Recovery after broken ankle

[ktang 34]

yeah, this one is sticking way out... the swelling is going down, so i noticed it. my solution is screw removal. ;)

Don't do this

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

whats it say, i cant read that.

[Hazard14 0]

whats it say, i cant read that.

after breaking his leg, he was put on a list to have his plate and screws removed, unable to stand the pain he decided to operate, he took a couple shots of alchohol for "anaesthetic", the shaved his leg, and after boiling his instruments in water, he proceeded to take a pocket knife, and cut an incision along the line of his original incision made by doctors, taking a phillips screw head he removed 5 of 6 screws (the plate was embedded, and the last screw was inaccesible) and suturing himself back together. his mom then figured out what had happened, and took him to the hospital, where he had a pshyciatric evaluation and had the last screw and plate removed, he had no evidence of further damage to muscle, bone, or nerve tissue.

wow that took a long time to type, anyways thats crazy

[Wayne 0]

Is that the same guy who knew he had a broken ankle, so he made himself a cast out of cement, oviously not setting the ankle, and was crutching himself around wth a cement block on his lower leg for 5 weeks?

[ktang 34]

Is that the same guy who knew he had a broken ankle, so he made himself a cast out of cement, oviously not setting the ankle, and was crutching himself around wth a cement block on his lower leg for 5 weeks?

Different guy... :o

Leave it to the professionals!

whats it say, i cant read that.

after breaking his leg, he was put on a list to have his plate and screws removed, unable to stand the pain he decided to operate, he took a couple shots of alchohol for "anaesthetic", the shaved his leg, and after boiling his instruments in water, he proceeded to take a pocket knife, and cut an incision along the line of his original incision made by doctors, taking a phillips screw head he removed 5 of 6 screws (the plate was embedded, and the last screw was inaccesible) and suturing himself back together. his mom then figured out what had happened, and took him to the hospital, where he had a pshyciatric evaluation and had the last screw and plate removed, he had no evidence of further damage to muscle, bone, or nerve tissue.

wow that took a long time to type, anyways thats crazy

I used to have another link that showed a pic of when he first got to the ER; it was pretty gross. One of my team-mates dug up the story after I whined about the screws in my leg one too many times and sent it to me.

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

ewww yikes... what a nut job

but...

WOOO! I'm walking. In sneakers too. No big fat clunky boot like I thought I'd be in for 6 weeks. I'm still on crutches for stability for a few days, but can shed them when I feel comfortable. Will be starting physical therapy soon, too. I'm pretty excited, things are much faster than we expected. Screw removal will not happen until the 1 year mark when my bone density is back. I can start running in about a month, and when he said i can run and do cuts, i should be good to go on skates.

I'll post regarding my PT appointments, the exercises and stuff for those looking for some.

[scorer75 9]

It's 4 weeks and 2 days since my ankle was broken.

It was a broken fibula about 2" above the ankle. Slightly displaced but with no damage to the ankle itself, I did not need surgery.

I'm still in a boot and will be for another 2 weeks for a total of 6 weeks. The doctor said it will take a full 3 months for the bone to heal completely. He also said that I can start PT as soon as the boot comes off and I can expect to get on the ice in another 4 or 5 months.

I'm bummed out.

[ThePurpleCobra 0]

It's 4 weeks and 2 days since my ankle was broken.

It was a broken fibula about 2" above the ankle. Slightly displaced but with no damage to the ankle itself, I did not need surgery.

I'm still in a boot and will be for another 2 weeks for a total of 6 weeks. The doctor said it will take a full 3 months for the bone to heal completely. He also said that I can start PT as soon as the boot comes off and I can expect to get on the ice in another 4 or 5 months.

I'm bummed out.

thats exactly what my break was, i had my final appointment 7 weeks after and i was cleared to do anything, i played hockey that night, went out for warm ups i could skate fine but stopping was awful, no muscle so i just skated in between shifts...

[kredmore 2]

It's 4 weeks and 2 days since my ankle was broken.

