r/brokenankles

Hi people,

I have to get this of my chest.

I broke my ankle 1,5 years ago and the hardware was removed almost 5 months ago. I still have physical therapy.

The dorsiflexion is still the problem and it's so frustrating. I have a ROM of just 7 degrees. Mind you, my good ankle has a ROM of 18 degrees. The plantar flexion is 50 degrees which is inside normal range. This improved after the hardware removal. My surgeon hoped that the same would happen with my dorsiflexion, but sadly it didn't.

I'm doing everything I can. I'm running. I'll start swimming again. I'm in the gym everyday, doing my PT exercises and I see my physical therapist twice a week. I'm on the stair master almost everyday because walking the stairs is still hard as well and my ankle is compensating on the stairs. I'm forcing my ankle to make a good straight step on the stairs. I do squats with a squat wedge, simply because I can't do them without it. I just want my ankle to be normal again.

My physical therapist is on holiday right now, but after he has a meeting with the trauma surgeons and he will discuss me. We're going to try to get a referral to an orthopedic surgeon, and I feel that is my last hope. Is there anybody here who went to an orthopedic surgeon/doctor as well? Did it help?

For your information: I had a trimalleolar ankle fracture with dislocation and shattered bones. According to my physical therapist, it was the worst fracture he had seen in years.

As per the title... what's the purpose of the boot actually? I'm 7 weeks post op for a trimal and according to my latest xray my bones are basically healed now. My surgeon told me I'd be able to transition out of my boot to regular shoes about now, but I'm still getting pretty significant pain after activity. I'm wondering whether the boot would be alleviating some of that pain, and if I should stick with it for a while longer or if I should just get on with wearing regular shoes, knowing the pain is probably going to be present for some time yet anyway.

I understand any amount of money is worth walking again but I'm still depressed. Insurance helped, but the ER alone was thousands due to a high deductible. Then there was all the other bills for the surgery itself, for the anestheologist, for surgery center, for everything I've needed to survive this debacle.... this is thousands of dollars I never chose to pay. That's life, I know, that's why we save money but FCK this is so depressing.

Payment plans don't make me feel any better, thousands of dollars paid over a year is still thousands of dollars I ain't getting back.

I feel like I don't see a lot of people depressed about the cost of this? I really don't want to be ungrateful for all the medical care I've gotten but the price is just another slice in this shit sandwich. That could have been spent on something fun or useful, or just made me feel better to see the savings.

This is just life, huh.

Hi everyone, having my right ankle ORIF surgery tomorrow morning (spiral tibia extending into the joint + fibula) after waiting 2 weeks post-injury.

Pretty anxious right now — for anyone who’s had ankle ORIF:
- Anything I should prep before surgery?

- Any must-have items or tips for the first few days home? (Esp managing pain levels)

- Best ways to manage elevation and sleep with the splint? I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night due to discomfort for the past 2 weeks.

Appreciate any advice or reassurance!

I have wide, flat feet and a previous right ankle injury. MRI showed a chronic low-grade partial ATFL tear, chronic CFL injury with scarring, and chronic deep deltoid ligament injury. I also use custom insoles from my podiatrist.

My podiatrist recommended:

- New Balance 880 / 1080

- Brooks Ghost / Glycerin

- HOKA Clifton / Bondi

I'm mainly deciding between the NB 880v15 Wide and Brooks Glycerin 23 Wide.

Mainly for walking to/from work, cycling and occasional short slow jogs. I prefer something stable and not too high off the ground.

Which would you choose? Also, regular Glycerin or GTS if I'm already using custom insoles?

47/F, Trimal with dislocation and level 1 pilon. I had my 12 week post op appointment today, Tues 8/18. My actual 12 weeks is this Friday, so I am 11 weeks and a few days in. Sharing info because reading info like this has been really helpful for me!

At my 6 week appointment I was told to wait until 7/21 (8 weeks) to start PWB, 25% per week as tolerated and to start PT. PT began at exactly 6 weeks post op, so I was doing PT for 2 weeks before I was weight bearing at all. This was honestly a game changer for me as it helped any apprehension I had about doing "too much" and gave me someone to answer tons of questions.

