Recovery after broken ankle

[carodz 17]

From my own personal experience (broken fibula, surgery to repair using 2 screws), don't push it. Even after I was able to walk normally again, weird things will cause pain and running/skating falls into that category. I lost all of my lower leg muscle tone, too, which made my right leg feel weird for a while

even once I started walking again (though our bodies regenerate that muscle astoundingly fast once we use it again). Granted, I did not do any real PT beyond a balance board and ankle movement exercises (probably should have) and I had a bad medial sprain in addition to the fracture, so YMMV.

 

Not to hijack too much, but I have struggled with getting back on the ice on a regular basis since then (5 years ago) due to phobia of being injured again, and the realization that my cheap, painful, poor-fitting skates probably contributed to my injury. I am finally going to take the plunge by purchasing new skates that fit well (and springing for skates stiff enough to support my size) and taking some skating classes to get back into it. If anyone has any suggestions for getting over this fear, I'd appreciate it.

[IPv6Freely 2093]

If I was skating out I'd agree with you, but I'm much less worried playing goal, especially with the support VH skates offer. But regardless, I do agree that rushing it doesn't make sense. 

 

As for your phobia, I think a new pair of skates that you're excited to use would help a lot, but also I'd get a set of shot blockers just so you feel extra protected. I know I'll definitely be getting some if I ever skate out again, even though my injury wasn't caused by a shot. I'd just feel better knowing it's a bit better protected.

[IPv6Freely 2093]

Developed pain in my calf in the leg in the cast. Spent a fortune on an uber to go tongue hospital for blood work. Positive.

 

Moved into another department to have my cast cut off and an ultrasound done. Positive. Immediately moved into the emergency ward. 

 

Prescribed blood thinner injections twice daily for 7 days, meanwhile also starting a once a day pill that I'll be taking for three months. 

 

That's about a month after my PT would have ended so I guess the timing isn't too terrible as its not like I can't be doing PT and some strength training in the mean time. If anything, it's forcing me to not rush back from the ankle break I'll get an extra month to regain my leg strength.

 

They also put me back into a cast. This one seems much tighter than the other one. I was actually able to move my foot around a bit in the other one. Not at all in this one. I actually kind of like it better.

 

It should only be on for two days though, as my appointment for X-rays out of plaster is Wednesday. The doctor said two weeks ago to come back this Friday but the only appointment they had was Wednesday unless I wanted to wait until the 30th. She told me on the phone that "two days before or after the requested date is still considered normal" and that they take that into consideration when they give you a return date anyway.

 

Sigh... I miss my team :(

[IPv6Freely 2093]

Well, I got my cast off today. Doctor said it was healing nicely. About time I got some good news.

 

I was given a walking boot as well as an ankle brace (to wear so I can drive) and a set of exercises to start working on ankle mobility.

 

She said I can start beating weight while in the walking boot but only about 10% at this point, and to gradually increase. 

 

She he said most people wear the brace all the time even under the boot so you don't have to switch between them and just wear the boot when I'm walking. 

 

Unfortunately the calf pain from the blood clot makes moving my ankle pretty painful so that may have to wait until the thinners really start working. 

 

Baby steps...

[IPv6Freely 2093]

Figured I'd post an update. I'm nearly done with the Lovenox injections, which is fantastic because my belly is bruised to hell at this

point. The insides of both elbows are also a nice blue-green color too from the daily blood tests. 

 

My INR is still only 1.6 as of Friday. They increased my warfarin dose to 10mg a day (4pills) hoping it would be above 2.0 by Sunday (tomorrow). 

 

Ive been sleeping without my brace or boot, which the doctor said is okay. I slept in the brace the first night honestly just because I was afraid of having my ankle unprotected, but it was no issue so now I don't wear anything on my feet. I didn't want to get out of bed this morning because it was the most normal I've felt in over a month!

 

My calf pain is nearly gone, and what's left I'm pretty sure is just muscular. The blood clot isn't causing any pain, swelling, heat, etc. anymore. My calf was rock hard non-stop for a few days there. 

