediately noticed I had a boot on instead of a splint. I questioned it and the nurse told me my OS thought I would recover quickly and this way I could shower, etc. in a few days. I have 10 staples in the side of my ankle and the rigid side of the boot lays right across my incision. I called my OS's office Wednesday and explained to a nurse that the boot was pressing on my incision so hard that it was almost unbearable. She spoke to my OS who said to assure me that the discomfort is just a normal part of the recovery process and it will get better. I'm now 6 days post-op and have showered, changed bandages, etc. My incision looks great and does not bother me at all until I put my darn boot on, which I am supposed to wear at all times to keep my Achilles tendon stretched. I have tried adding extra padding over my incision under my ace wrap, but the boot still presses hard right up against my incision and causes burning, stinging and just overall discomfort. Has anyone else dealt with this?
Dec 2012 I broke my fibula in 1 place, my tibia in 2 and shattered my ankle.
I have had 2 surgeries and currently have one 10 inch plate, one 12 inch plate and 19 screws in my leg.
I realize I am only 9 months into recovery. My surgeon and pain management dr both have said the typical recovery is 18months to 2years or longer.
My question is this.. can the screws become infected or have issue at this point in recovery? While the majority of the pain is obviously deep bone pain, I have no feeling on half my leg and the other side the nerves go crazy and fire at random times.
However the last month I am feeling this weird pressure high up on the tibia plate where 4 screws are located. It is definitely warmer than the rest of the area and a small swollen area.
I still have major issues walking and stretching, but the last few weeks the largest area of discomfort (besides the ankle which is always there) is high up on the tibia where I mentioned.
I saw my surgeon two days ago and he said x rays did not show any issue with hardware and it is probably just my bone and muscle getting used to walking again.
So towards the end of July I broke my big toe (phalange I believe?) whilst playing soccer. X-ray showed a thin fracture, no displacement, but the fracture went down into the joint - the joint just below the nail if that makes sense.
7 weeks later I went back to the hospital. Consultant told me that according to the X-ray it's all healed... any stiffness is normal, and even if I move my toe manually I wont do myself any damage.
It's now almost 4 weeks since that appointment and I still can barely bend it :/. If I try and bend my toe, it'll go a bit but I physically cant do it. And i get this 'click' - not sure what that is.
If I try and bend it using my hands I also physically can't do it - it's stiff and wont go. If I try and use the ground/wall for leverage it still won't go. and i'm worried about hurting myself.
Anyone had this? Is it normal? I'm British so all my appointments were on the NHS. Now I'm in the US for a while and don't think I should see a doctor for something so minor.
Additionally, I was wearing the hallux boot (?) for all those 7 weeks. Due to that my ankle now seems slightly sprained - there's pain/tightness when I try and point and flex my foot, and this 'clicking' - maybe the ligament? Again, the boot has been off for nearly 4 weeks and there's still pain in my ankle.
My uncle had surgery 1 week ago for braking both heels after falling of a roof and he's been in a lot of pain (we all know that) but he's been in bed all day, showering, doing #1/2 all in bed cause he says the doctor said he couldn't even use a wheelchair to go to the bathroom?? I mean is not a back injury/surgery why he's not allowed to even use a wheelchair? I know they advise him to sit/lay on bed with legs up but... can't sit down with legs up for a while? or use a wheelchair (with legs up) to go the bathroom/move around a bit?
View 3 RepliesI broke my fibula in late November after falling down a flight of stairs. I had ankle surgery and now have a plate and seven screws. I've been weight-bearing for about 3 to 4 weeks and I've been doing a lot of physical therapy. However, I still have some severe burning/stinging on the inside of my ankle, which is the opposite side of where it was broken. It's gotten worse lately, which may be due to the PT and more use? I still have a lot of swelling (which I think is normal) and I also still have a lot of tightness, particularly around the Achilles. Anyone have any thoughts?
View 57 RepliesBroke fibula and tibia Feb 17, 2016. Had surgery March 1, and had 2 screws put a n fibula and a plate on tibia. After 8 weeks in cast and NWB I am now in a boot. I am doing exercises for therapy but after walking on it for about an hour leg hurts and ankle and foot swell. Also get sharp twinges now and then in ankle area. Has anyone else had these problems and how long before you can put full weight on it and be able to work. I'm a waitress and have to be on my feet for 4 hours or longer without sitting.
