Recovery after broken ankle

[ThePurpleCobra 0]

i dont know what to say to that haha

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

i hear ya purple... i fell pretty bad yesterday... luckily ive got screws holding everything in place! i mean they put me on narcotic pain meds and expect me to navigate on crutches... wtf!

last night as i was falling asleep, each time as i tdrifted off my foot would twitch and i'd be sent into so major pain... that was a bitch!

[ThePurpleCobra 0]

yeah i was at our schools state championship lacrosse game and i hit some dirt and fell back and, instinctivly i put my left foot down to catch my self and oh man my ankle swelled up good haha

[ThePurpleCobra 0]

I just noticed recently that when i sleep and try to move my leg I get a sharp pain in my achilles. Is this just because im putting all the stress somewhere else other than my ankle or does anyone else know?

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

most likely 'fatigued', for lack of a better ,from not moving... its stationary so it will lose some of the flexibility over time while in the cast. it's kind of like trying to move after laying around on your ass all day... everything starts to feel a little creaky from not moving and using it...

today, my knee on my broken leg was killing me. between the weight of the cast and the inability to put weight, and thus some pressure on the knee is starting to make it feel uncomfortable.

I get my stitched out tuesday and am supposed to be able to do some exercises and move my foot around a bit. I'm looking forward to that.

also looking like i'll need that second surgery to get the screws in the ankle out. i can feel them when my ankle rubs against the casting, and its rather uncomfortable. that should be a bang bang quick recovery, though... i hope.

Edited June 21, 2007 by puck_it

[Chadd 916]

most likely 'fatigued', for lack of a better ,from not moving... its stationary so it will lose some of the flexibility over time while in the cast. it's kind of like trying to move after laying around on your ass all day... everything starts to feel a little creaky from not moving and using it...

Atrophy is a major problem for athletes returning from a long term injury

[ThePurpleCobra 0]

yeah.. I just know once i get this cast off ill be on the stationary bike to get my strength back quickly...

would the elliptical machine be bad for a recovering ankle?

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

so here's my repair job.

[ThePurpleCobra 0]

ahh that looks brutal

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

feels good right now... you should see the before xray... LOL,... THATS the one that looks brutal.

[bpmd210 0]

Wow. That x-ray looks almost exactly like mine after repair. Slid into the boards on my side, knees and feet hitting first. 6 weeks of no weight on it, 6 weeks of walking only. Back on the ice (gently) on day #91. 2 years ago now. Still a little stiff and sore walking very occassionally. Of course I'm an old man of 45. I didn't do any therapy, which was probably a mistake. Just stretched and strengthened it on my own.

[epstud74 24]

most likely 'fatigued', for lack of a better ,from not moving... its stationary so it will lose some of the flexibility over time while in the cast. it's kind of like trying to move after laying around on your ass all day... everything starts to feel a little creaky from not moving and using it...

Atrophy is a major problem for athletes returning from a long term injury

You should see my shoulder/chest area. I got hit fairly hard and my pectoral ripped off my shoulder and my bicep tendon ruptured as well. Was black and blue from my hip to my fingertips for about 2 months, and was not able to open a door with my right hand for over a year. My pectoral that rolled off is still in a knot towards the middle of my chest.. Talk about atrophy, and it has been a long long process to heal...Lots of therapy, going slow with surgical tubing and light weights..I can now curl 55lbs with my right hand, but 7 years ago, I couldnt even open a door with my right hand.

yeah.. I just know once i get this cast off ill be on the stationary bike to get my strength back quickly...

would the elliptical machine be bad for a recovering ankle?

I doubt it, do you have an ankle brace? I've broken and torn ligaments in my ankle and find that broken ankles are easier to recover from

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

Wow. That x-ray looks almost exactly like mine after repair. Slid into the boards on my side, knees and feet hitting first. 6 weeks of no weight on it, 6 weeks of walking only. Back on the ice (gently) on day #91. 2 years ago now. Still a little stiff and sore walking very occassionally. Of course I'm an old man of 45. I didn't do any therapy, which was probably a mistake. Just stretched and strengthened it on my own.

thats exactly the track i'm slated for. 12 weeks post surgery I can begin skating, allegedly. I'll probably need to get all that out, i cant feel them when i touch my foot as it is... did you get your hardware out? Even if my doctor doesnt say get some therapy, I think I'm going to pursue a few sessions to get things worked out properly. I'm a few months shy of 21, and want to minimize future soreness. If i have the same soreness level in my hand from the table saw injury, I'd be quite happy.

