Lateral Ankle Reconstruction OR Strapping, Rehab And A Steroid Injection
Oct 3, 2013
I'm after some advice, anecdotes etc. Two years ago I sprained my ankle quite badly and it never really healed. It has bothered me quite a lot since, particularly after walking and running but seven weeks ago I broke the head of the fibula on the other leg and the ankle has become very angry as a result of having to take almost all my weight for so many weeks.
I mentioned it to my orthopaedic consultant at my last appointment, was x-rayed and it was then explained that there is a two year old avulsion fracture there; the bone and ligament never reattached. As well as this, I also have sinus tarsi syndrome. The ankle is very painful and unstable and he strongly recommends a repair. I have a podiatrist friend who suggests strapping, rehab and a steroid injection.
Has anyone had anything similar and what route did you go down with what result?
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I 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).
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I've had this painful condition for a few months after falling and breaking a wrist. I thought it was as a result of the 'jarring' at the time but it got worse not better and, yesterday, I re-visited my consultant who diagnosed frozen shoulder and explained the long term nature of this. I've agreed to try the steroid injection. Does it work?
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I was told by my doc i have bulging discs and micro fractures in the bottom of my spine l5 i suffer with chronic pain from it both in my back and down both legs. I had a steroid block injection 3 weeks ago in the facet joints and they worked for a bit but now the pain is back with a vengeance! Is this normal? Im at my wits end i am taking morphine for the pain but doesn't touch it. I'm 26 years old and have tried everything so far. Apparently the facet joints are rubbing the wrong way? I really don't understand.
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On 4/5/16 I fell and had an x ray. It showed a lateral malleolus fracture of the right ankle. Last week, Dr was concerned with the amount of swelling, bruising and pain. Therefore he scheduled me for an MRI this past Saturday. Results came back today but I don't see the dr again till 5/23. Debating on if I should wait till then to see my ortho or if I should try to get in sooner with someone else.
Mri says
Again identified are changes of a lateral malleolus fracture as identified on x-ray. With surrounding large amounts of edema, they are no definite ligamentous injury to be confirmed. Abundant fluid noted within the sinus tarsus and probable deltoid ligaments.
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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.
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I had ankle reconstruction + arthroscopy 2 weeks ago today (on 7/22). Originally the plan was to first do the arthroscopy, and see if I needed a chondroplasty or ankle debridement and then do a Brostrom-Gould for the ligament I tore. I was never told exactly what my surgeon did, but when he finished my surgery he told my mother that it turned out he was able to do much less than he believed he would need to. Cartilage looked good (except for a bit of discoloration and degeneration which we are looking into the cause of) which is a miracle considering how many injuries this ankle has suffered. So no chondroplasty or debridement. I'm not sure if he did the Brostrom-Gould or if "doing less" meant he was able to salvage the ligament and just sew it back together.
Everything was going pretty well until I accidentally got my splint wet last Thursday (8 days post-op). I went in to the office and my doctor came in and looked at my incision, which he said looked great, and he told the nurse she could take out my stitches and put me in a hard cast that day instead of waiting until today, which was supposed to be my first post-op visit (14 days post-op). There were steri-strips across most of the incision, and she cut the stitches at each side of the incision, and one on the inside of my ankle from the arthroscopy (for a total of 3 stitches). I am confused as to whether she took out all the stitches, since it seems hard to believe that they would close an almost 2 inch incision with 2 stitches, and only one of the arthroscopy incisions would have stitches in it.
Anyway, they put the hard cast on me, and my surgeon told me I could ditch the crutches, so I started progressive weight bearing the next day. I got up to about 50% weight while walking around my house with only one crutch, which did not hurt too much and was not causing excessive swelling. However, yesterday a friend called me as a last-resort when she desperately needed a ride, and I agreed, glad to have an excuse to force myself to leave the house for the first time in 2 weeks. I walked to the car with ease, and while the drive ended up taking much longer than I expected, the surgery was on my left ankle so I was fine. But walking back to my house late at night when I was tired, I put much more weight on it than I meant to, and I tripped once and ended up putting full weight on the foot. Of course it hurt, but it did not worry me too much until about 20 minutes later when I was finally dressed for bed and lying down with my foot elevated. Until then I had experienced almost no pain in my ankle except some normal expected pain when walking or if I let my foot hang for too long. This was a completely different pain than I had felt before, very sharp and throbbing right where my incision was (before then I could not even tell where the incision was by feel). It was so bad that I had to take two oxycodone before I could relax enough to sleep.
I have kept off of it since then and it feels okay unless I move it, since there is a little bit too much room in my cast - I can wiggle up and down and my ankle can turn a bit. These tiny movements probably won't seriously damage anything, but they hurt and sometimes the incision brushes up against the side of the cast and it stings a lot. I am not taking any pain killers today and my ankle feels almost like it did before I walked on it, except now I am able to constantly feel (not pain just awareness) where the incision is, when before I never felt it.