View 43 RepliesI had broken my right calcaneus the doctor put 2 screws in. I'm at 8 weeks just started putting weight on it and walking with 1 crutch. Started doing stretching exercises. My question is I'm having pain in my foot now that I have started walking with 1 crutch. Very uncomfortable walking with boot so I changed to my tennis shoes with gel inserts.how long does it take before I can walk with little or no pain. Does anybody know.
View 9 RepliesI had a total knee replacement two weeks ago. Progress is OK though still very painful. I'm doing all of my exercises including trying to bend my knee. This is painful but also seems almost impossible! The operated knee is still about three times the size of the good knee and I keep thinking something will snap if I push it too far back! I'm left to do my physio until I get assessed by the physio team in six weeks' time. I can bend the knee about 50% at the moment. Any tips/experiences as to how long this might take?
View 8 RepliesI am in my late 50's, have full sexual drive, a willing partner. In my late 40's I developed the classic Peyronie's curve, the doc said we can operate to fix this, there will just be a little loss of length. Well, there was a lot of loss of length (1.5" and what's worse is the condition has returned worse than ever making intercourse almost impossible. This is very depressing, especially as I didn't have pain, was the op worth it?
View 1 RepliesI'm 14 years old and yesterday school started after two weeks of holidays. I went to bed at 11 PM and woke up at 4 AM. I tried to go back to sleep but I just couldn't. At 6 AM I got up and got ready for school. After school I was really tired and took an hour long nap, but I was still extremely tired. I went to bed at 9 PM and fell asleep in a second. I woke up at 2:30 AM and tried my best to fall asleep, but it didn't work. Its 6 AM right now and Ive done some homework, as I couldnt do them yesterday because I was so tired. The thing is, this didn't happen in my holiday, and I get really cranky when I don't get enough sleep. Do I have insomnia?
View 3 RepliesDoes anyone know what type of boot you should be in once you are able to bear weight? tall or short?
View 3 RepliesI am just writing with the hope of getting some more help/assurance re the Gould brostrom (or as my letter has now pointed out Arthroscopic debridement and lateral ankle reconstruction - unsure if this is the same of different?) procedure which I am due to have in just over 2 weeks on the 22nd June.
I have been very unsure for a while now as to whether or not to go ahead with it but have decided to take the plunge, however I still have my doubts!
I injured my ankle initially around 5 years ago (ruptured ATFL showed up in MRI scan) and almost had the surgery back then, only to decide not to go ahead with it. Since then I have rolled over and sprained it on multiple occasions, and have felt it become increasingly weak to the point where I have very little confidence in its strength. When playing football I now wear lace up supports, which are strong enough to prevent the rolling, but obviously doesnt deal with the root cause and there is a still a feeling of achiness and limited movement. When not wearing my ankle supports I would say its at least a 50/50 chance I'm going to roll over on my ankle every time.
I can still run and go about my everyday life virtually without any issues (feel twinges but nothing major unless recently sprained) and the views of the consultants varied from the cautious 'maybe only have it if you're playing high level sport' ( which I'm not but just play football weekly for my local team), to saying yes I go for it as its clearly getting weaker and weaker and becoming more of a frustration.
I guess alongside asking for advice as to what to expect post op, I am also seeking assurance that by going ahead I am making the right decision (bearing in mind surgery is considered last resort and rehab process is lengthy).
I'm a 42 year old female. Six weeks ago I was climbing ropes at the gym and dropped down from 4-6 feet onto a piece of excess rope resting on the ground. My ankle rolled and pain and swelling occurred immediately. Being a stubborn woman, I walked it off until the swelling started spilling over my shoe.
Got an X-ray from the orthopedic who said nothing was broken.
I was on crutches for 2 weeks and still in an air cast boot when I'm on uneven ground or working out. My workouts are modified (rowing, 12" box steps, shoulder work, cleans)and ankle swells 4x the size afterwards.
My current problem/question is this: Saturday I walked without the book (tennis shoes) on a flat surface and was very careful not to twist/turn or injure the ankle. Of course, it swelled 4x the size, as it always does each afternoon.
However, pain woke me up in the middle of the night/early the next morning. I couldn't put any weight on the foot and experienced severe pain over my medial ankle bone. It was extremely tender to the touch and any movement caused sharp pain.
One day later, it's sore but the severe pain is gone.