That first week of PWB I used my walker or boot and didn't do much, 25% weight bearing was really not much and I realized I had already been weight bearing about that much the week prior just by putting my leg down more often when I was moving around on the walker, or standing at a counter. So the first week I was doing a mix of 25-50%, always in boot.

By the end of the second week, I was fully weight bearing. After a particularly good PT session and discussion, I ditched the boot entirely and started wearing shoes only. Come August 1 I was walking with no aides ever, though with a limp and very slowly compared to my usual.

I notice improvements every few days since, but I still have days where I hurt a lot and figure I did too much the day before so I rest more. I still have yet to move more than about 4k steps per day.

My xrays today were perfect. My bones were completely healed to the point where the resident surgeon couldn't even see the breaks anymore. My PT has been remarking since day one on how good my surgeon was and great I am doing: scars healed well, barely any swelling (though on days that I drove a lot I did get some swelling so I think I just do a good job elevating when I am not moving around), ROM getting better and better.

I want to share more details about what I did for those who may be earlier in their journey and looking for ways they can speed or prioritize healing:

From the first few weeks, I started taking a daily Bone Restore supplement by Life Extension, daily Live Conscious Beyond Collagen supplement in my morning tea, and daily (30 min) session with my DNA vibe red light therapy device. I eat a lot of protein, drink a lot of water, prioritize rest (took so many naps those first weeks!), and do range of motion exercises multiple times a day once cleared to do them.

That said, I do still have a lot of soreness and pain. Trying to walk when I first wake up is the worst, it gets better as the day goes on and then progressively sore as I am doing a lot. Sidenote: my preferred activity is gardening and I have a lot of stairs/slopes and uneven ground, so when I do get outside its generally a lot more difficult movements than I do at physical therapy. I try to stick to about 20-30 minute sessions of activity outside before I rest and elevate. Prior to this injury I could spend hours outside doing things. That's what I hope to return to.

Anyway, I was happy to be released from my surgeons care today and to hear such good news about my bones and hardware (no breakage, no movement.) I feel stronger and more confident almost every day, but have had to become comfortable with the unknown. My doctor did say expect incremental improvements for about 6-9 months and at that point I should plateau. Here's hoping the pain reduces as time goes on and things feel "easier."

I found a lot to do during the NWB days and accepted it as a good thing (I am a busy mom!) with an end date, and the time actually flew. Being back on my feet is a little more frustrating than the NWB time was just because I don't know what to expect from day to day! I don't know how much I can commit to just yet. I have the energy but not the ability to do everything I would like to. I can do most everything again that I used to, but definitely have a ways to go to be back to normal. Sending the best of vibes to everyone else on this journey.

Do you guys gift your surgeon and staff anything once you can start walking? 😁

I am 2 weeks post ORIF surgery of a trimal fracture. 10 screws 2 plates. They took my split off and the sutures out yesterday. Gave me a walking boot but still NWB for 2 weeks. I am having an incredibly hard time tolerating the boot. It puts pressure right where the incisions are and I’m assuming where my hardware is. The surgeon said i can switch to a fiberglass cast for 2 weeks and then go back into the boot to start partial weight bearing and PT. Said it doesn’t change my time line of recovery. Has anyone done this??

I am so discouraged that i can’t tolerate the boot. I wasn’t expecting this at all and am very sad about it. I have 3 kids 4 yo and under so i can’t really take the boot off safely without risk of one of them jumping on me or knocking my leg by accident.

I just don’t know if I’m going to regret going into a fiberglass cast. My boot is supposed to be on at all times other than showering, so it’s not like i can sleep without it anyways.

I sent my orthopaedic surgeon the information I got from my original break and ORIF surgery in Scotland and my surgeon in England called today.

He said the information was extremely helpful, the break was really nasty and he said based on the injury sustained he wants me to reduce weight bearing until my follow on appointment. Meaning, toe touches and crutches inside and outside the house, and no weight bearing exercises.

This is information he didn’t have before so I don’t blame him or me but because there was a delay in getting the information (I had to do a data access request) I have been WBAT and walking unaided without with the boot for at least a week and a half! I’ve been doing standing calf raises!

Now I am worried that I may have damaged the fixation and set my recovery back all because the two NHS systems don’t talk to each other. Has anyone else had this sort of experience?

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.