I am just worried that I could have damaged the ankle somehow by putting so much pressure on it so soon after surgery, especially since I wasn't technically supposed to even start walking on it until tomorrow, 7 days after I actually started to walk on it. It seems a little off to me like that my surgeon told me to walk on it 8 days post op (maybe he forgot that I was there earlier than I was supposed to be?) I have also been very worried that I could have torn open the incision somehow, since the stitches came out so early and there was only tape holding it together (I think), which very well may have fallen off by now.
I was hoping I could get some insight from other people who have maybe gotten their stitches out super early or walked on their ankle too much too soon and see if your pain was anything like mine.
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I am scheduled for a total ankle reconstruction in 2 wks and hoping some of you will have some words of wisdom or tips/advice .
I'm going to be on bed rest for the first 2-3wks, in a cast for 12wks, NWB for 8wks and not able to drive.
Any suggestions as to what I should have on hand to make life easier while being on bed rest and while NWB? We've invested in a cold therapy unit for the immediate post op period . I'm a wimp when it comes to pain so hoping the cryotherapy unit combined with the pain med's will leave me with minimal pain.
I'm not one to lay around and do nothing....always have to be out and about doing things. This is going to a very mentally challenging few weeks/months.
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I'm looking for any kind of help/relief from tarsal tunnel symptoms and pain. I had a severe sprain (lateral ankle and high ankle) the end of October that has just turned into so many additional problems, one of them now being tarsal tunnel. I've had the EEG to confirm. I've done cortisone, steroids, PT with ultrasound and all kinds of other treatments. I need to have ankle reconstruction done and they are planning on the tarsal tunnel release at the same time. It should have been scheduled and done already, but I managed to herniate L5/S1 so bad that surgery couldn't wait on my back. I'm almost at 3 mos post op for that. With the recovery for that all my ankle problems had subsided because I wasn't working or on my feet much at all.
Now I'm back to work and living my normal life again - all the pain and swelling is coming back. In the last week, the aching, burning and tingling has kept me up three nights. I try and stay off my feet at work as much as I can (I only work 3 days, 5-6 hrs a day), but by the time I get home my foot hurts so bad I could cry. It's the inside ankle, heal, arch and now even the front of my ankle going up into my shin. I bought some KT tape and plan to take it to PT (for my back) to see if they will show me how to apply it for my ankle.
Any advise or similar symptoms. I have an appointment to follow up this Thursday. I'm hoping for maybe another injection (last one was in January) just to get me through til I get the surgery. I really don't want this during the summer, I'd much rather hold off until early fall.
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I am actually scheduled for Ankle Reconstruction (ATFL CFL and Tendon) for Monday June 24. I know im cutting it close ,but i figured i might as well do this now.
I am wondering what i am in for. I am 22year old male, just completed my last exam to fulfill my degree requirements and have nothing but my life ahead of me, no Full time job lined up so i will be home for awhile, i have a part time job but i told them about the surgery.
I am not the type of person to sit still and be in bed rest and i need something to do. I usually go to the gym 5 times a week along with yoga 5 times a week. It will take some time adjusting to NWB and everything, and i think this will be the hardest.
I've been told i will need to spend the night in the hospital and i will be released the next day.
I was wondering if anyone has any good exercises for working out, any healthy food recipes, or any help in general.
What am i to expect with this surgery. The Orthopedic Surgeon mentioned to me that he will use a modified brostrom surgery to repair my injury which was caused from an old old soccer and track injury.
Any advice on showering, washrooms and other personal hygiene?
How do you sit in a car when someone drives you, as i won't be able to drive with this being my right ankle.
Any advice in general?
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Disclaimer: If I ramble on and make absolutely no sense,
I blame my incoherence on the pain meds
Anyway, my second PTTD reconstruction is done! I had the exact same procedures on my left foot as I did on the right...FDL transfer, medializing calcaneal osteotomy, Evans calcaneal osteotomy, bone marrow aspiration, and Strayer procedure. The surgeon told my family that over two inches of the PTT was severely degenerated/beyond repair. Prognosis is a full recovery over the next 1 1/2 to 2 years.
Unfortunately, my nerve block didn't work as well this time; so, I woke up in pretty severe pain. The nurses were great and had the pain to a manageable point within a half hour. By the time I was discharged, I was able to take my first dose of oral pain meds...I was pretty comfortable on the ride home.
At this point, I am taking one oxycodone every 4 hours (down from 3 the first day) and think I will be able to start putting more space between doses tomorrow. The pain is not too bad as long as I stay "toes above nose."
Knowing what to expect in the days following surgery has definitely made these first few days smoother/less scary. Each day is one day closer to being active again!
