2 weeks out of cast after lateral malleolus fracture — swelling, redness, stiffness, popping and pain. How long until I can run/trek again?
I’m about 2 weeks out of my cast after fracturing my lateral malleolus (fibula). I was in a cast for around 1.5 months, and my doctor said the fracture had healed enough for the cast to come off.
Since getting the cast off, recovery has been a little weird and I’m looking for some advice from people who have been through something similar.
The cast also caused a painful foot corn/callus just below the little toe area (not actually on the toe), which is another thing I’m dealing with.
I went to physiotherapy for about a week. I could barely walk initially after the cast came off, but after around a week I was able to start walking. It’s now been another week and I’m walking considerably more, but I still have a noticeable limp because my ankle feels stiff and just… different.
I still have swelling around the fracture/ankle area. My injured foot also looks noticeably redder than my other foot. The redness is pretty much constant and doesn’t seem to be simply because I’ve been keeping the foot down.
The biggest issue is movement. Trying to pull my foot toward me (dorsiflexion) is difficult and painful, and the ankle feels very stiff. I’m scared to push the movement too hard because I keep worrying that I might somehow damage or re-break the bone.
I also sometimes feel/hear little pops when moving the ankle. They aren’t necessarily painful, but they scare the hell out of me because I immediately start thinking, “Did I just mess up the fracture again?” 😭 I’m assuming some popping can be normal after being immobilized for so long, but I’m not sure.
So basically, for anyone who has had a lateral malleolus/fibula fracture:
● How long did it take before your ankle started feeling somewhat normal again?
● How long did the swelling and stiffness last?
● Is constant redness around the injured foot/ankle normal 2 weeks after cast removal?
● Is it normal for dorsiflexion to be this difficult and painful after 6 weeks+ in a cast?
● Are occasional popping/clicking sensations normal after immobilization?
● How do you know when you’re pushing physiotherapy/mobility exercises too hard?
● When did you stop limping?
● When were you able to start running again?
● How long before you could return to the gym normally?
● And realistically, when could I expect to be able to go trekking again?
I really want to get back to running, the gym, and trekking. I also gained some weight during the bed-rest/cast period and want to start working that off, but I obviously don’t want to rush the ankle and set myself back.
I’d appreciate hearing what your recovery timeline looked like and anything you wish you had known during this stage.