 

Ive been doing my basic exercises. Moving my foot forwards and back has been okay. Definitely a loss of range of motion but it's not painful. Doing circles, on the other hand, is definitely uncomfortable. It almost feels like a bone is blocking it or something (though I know it's not actually). I actually get a bit of discomfort just above my INSIDE ankle while I do those.

 

I also tried standing on two legs without my crutches. I got probably 25% of my weight onto my injured ankle when standing straight up.

 

As far as walking, I'm having a hard time with it. Maybe 5% weight on my ankle. The biggest problem seems to actually be the shape of the boot. It's MUCH larger of a footprint than most boots you see, and very flat. I ordered another one on Amazon that is much more streamlined. It should be here later this week.

 

The biggest issue at this point is actually that I start a new job on Monday, but can't drive. Uber is going to really add up quickly so I'm hoping to at least get to the point where I can drive somewhat quickly. There's no way in hell that I can drive my car because I simply wouldn't be able to get into it because it's so low (Porsche Cayman). I figured I'd try driving our Volvo XC90 (my goalie bag car!) because the seats are so tall so it would be easy to get in and out of, but the pedals are pretty stiff and the brake pedal sticks way out compared to the gas pedal, so that's not ideal either. I think my best bet is actually to drive my wife's car (Mercedes C400) because it's pedals are really easy to push, are nice and close together, and it's easy to get in and out of. I just need to give it a try. Maybe tomorrow.

 

I was REALLY hoping to be walking in the boot by the time I started this job but it looks like that won't be the case :( If only I could have taken a week off between my old job and my new one, things would have been so much simpler. Funny, most other people would have taken time off if they broke their ankle, or developed a blood clot, or had a family member die, but that's just not an option for me. Even a couple days would have been so helpful, but nope.

 

Im really looking forward to a job where i can completely check out when my shift is over...

 

More updates to come! 

[Malarowski 12]

Man hang in there, that all sounds rough (other than the cars, poor you ;) ).

[Fletch 219]

I broke my fibula playing roller (I no longer play roller due to that incident) a couple years ago, of course it required a plate and 4 screws to fix (my luck, 3 out of my 4 limbs have plates in them now).  Recovery was about 6 months with about a month of PT before I decided I could do that stuff at home.  One thing that sucked for sure was having to cut a huge chunk out of my tongues in order to be able to fit my now-plated fibula into my boot.  And I am gonna get new skates this Christmas and thankfully I live close to Old World Boot Repair/Leon and I know he will be able to work his magic.  Good luck!

[IPv6Freely 2093]

7 weeks, 5 days since the break. Doc says ankle isn’t healing because I’m not walking on it enough. Told him that only became bearable a few days ago. He would have none of it. Seeing him in another 3 weeks. He said he wants me walking out of the boot (just the brace) in 2. I asked for a note for a temp handicap permit. He said “3 weeks ago, sure. Now? No.” Awesome. FML. 

[IPv6Freely 2093]

10 weeks since the break. 

 

The last two weeks haven't been easy but definitely saw improvement. My first thought when he said I had to walk on my ankle was "no way. There is NO way that's going to be possible..." But I hobbled around, with a cane for support, for the first week of work without my iWalk. It got better and better every day. By the time I hit Sunday, I was walking without the cane, and without pain. However, I think I ended up over-doing it and had a lot of pain in my heel all this week. Not in the ankle at all, but right in my heel.

 

A friend of mine (in his final year to become a physical therapist) said it was likely a mild case of plantar fasciitis. He suggested I do the "scrunch up a towel with your toes" exercise. I told him that was in the list the doctors gave me but I didn't feel like I had any loss of range of motion in my toes so I skipped it. Apparently the doctors knew what they were talking about... go figure.

 

Maybe it's just me who has this issue, but it seems like if the doctors would just explain something instead of just saying to do it, I'd have an easier time with all of this. If the first doctor had said "you need to walk on it because you need stress on it for the bone to fuse" would have gone a long way. If the instructions would say "this is for strengthening the plantar fascia and not actually anything to do with your toes", that would have been helpful. Shrug.