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I will be having Flatfoot Reconstruction Surgery in May and am trying to get a handle on the recovery. I live in a small 1 bedroom apartment, ground floor, but with 2 semi-steep steps leading inside.
I'd love to know anyone's experience with steps/stairs after this type of surgery. Also am looking for a recommendation for a good foam wedge for foot elevation...and actually anything else you might want to share. I'm a bit overwhelmed at how arduous the recovery may be.
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I think I saw this mentioned before, but do you have some helpful hints about sleeping after surgery? I'm a side sleeper with pillow between knees. It's about the only way I can sleep. Yea, it's probably not possible at the beginning. Also, did anyone put a "blanket support" at the footboard to hold the blankets and sheets off the foot?
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I had a modified brostrom ligament reconstruction back in October of 2013. I am still having a LOT of pain in my ankle. It is very much more stable now that it used to be... Before the surgery it was like every step it was close to popping out of place due to the ligament, however I still have severe pain in my ankle and shin... Does anyone else experience the same issue, and any advice on what I need to do? I called the OS and they recommended me going back to the brace and although that works, I would like to at some point be without the brace, because it hurts even with the darn brace on!!!! It just feels more protected while in the brace but it doesn't stop the pain from happening.... It aches like when you have the flu, I feel achy in the ankle all the time, but w/o the brace it HURTS about a 5 out of a 10.. I have a very high pain tolerance and would say the pain is about the same as it was before the surgery.. The pain before the surgery was never so bad I couldn't deal, but it was like all day nagging pain... I am still having that pain. Is that normal 6 months after surgery?
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I had my surgery 7 weeks ago and am finally in a boot and can walk again with the help of 1 crutch. I am driving and going to physical therapy 3x a week. The first 5 weeks were very hard not being able to put any weight on my foot. A knee scooter was a tremendous help. I was not In very much pain and got to go shopping and out to eat. Getting the cast off at 5 weeks was great. Hopefully the rest of my recouperation will be as easy.
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I am currently 8 weeks post op from a very extensive flat foot reconstructive surgery . I was excited to start partial weight bearing this week starting w 25 percent in a boot.
My problem is I have sharp pains coming from the bottom of my heel which I am thinking may be from the screws from the calcaneal osteotomy. This is making it very difficult to put any pressure on my foot when weight bearing ?
Has anyone experienced this ? Did it go away on its own? Was there anything that helped this . I am afraid I will not be able to proceed the wt bearing with this continued heel pain.
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I had reconstruction of my left foot. I am 7 1/2 weeks Post op. I was in the hospital for 4 days with a nerve block behind my knee and drugs through a pushbutton pump. pain was managed. I was sent home with perks and vicodin.
For the first week I was told to take the pain meds before I felt the pain which was every 4 hours. After the perks I was able to use vicaden, however I didn't like the vicodin so I went to tramadol. That was only for the first two weeks. My dr does not believe in hard drugs after that. I was in a cast for two week which was the worse for me😔I felt very confined and tight.
Went back to the Dr to only find out an additional 4 more weeks in the cast. Total of 8 weeks, I am now in a boot an able to bear 1/3 of my weight along with PT and exercises at home.Weight bearing is gradual. Takes 3 months for full weight bearing. It is a very long process with lots of patience.
My knee roller is a blessing.Before weight bearing I tried hopping on crutches and fell, please don't try that.
Be honest I haven't felt myself since surgery hope it's part of recovery...I would like to know if you feel not yourself yet after 7 weeks. I am the type of person that loves to run out every chance I get and sometimes I am not up to it because it's tons of work with the boot. I sincerely hope after 3 months I can work by myself. Let me know if anyone feels the same.
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If you used both crutches and a knee walker after surgery, how much did you depend on your crutches? I tried using crutches today for my upcoming surgery, and I don't think I can go more than 15 feet with them because of elbow problems.
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I would like to try and find out what addicts think will b better for them REHAB OR METHADONE. Me personally says rehab cause i am sick and tired of having to go to chemists day in and day out just to get your methadone everyday.Go to REHAB come of the opiates and then its up to yourself what you do with your life,rather than getting stuck on methadone for years.
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I'm in so much pain there is no space under my patella my knee is very swollen. Walking is getting increasingly difficult let alone the stairs. I have been referred to a surgeon who has offered me to either have a lateral release or partial knee replacement. I am very confused I thought I might go for the lateral as less invasive as at 44 I'm not sure whether to go down the knee replacement route yet. I would welcome your response to either of these procedures and any suggestions as to which to have?
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When my husband was two years old, his testicular sac was full of fluid and was not draining so the doctor did a bilateral hernia repair. After being looked at he was told that he could not have kids due to the repair. Is it possible to get pregnant using some type of sperm extraction techniques...?
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