I had ankle surgery to repair my medial malleolus back on May 8. It was fairly routine--just 2 screws. I was in a cast for a week, then was put into a boot but told to treat it like a cast--NO weight bearing for 7 weeks, keep the boot on 24/7 unless in the bathtub. I followed directions religiously.
I did notice that when I pressed on certain areas of the foot, I would feel a sharp pain. This occurred in the heel (from the bottom), toes (again, from the bottom, primarily the foot pad below the pinky, second, and 4th toes). When I asked the doctor about this, he said (around week 5) that it was just because I hadn't been using the foot.
The problem persisted, and this week, week 7, I was cleared to start partial weight-bearing--walking in the boot while taking approximately 1/2 the weight off my foot via the crutches. I don't have ankle pain to speak of (or at least, not often and only if I overdo it), but I have terrible shooting pains in my heel and toes as I step. It's OK if I take most of the weight on the crutches, but as soon as I go to more than just a little weight on the boot, the pain starts.
This week I also started PT and the therapist told me this is nerve pain--not uncommon after surgery (don't know why the doctor couldn't have told me this, but OK). I couldn't get much of an idea from her how long this will persist or if there is anything I can do about it.
I'm doing my ankle and leg exercises (those are mostly non-weightbearing at this point) and they are going great. The ankle is clearly healing well. But I don't see how I can progress to full weight bearing (supposed to try that next week!) when much more than a little pressure on the foot results in this nerve pain!
Help! Does anyone have experience with this? Is there anything I can do to speed things along? I need to return to my second job (barefoot hoof trimming for horses--how I broke the ankle!) ASAP and I'm fearful this will slow my progress to a crawl! The doctor is useless.
I've had 4 procedures on my ankle to remove bone spurs from the front of the joint and to microfracture an OCD.
The first procedure didn't get all of the bone spur removed and I lost 6 months doing PT and then had to have another procedure at the NYC HSS to correct the issues and I also had the stem cells to regenerate the cartilage.
All of the repairs to the ankle went well and the stems regenerated the cartilage based on the 6 month follow up MRI.
I never regained my dorsiflexion. I am stuck at about 2 degrees.
I then had a gastroc release where they told me they got over 10 degrees during the surgery but I was unable to retain it after the PT started.
I then had a debridement to remove scar tissue from the front of the ankle where they we able to get about 16 degrees during the surgery, but the scar tissue once again re-formed and I stuck back at the 2-3 degrees.
I am currently still working hard on PT and have ART and GRASTON done 2x per week.
Has anyone had any luck in finding a surgeon or technique that helps permanently remove the scar tissue to regain ROM?
I'm also a candidate to wear the ankle distraction device where the device is supposed to be able to re-distribute my existing dorsiflexion and plantarflexion to give me enough of each to walk with a normal gait.
I am currently trying to weigh my (limited) options as after 20 months I'm tired of walking with a limp!
I'm 34. I had a left ankle reconstruction for instability with a ligament repair and arthroscopy in July 2015.
My recovery has been slow due to hip operations around the same time. My ankle has healed well however the range of motion is still below neutral for dorsiflexion though it's improving.
I still have loud cracking on the outside (lateral) aspect of my ankle where the ligaments were repaired. It's terribly painful and my ankle swells straight away each time. It usually occurs with shifting my weight. My ankle surgeon says it's scar tissue breaking down but is it usually accompanied by a loud painful crack in the same area each time. I'm worried it's not ok.
I am new to this forum but was wondering if anyone could advise or help me. I don't know why but every night when i go to bed i manage to fall asleep but after a couple of hours in wide awake again hence me typing this now. I will manage to get back to sleep but then i am up with my alarm at 6.30am for work. It's driving me mad that i can never have a full night's sleep without waking up.
View 2 RepliesI'm diagnosed sleep apnea and since it's onset, have been unable to wake myself up. This includes alarm clocks, opening windows, setting a sleep schedule, etc. The ONLY way I can wake up is by somebody physically waking me up and that only works after the first couple of tries. First issue is when I hear an alarm clock, I move from whatever dream I'm in to a separate dream where I think I've woken myself up, but I keep trying to turn off the alarm clock and it won't turn off. Sometimes I realize I'm dreaming still and "wake up" into a 3rd or 4th dream that seems more real and have the same issues. Secondly, my body seems to require 13-16 hours of sleep in order to feel well rested and wake up naturally. I am using a cpap machine, however, I sort of sleep walk and remove the machine in my sleep. Any ideas on how I can become independent and wake up on my own?
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