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Ankle ligament reconstruction surgery... 4 weeks on it feels the same..

Posted , 37 users are following.

laura87716
laura87716

Hi!

Has anyone had ankle ligamnet reconstruction surgery? I damaged my ligaments in Sept 14 and have been on crutches ever since. At the beginning of Dec I had my surgery and now 4 weeks on, the pain/restriction feels the same sad.

I would love to hear from anyone in the sme situation, or anyone who has any tips.

Thanks

0 likes, 79 replies

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  • gilbert-grapes
    gilbert-grapes laura87716

    Posted

    Dear Laura,

    My sympaties to you, I am also just three weeks passed my surgery, different from yours since I had total ankle replacement. My advise is to hang on in there! follow exactly the doctors orders, he/she probably recommended starting PT right away and that is a must. Don't let the pain scare you, it is part of the recovery process and tends to drag us down but we have to win over it at any cost. It will be slow recovery (this is not my first time surgery, I know) but make no mistakes, the more you work this over with persistence the better result you will have.

    All the best,

    G.

  • allison77104
    allison77104 laura87716

    Posted

    Hi Laura i had ankle ligament reconstruction ( brostrom gould procedure ) in July last year i was in a cast for 6 weeks(non weight bearing) then a boot for another 4 weeks first two weeks i used crutches then i was able to weight bear from my boot after 4 weeks i progressed to an ankle brace all the while having physio which started when i came out of the cast i was back at work and walking 4 months later still wearing an ankle brace to support my ankle. i finished having physio in December and i am now out of the ankle brace and using my ankle normaly i feel so much better now my ankle is healed i still get the odd twinge if the weather is cold but appart from that they did a brilliant job on my ankle hang on in there i really felt it would never come to an end but it does you are still very early on but you will get there just do everything the hospital tell you and hopefully tou will recover i really didnt see an end to all the pain and discomfort but here i am back to work nearly 6 months on and back to wearing normal shoes (well almost cant yet wear high heels but im sure in a few months time i will) )hope this has helped you let me no how you get on
    • paul36946
      paul36946 allison77104

      Posted

      Hi Allison. I have recently had ankle ligament reconstruction surgery. I was in a cast for 6 weeks, non weight baring. I've had my cast off Monday and put into a boot. I couldn't get a follow up with the surgeon, instead seeing a consultant. He told me to use my crutches with my boot for 3 days, then discard my crutches. After 6 weeks I can discard the boot also. I am currently 2 days into my boot and my ankle is so painful, stiff and bruised I can't see how I would be able to discard my crutches by tomorrow. I'm pushing it as far as I can, but it's causing more bruising and intense pain.

      I've noticed the aftercare you received to what I'm currently receiving seems very different, especially the advice. With you having successfully recovered I'm worried I may have been given the wrong aftercare advice. Could you tell what exercises you did for your recovery to be successful please.

      Thank you

    • melissa1981
      melissa1981 paul36946

      Posted

      Good evening Paul36946.

      I'm not 109% certain my surgery is going to be the same as yours. My ortho doc didn't get into details.

      So my question when they repaired your ankle they use another ligament from somewhere else?

      Again sorry im trying to google it but it's seems to bring me right here lol.

      I'm just trying to figure out how long this surgery will take.

      Well thanks for listening and a thank you in advance for any thoughts you may have talk soon

      Melissa

  • Wilks
    Wilks laura87716

    Posted

    Hi I had a brostrum in August (6 weeks NWB had to go into boot early as ankle wouldn't stop swelling, even had to sleep in it - nightmare) - 6 weeks pwb plus boot then weaned off everything by about 4 months) and even up to a couple of weeks ago thought it was never going to make a difference and suddenly, I can keep my shoes on all day, it is stronger, I can do more and it doesn't hurt so much, bit of a problem with a kinked toe, and turned down offer of op

    physio supposed to be two weekly but that isn't really feasible on nhs locally, spent a bit with chiropractor after 4 months which helped a lot, and now swimming each day which is really helping,hang in there it gets better

     

  • laura87716
    laura87716

    Posted

    Hi guys,

    Thanks for the replies! I'm feeling more positive after hearing your encouraging words! Fingers crossed it'll start feeling stronger soon! There's only so much tea and tv I can take! 

     

  • dazsav
    dazsav laura87716

    Posted

    Hi Laura,

     

    don't mindme asking but what injury did you sustain and how has your movement been restricted please?

    Thanks

    • laura87716
      laura87716 dazsav

      Posted

      Hi,

      I was playing hurling (irish sport kind of like hockey but more contact) and got a hard whack on my putter ankle and rolled my ankle inwards. Swelled up like a balloon! I was told it was only a sprain and told to go home and rest it up using crutches.

      Turns out the ligaments were snapped and my talus bone was completely torn out of place. The ligaments healed but were too badly scarred.

      The restriction on movement is most evident when trying to push my knee forwad without lifting my foot from the floor.

      I hope this helps! Any more questions just ask!

    • Ankle_Surgery
      Ankle_Surgery laura87716

      Posted

      Laur Im at end of week 7, I have the same problem now, How you are doning, can you walk normaly, can you squad & doreflex? I was totally ok, just a sprain becouse of bad boot, & after that feeling of give away... I done MRI, It says torn of CFL and a tear of ATFL, !? Then I do surgery, doctor is telling me he had used a tendon from brevis muscle I think, now Im unable to walk in week 7, I can not doreflex or a little squad? What have you done?

  • dazsav
    dazsav laura87716

    Posted

    Thank you for your quick reply,

    I ask about the restriction of movement as I fractured my lateral malleolus in May last year, waited months for it to heal but it didn't so I underwent ORIF surgery in November. Since my injury and even following surgery I cannot move my knee over my ankle, ie. squat (which sounds like what you explain) I have spent months at physio in between accident and operation trying to move my ankle/knee like I explained and fear I wont ever be able to do it. I also damaged my ankle with a rolling motion in a pothole, and wonder if there has also been damage to ligaments that have been overlooked..... 

    Hope that makes sense smile

  • dazsav
    dazsav laura87716

    Posted

    Were the damaged ligaments picked up by an x-ray??
    • laura87716
      laura87716 dazsav

      Posted

      Hi again. It makes perfect sense. Sounds like we've the same problem. My ankle was too swollen for the xray to be read properly so Id to get an MRI done privately as the waiting list was 4 months long!

      I'm hoping with physio soon it will improve. I had 2 rounds of physio pre-op with no improvement.

  • dazsav
    dazsav laura87716

    Posted

    I guess I'm just going to have to play the waiting game as I am only 7 weeks post op. It would be just typical if they had overlooked ligament damage...... my physio was a bit miffed as to why I wasn't able to move in that way, and even 7 weeks post op still feels exactly the same, but then again if there is ligament damage and I've only had bones repaired of course its gonna be like that. When I try and move my knee over my ankle it almost feels like there is a bolt running through my ankle and the back of my heal is really stretched. How does it feel for you?? Have you been told that your range of movement will return following physio? Did you sustain any fractures? I know my first x-ray wasn't very clear. I just wan't to be normal again :p

     

    • laura87716
      laura87716 dazsav

      Posted

      When I try move my ankle out over my knee it's a shooting pain where the 90 degree angle between my leg and top of my foot is. I'm almost 9 weeks post op now so hopefully it will improve soon.

      The surgeon said it should regain fully motion. Id an avulsion fracture which means the ligaments tore off the end of the bone rather than just come away from it. The talus had a hair line fracture too. That's the bone that sits between the end of your leg and the the beginning of your foot.

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