 

Anyway, the doc a few weeks back said he wanted me out of the boot and in a shoe with the ankle brace a week before I came back. That's today. So, I hobbled off to work with my shoe and brace, with my cane (again mostly just for balance, and a tiny bit of support until I get comfortable). Surprisingly, it's significantly less painful all around to be walking on a shoe. I'm guessing because my ankle and toes are able to flex through the step instead of being immobile. I imagine I'm going to need my ice pack tonight, though. (I have one of those WONDERFUL shock doctor ankle ice packs I got way back in the day when my old goalie skates would hurt my inner ankle. It has gel ice packs that go on both sides of the foot, as well as the top of the foot. It's AMAZING. Highly recommended!)

 

Anyway... the end is near(ish)! 

 

[IPv6Freely 2093]

11 weeks this Thursday. Went to Ortho today for X-rays. Bone is good. He said any pain i have is weakness not the bone. Gave me the number for PT and said I'm good to go. Said 6 weeks and I'm good for sports. Also said he wants me to wean myself off the ankle brace over the next two weeks or else it will start to hinder the healing.

He had me stand on one leg for 10 seconds and said that plus the X-ray tells him all he needs to know. 

And like I told him... honestly knowing it's structurally sound and the pain is just weakness makes the pain a lot more tolerable because there's no concern about there being something wrong. 

Looking at around mid September then. That's not so bad. It's just the goddamn blood thinners... that could potentially have me out for the rest of 2016. I hope not. Though I've given up on getting to play this season (just started, runs until mid December). Unless they get me off the thinners sooner than later. 

Still hurts to walk, but it's improving for sure.

[ccarrigan 2]

You will NOT be ready for hockey in 6 weeks. You'll probably be ok for jogging, or light activity. I've had this surgery, your whole leg is now significantly weaker. Don't rush back in to anything or you'll just be back in the hospital.

[IPv6Freely 2093]

3 minutes ago, ccarrigan said:

You will NOT be ready for hockey in 6 weeks. You'll probably be ok for jogging, or light activity. I've had this surgery, your whole leg is now significantly weaker. Don't rush back in to anything or you'll just be back in the hospital.

I didn't have any surgery. Regardless, the 6 week suggestion is irrelevant thanks to the blood thinners. 

[Fletch 219]

You may end up dealing with swelling too, especially when trying to get your skate on.  I had to tear out a huge chunk of my tongues because of the swelling.  If I didn't do that, I couldn't put the skates on without considerable pain. 

[A2rhino 62]

Optimus,

I had a similar accident back on June 12th. A dirty boarding hit from behind. Broke my fibula and separated the tibia from the ankle. I had surgery on June 20th. a plate and 8 screws put in. Sent the pics to JR. its no joke.  Was cleared on Monday to be out of my boot (woo hoo) and walking in a shoe. I still have extreme swelling that will eventually go away. For now its causing a lack of ROM. Thankfully I have no pain. I slept in my boot every night until I was cleared on Monday. It sucked but it helped. I still ice it twice a day. I can stand/balance all my weight on it. I've been doing fore/aft ROM exercises with it using a theraband. nothing crazy but just to stretch. I can say that the dr. was surprised with the speed of my recovery and healing progress. I attribute it to being in shape, eating well and getting a lot of sleep. Dr. said that I should be back on skates in Nov. I think that's realistic at this point. I look at as the ice and my gear aren't going anywhere. Just take it easy and hang in there.

I must add that I begin PT next week and that should help my progress even more. I do tend to feel a sharp pain now and again in the area where the plate is. I can only guess its from the plate rubbing against scar tissue. Never the less, things happen like car accidents. Fix the car and get back on the road.

 

 

 

Edited August 6, 2016 by A2rhino

[ccarrigan 2]

20 hours ago, IPv6Freely said:

I didn't have any surgery. Regardless, the 6 week suggestion is irrelevant thanks to the blood thinners. 

My bad, thought you were OP!