It was a broken fibula about 2" above the ankle. Slightly displaced but with no damage to the ankle itself, I did not need surgery.

I'm still in a boot and will be for another 2 weeks for a total of 6 weeks. The doctor said it will take a full 3 months for the bone to heal completely. He also said that I can start PT as soon as the boot comes off and I can expect to get on the ice in another 4 or 5 months.

I'm bummed out.

Sorry to hear about your troubles.....I am going to use your story as a comparison example though.

My story is different in that I broken my fibula like you, but also crushed my tibia. fibula plate is about 4", and tibia plate is about 8"....with 16 screws total.

2 weeks after surgery, I was in a boot and starting PT. 4 weeks later, 50% weight, 4 weeks later 100%, 4 weeks later totally cleared for sports/hockey. About 3 months total.....and each doctor check-up was just a check to make sure the bone was healing, but it was all about the plates and time with the healing.

Now, compare that with your story of a broken fibula and 5-6 months to skate. Big difference without the plates....you have to totally wait for the bone to heal on its own.

[scorer75 9]

I know what you are saying, I've got a plate and seven screws in my other leg and I was on the ice much quicker then.

The break I have doesn't justify surgery though.

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

so how are the bottoms of your guys feet? my ankle feels fantastic, and the soft tissue sore... but the balls of my heel and balls of my toes huuuuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrtttttttt. two days after getting off crutches, so i expect some pain, but day-um.

[ThePurpleCobra 0]

yeah the bottom of my foot and balls of my foot are in alot of pain. Also the muscle on the opposite side of my achilles is really sore (front of foot)

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

most of the muscle and soft tissue stuff I can work out after a few steps... my balls are just so sensitive

yes, i know what i just said.

[Hazard14 0]

my ankles feel absolutley fine, and the pain only comes when i walk for hours upon hours, the same with the rest of my L foot. and i only walk with a barely noticable limp, but yesterday i got into a fight with somebody and i sprained my L ankle. wow, that wasnt fun , but it only hurt for like 2 minutes

"my balls are just so sensitive"

i actually noticed that befor the rest of your post, and understanding what you ment :D

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

well had my first PT session monday. They've got me focusing on rolling onto my toes when I walk... basically reteaching me how to walk, so i dont limp around.

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

woooo! i'm "weeks ahead" of schedule on my recovery! the physical therapists are putting me in a pretty aggressive program, too. things are starting to feel pretty good, i'm still jsut so freaking swollen.

[ThePurpleCobra 0]

im still pretty swollen 3 weeks after i was cleared

[Hazard14 0]

since i trusted my PT more than the PA's at the ortho clinic in the hospital, i took my advice from him. saw him the other day, and he said i could start playing hockey now, i was elated. i stopped going to the hospital after my PT made me walk again even though i was supposed to go back and have checkups a bunch of times each year to make sure that my ankle good, weird thing is though that after bone is completely healed isnt it completely healed, so i just dont see the need of going back and waiting for like 5 hours just to be told everything is good. there is no pain, or swelling, so thats good

im going to skate on saturday (hopefully) for the first since the end of april, hoping for the best. for you other guys that skated after a ankle fracture, how was the first time?

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

i'd be cautious about not going back. the fracture may be mended and healed, but when you dont put weight on a bone for many weeks you have changes in bone density. you likely wont have a problem, but I'd go back as long as they say to, so that they can check for problems like a hairline crack or something like that. though, why you have a 5 hour long doctor visit is beyond me...that's just insane. i'm in and out in 45 mins.