I got my stitches out on tuesday, I'm now two weeks out from surgery. The split cast is gone, and i now wear a boot with straps and stuff. I cant put weight on it, still on crutches for 4 more weeks. Then i can walk with the boot for 6 weeks, then i should be done.

I'm allowed to remove the boot to shower, and can flex my foot any which way as much as I'd like. Natural motion is fine, as it wont dislodge anything. However, I cant use any resistance or push or anything like that. So, it's good to be moving and loosening things up a bit.

Edited June 29, 2007 by puck_it

[bpmd210 0]

I still have the hardware in. My doc told me it wouldn't matter either way, and I figured why an additional sugery to take it out. I'm starting to re-think that tho. It still sticks out,making the ankle look bigger, and seems to be getting sorer recently. I've upped my running, so that may be the soreness. We'll see.....

Good luck

[ThePurpleCobra 0]

would the elliptical machine be bad for a recovering ankle?

I doubt it, do you have an ankle brace? I've broken and torn ligaments in my ankle and find that broken ankles are easier to recover from

not yet, i go to get my cast off tuesday so idk how long after that i can run... But no brace as of now

[ktang 34]

I still have the hardware in. My doc told me it wouldn't matter either way, and I figured why an additional sugery to take it out. I'm starting to re-think that tho. It still sticks out,making the ankle look bigger, and seems to be getting sorer recently. I've upped my running, so that may be the soreness. We'll see.....

Good luck

I took my hardware out because I could feel the screws rubbing against the inside of the skin when skating hard (some screws were below the skate's top eyelets). I got more range-of-motion after the hardware was removed.

[Hazard14 0]

after the hardware, arent you left with holes in your bones from the screws making the bones stregnth and structure weakened

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

after the hardware, arent you left with holes in your bones from the screws making the bones stregnth and structure weakened

you are, and there is increased risk for fracture, but the holes will fill back in with bone in about 3 months

Edited June 30, 2007 by puck_it

[Hazard14 0]

after the hardware, arent you left with holes in your bones from the screws making the bones stregnth and structure weakened

you are, and there is increased risk for fracture, but the holes will fill back in with bone in about 3 months

yea, but its basically like a bone cyst, which leaves you with a hole in your bone, making it much easier to fracture. im sure that it would give you increased mobility and decrease pain, but is it worth the chance of fracturing the bone again. i think not

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

good lord you make no freaking sense and have ZERO understanding of trade off.

which leaves you with a hole in your bone, making it much easier to fracture.

true.

sure that it would give you increased mobility and decrease pain,

true again. so far so good. And I like not living in pain.

but is it worth the chance of fracturing the bone again. i think not

what? did you stop reading after the comma in my quoted post? the holes will fill back in with bone in about 3 months

it fills back in, and you'd never know the holes were there. if it means im out another 3 months for a grand total of 6... or even if it puts me out of beer league for a year to heal properly...

I've got thin ankles, it's almost a certain fact i'm going to have problems if we left the hardware in.

it's an easy choice between a year of hockey (at the absolute max) or 50+ years of being uncomfortable because i've got screws in my ankle.

Edited June 30, 2007 by puck_it

[bpmd210 0]

Just made an appointment to go see my bone doc and discuss taking this stuff out. I've been delaying it, not wanting to go through the recovery. Glad I just found these boards and got motivated to think about it.

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

keep us updated on that

[hockeyplaya97 0]

But wouldn't the holes in your bone cause for 12.5% less wind resistance? :P

Edited July 1, 2007 by hockeyplaya97

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

LOL my fibula is O-tech

[ktang 34]

Hey guys, as in the rest of life, there are trade-offs in our choices. I chose to remove the hardware because the rubbing and the decreased range-of-motion were bothering me so much. Others might want the added strength of the titanium; I play non-contact beer league, and I don't play basketball any more, so I thought that removal was an acceptable risk.

Also, the surgeon went back in through the original incision/scar; doing so increases the chance of infection, so you really have to keep it clean after the wound closes up.

My recovery from the removal was about a month. But, I am a fast healer (for both the original break / hardware and the removal).

Last year (2 years after the original break) I went skiing again; no problems. I have also hit the boards with my usual frequency, with no problems so far.

And, I no longer trigger the airport metal detectors (I travel a lot for work) with my O-leg.

Edited July 1, 2007 by ktang