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

22 hours ago, A2rhino said:

Optimus,

I had a similar accident back on June 12th. A dirty boarding hit from behind. Broke my fibula and separated the tibia from the ankle. I had surgery on June 20th. a plate and 8 screws put in. Sent the pics to JR. its no joke.  Was cleared on Monday to be out of my boot (woo hoo) and walking in a shoe. I still have extreme swelling that will eventually go away. For now its causing a lack of ROM. Thankfully I have no pain. I slept in my boot every night until I was cleared on Monday. It sucked but it helped. I still ice it twice a day. I can stand/balance all my weight on it. I've been doing fore/aft ROM exercises with it using a theraband. nothing crazy but just to stretch. I can say that the dr. was surprised with the speed of my recovery and healing progress. I attribute it to being in shape, eating well and getting a lot of sleep. Dr. said that I should be back on skates in Nov. I think that's realistic at this point. I look at as the ice and my gear aren't going anywhere. Just take it easy and hang in there.

I must add that I begin PT next week and that should help my progress even more. I do tend to feel a sharp pain now and again in the area where the plate is. I can only guess its from the plate rubbing against scar tissue. Never the less, things happen like car accidents. Fix the car and get back on the road.

 

 

 

You'll learn the pain from the plate is there to stay...

I'm 9 years out from mine, I still get twinges every now and then (it's fairly seldom, maybe two twinges a month), and a handful of sore days in the area of the plate, per year.

 

It's more nuisance than anything.  You'll have to learn what's okay to feel.  Just keep your head down and do everything therapy says, you be at full performance in no time.

 

[IPv6Freely 2093]

23 hours ago, A2rhino said:

Optimus,

I had a similar accident back on June 12th. A dirty boarding hit from behind. Broke my fibula and separated the tibia from the ankle. I had surgery on June 20th. a plate and 8 screws put in. Sent the pics to JR. its no joke.  Was cleared on Monday to be out of my boot (woo hoo) and walking in a shoe. I still have extreme swelling that will eventually go away. For now its causing a lack of ROM. Thankfully I have no pain. I slept in my boot every night until I was cleared on Monday. It sucked but it helped. I still ice it twice a day. I can stand/balance all my weight on it. I've been doing fore/aft ROM exercises with it using a theraband. nothing crazy but just to stretch. I can say that the dr. was surprised with the speed of my recovery and healing progress. I attribute it to being in shape, eating well and getting a lot of sleep. Dr. said that I should be back on skates in Nov. I think that's realistic at this point. I look at as the ice and my gear aren't going anywhere. Just take it easy and hang in there.

I must add that I begin PT next week and that should help my progress even more. I do tend to feel a sharp pain now and again in the area where the plate is. I can only guess its from the plate rubbing against scar tissue. Never the less, things happen like car accidents. Fix the car and get back on the road.

 

 

 

I'm blown away by how quickly you're recovering. Very jealous. I still can't walk without a cane. Never was able to walk in the boot without pain. I see people walking around in those boots like they werent even wearing one. Crazy. 

[A2rhino 62]

Thanks for the feedback puck it. I always hope for the best and prepare for the worst. I truly believe my recovery will go well. I have great faith in the docs at my ortho office after they helped me through a terrible groin injury a few years ago. 

Optimus, 

i agree with Puck it. Don't let this get you down. Keep pushing and doing what the docs tell you. Never hurts to get a second opinion if you're not happy. remember that we are all different and recover at a different rate. I PM'd you the other day. 

[IPv6Freely 2093]

Figured I'd update this thread.

Last sunday (Aug 7) I had my first appointment with my personal trainer (who I actually play hockey with). Just wanted to see what I could do and get back into things. I was actually able to do just about everything with no issue. The one that really shocked me was the gravity machine squats (TotalGym GTS) which means they're less than 100% body weight. Zero pain at all.

The next day I felt great. Walking still hurt but quite a bit less. Tueday, everything else hurt. My shoulders and hips specifically as he did a ton of arm work and did some leg raises. Ouch. Weak hips and shoulders while not being able to walk very well and using a cane for support don't mix well. Ended up over-doing it Monday because of how well I felt, and paid for it the rest of the week. Iced and elevated my ankle every night after work. 