Edited August 17, 2007 by puck_it

[Hazard14 0]

i have been walking for a while (approx. 9 weeks) and everything is fine, even running so its all good, i hope. i didnt apply pressure for about 8 weeks alltogether from the end of april (26th). my PT said that all is clear, and that i should have been able to start earlier. im going with what he says, and im hoping for the best. oh and i have to wait so long (get there at 7am wait until the docs actually come in, wait to be seen, have the exam, wait some more for the x-rays, then wait after the x-rays, then go bck up-stairs to wait for the doc to see me again, then wait as it takes them time to actually figure out how to log into the computer, look at x-rays, exam again, then the PA's consult with an actual MD, then wait for them to give me papers, and finally at around 12 i leave)if this was at my orthos office it would have been MUCH quicker, but this is a hospital that sees lots of people.

plus they said i have to come back every 3 months just to check that my growth plates are goiing at the same rate, which it seems to be doing since im getting taller. so yea.

Edited August 17, 2007 by aviatorhockey#10

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

ahhh its at a hosp... yeah. luckily my dr has an xray machine in house.

[Gravity_pirate 0]

Hey,

I just recently had a pretty painful spiral fracture, breaking the fibula about 3 in. above the ankle, and also the little nobbley part of the tibula. I had surgery in China as I was living there (had been there for 2 years teaching english). I broke it doing tae kwan do. You're messages have given my a lot of hope to get on my skates again. I'll give you some background...

I'm a 21 yo male, and I love sports, My surgery consisted of ankle reconstruction, with six screws and a plate placed on the fibula and one longer one on the tibula. Since the surgery I have been in a splint, not a cast, for about a month now. No pain so far... but I have a couple of questions for you...

1. With the plates, can you get up and start walking more quickly? slowly?

2. How much does the hardware get in the way of your every day life after healing?

3. Does having the single screw removed hurt at all?

I know you aren't doctors (maybe some of you are...) but I'm curious about this because I want to get up and onto my feet as soon as possible. And I think the best way to know what I'm about to experience is learned by other's experiences.

thanks,

[Hazard14 0]

oh. sounds like a pretty nasty injury

1.it depends how long it takes for the bone to heal completely, but i think usually people that have surgery have a shorter recovery time

2.again, it depends, sometimes the screws dont bother you at all and other times they cause alot of pain and will need to get removed just because they interfere with your life

3. most surgery hurts afterwards, there is bruising,swelling,pain etc. and there is always the risk of complications

you will get onto your feet soon, dont worry. just do your physical therapy and listen to your doctors.

oh and number 4

400th post bitchez B)

Edited September 3, 2007 by aviatorhockey#10

[kredmore 2]

sorry to hear about your injury. I agree with the answers above, and will add to #3, as I just went to the orthopedic surgeon about my two plates (fibia/tibula). The tibula plate would require surgery and recovery time (4 weeks) for full clearance. It also doesn't solve all issues that a person might have....only 30% of the time it helps I was told. The fibia plate could come right out in the doctor office, as it's close to the surface, has very small screws, and is not load bearing.

Good luck with your recovery. I will add that I did tons and tons of research, and realize that almost every situation is different. From types of sugery, breaks, PT, recover, person type, plates, casts, etc. So many variables. Just stick to the plan from the doctor.

Edited September 3, 2007 by kredmore

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

the last time i was at the doctor, he told me that most people lose about 20 degrees of motion with this type of injury. I'm at about 15 degrees, but at a point where I'm still going to improve. Also, with my 15 degree loss, i already exceed "normal" flexibility, because my ankles have a freakishly large range of motion. However, this is the first time he said dont expect 100% recovery, which i'm kind of pissed he wasnt more upfront.

as far as my day to day impact, it's swollen and have been told it wont go down to it's 'normal' size for another six or so months, and that my ankle will be larger than my left one on a permanent basis. I can walk fine most of the time, but still do have the odd limp thrown in there. I'm also back to light running, and am exceeding what the physical therapists expect of me at this time frame.

But like kred just said, each situation is different. but for the quick and dirty on your questions:

1- you will start walking without a boot sooner than had you only broken the fibula and not had a plate in there

2-hardware not so much a problem for everyday, but i've tried my skates on and it's a problem around where the screws for the tibia are.

3-dunno yet, if i decide i need it come next june, thats when it would come out.