I thought my appointment for PT was wednesday, but apparently I was a week early. Not sure how that happened (since I was entering it into my calendar while still on the phone with them) but whatever.

On Saturday, I got up and went for brunch, then went to go see Star Trek again. It felt pretty good all day. Then something weird happened. Saturday evening I got up off the couch to get a drink. I took one step (I had been trying to not use the cane while at home) and stopped. There was no pain. At all. What so ever. My wife says "whats wrong?" and I reply "uhh.. nothing. That's why I stopped... why doesn't this hurt?" A couple more steps, still nothing. WEIRD.

So of course it was too good to be true and definitely started hurting a bit more, but it was tolerable. Mornings also still suck of course because everything is stiff. But at this point I have ALMOST a full walking stride back and barely put any weight on the cane at this point. Heck, I didn't use it at all yesterday while at home. Even up and down the stairs (can go up the stairs one foot per stair, but coming down I still have to take it one step at a time). 

Today I drove my car for the first time since the break. It was just too hard to get in and out of (Porsche Cayman, so you can imagine how low to the ground it is...). There's definitely still pain in my ankle and foot but it's tolerable. 

One thing my wife pointed out though, is I seem to be walking with my toe pointed outward a bit. I think this is something that just became habit because while in the walking boot it actually hurt to step down with my toes pointed straight ahead. I expect that as my ankle improves and my walking cadence improves that this will fix itself, though I may need to work on actively adjusting while walking. 

So once again, I have PT this wednesday. I'm also down to 9 days left in my supply of blood thinners. I'll have to call them to get more, however I'm planning on being like "I'm almost out, but I'm pretty close to 3 months anyway so I probably don't need a refill) and just see what they say. I've heard everywhere from 3 months to "at least 6" from three different doctors so who knows.

It's getting there... 

[A2rhino 62]

Happy  for you man. Yes you will have to be proactive in pointing your foot forward and retraining yourself to walk like you did before the accident. One day at a time brother. Remember, muscle fatigue pain is far different and BETTER than actual injury pain. Its a sign of progress and that's what you're doing brother; Progressing!

[IPv6Freely 2093]

And there goes my optimism. I tripped at home and now my foot hurts all over. Even taking my shoe off hurt. Sigh. 

[A2rhino 62]

ice, Motrin and elevate it.

[IPv6Freely 2093]

1 hour ago, A2rhino said:

ice, Motrin and elevate it.

Pretty much constant ice since it happened. Elevated when possible. Haven't taken any pain killers since the blood clot, actually. 

[IPv6Freely 2093]

These bastards gave me the wrong date last week for PT. This week I get in there and they apparently referred me to OT not PT. So I told them to f-off and I'll just go to a 3rd party and pay out of pocket instead. 

I got a recommendation from my personal trainer (who is in his last semester to become a physical therapist himself, actually) for a good local place with reasonable rates and a pool. 

Hoping they can get me in today since I already took the day off work.

[IPv6Freely 2093]

Okay I got in today for an assessment. It was actually a pretty reasonable price ($110 for 1.5 hour assessment).

Mixed feelings. The therapist was great. Did some manipulation of the joints in the foot, used a metal thing to break up some scar tissue etc. On the other hand, the kid doing my exercises with me seemed to not really care a whole lot and seemed like he'd rather be elsewhere. 

Im thinking I'll go back to her next week, but likely a lot less after that. Especially since my personal trainer is in his final semester to become a physical therapist himself so while he can't (yet) do any of the adjustment of my joints he can definitely do the exercises with me. 

Walked without pain again today (before the PT at least). So apparently I failed to correlate the ibuprofen I took on Saturday for a headache with my sudden painless walking. Easy for me to do since I literally never take any kind of painkiller unless I have a headache that doesn't go away on its own after a few hours. 

So I took more ibuprofen this morning, and by 11am I was walking around the house almost like it was nothing. Cleaning, organising my hockey gear, etc. 

Then after PT today I got some REALLY good news. Apparently the hematologist told my doctor that I'm okay to get off the blood thinners after 3 months (which means I only have a month left). That's AWESOME!!!!! I'm so pumped right now.