19 years old Male with trimalleolar ankle fracture, scared and need advice.

Hi Bobby, two years ago I broke my fibula, ankle and dislocated my ankle, while I was in ER the doctor told me that basically I was a right off., because of my age, he was right,but my son had a very similar accident and within a year he was back to playing football mountain biking, it has not affected his life at all.  You have youth on your side just do everything your told to do while healing, see a physio and hopefully you will be ok. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

 

Dear Bobby

I had a Trimalleolar fracture with dislocation on the 25th September and an operation 2nd October. My surgeon and everyone has said it is a really bad and complicated fracture. I had my cast off after 7 weeks then another 2 non weight bearing and after that I was partial weight bearing, now full weight bearing. I am having physio 3 times a week and can walk with one crutch albeit not far. I can go up stairs down not great but I can. I can do a simple spin class on a stationary bike. I asked my family and friends to take me to the gym when I was partial weight bearing for upper body weights. I am going to make a full recovery in time but that’s my determination. 

I feel for you I do dont look at the internet it’s frightening everyone’s injury is personal and what will happen to one persons recovery is not the same as yours or mine. Get on physio as soon as your doctor says you can. Take your time don’t rush this injury it’s frustrating I know but if you go to fast you will end up with complications. I have no doubt I will run again and do another marathon. Don’t listen to anyone negative. I’m not! I’m 44 so fairly young and fit and I do intend to run and do my other sports in the future. I know that it will take at least 9 months maybe a year to do that but I prefer to recover 100% than to rush and recover 80%. Head down you got this!! Let me know how your progressing. H

Hi Bobby, 

I had a trimalleolar with dislocation in April 2016 (the docs said I was young for it at 36, so 19 must be really young!) Previously I was very active and did a lot of running. I was back weight bearing fully by July and went for my first run in the August. 

I’ve had a few ongoing issues relating to infection but throughout the whole thing my surgeon has assured me that the bone itself had healed really well and I could ‘carry on as normal’ 

The only thing they suggested was to be ‘cautious’ with contact sports.

You’re young which I think will help with your healing - make sure you get some physio exercises to help your flexibility - I’m 18 months after mine and I swim regularly, can walk long distances whilst pushing my kids pram, I’m planning to run again in the new year (had to stop for a while as had my screws and plates removed - see above dramas re infection) good luck Bobby, don’t panic and I hope your back on your feet in no time x 

My son is 22 and jumped 30ft on a suicide attempt bless him.he smashed his foot and ankle to pieces.he had a frame on the outside to hold it all together for months 13hr surgery /plastic surgery.then an air boot. He can walk now but not far. He’s now awaiting fusion of his ankle.

Don’t give up.🌲

kDear Bobby,

So sorry about your break. I suffered a similar fracture in September.  I am now almost back to normal.  I walk without any aids, but cannot climb steps normally yet.  I am 63 years old.  Your youth is in your favor!. Do exactly as the doctor recommends, work hard at physical therapy, and you will most likely be back to normal within six months,  Also be aware that you may feel really down in the beginning due to the immobility, but that gets better too.  This listserv is a great sounding board for those issues.  We have been through the same thing.  It does get better.

 

Hi Bobby, I'm really really sorry you're going through this, I'm going through it now as well.

I'm 30, and all I did was walk out onto my driveway and got a trimalleolar fracture, and it is awful. I broke it on November 4th, ten days later they told me it was bad and needed surgery, which I had on the 17th. I've been in a cast for almost 7 weeks so far and I still have 2 to go. After that is the physio and the pain of getting walking again. There have been no real problems apart from the pain/annoyance of the cast and the surgical incision (and also those godforsaken crutches!) but I understand how much of an impact this injury can and will have on your life. From what doctors have said and research I've done, I'm preparing myself to be in pain for about a year. I doubt I'll ever wear high heels again for the fear of this happening again, and my surgeon 'strongly advised' me to give up indoor rock climbing, which I love, because it requires you to haul all your body weight upwards on one leg at a time and my ankle might not be able to take it. She did say that my bad ankle will never be 100% again, and to take extra care of it.

However, I've also read that within a few months of the cast coming off and when your bones have fused, you should slowly be able to build up the strength and get back to normal sporting activities/cardio after about six months. All I've heard from others is that you might have a slight limp at first, and it might ache in cold weather.

I completely understand how you're feeling, and you will feel worse before you feel better, but it will get better. Take care of your mental health, it's so easy to feel hopeless and scared when you aren't in control of what's going to happen over the next few months, but please know that thousands of people suffer breaks like ours every year and do go back to normal, maybe not 100% but I'm aiming for 95  

Just take each day as it comes.

Also, forgot to mention, the week or so after your surgery you'll most likely get a strong burning sensation in your leg when you are upright on your crutches. It can be very painful and I was panicking and absolutely in despair thinking it was going to be like that for the whole recovery.

I wish someone had told me that it was completely normal and it does go away! 

Hey there Bobby,

Sorry to hear of your mishap and injured ankle.

Please don't worry too much about your future with that ankle. You said your doctor stated your ankle will never be like it was before injury, and he is probably just being honest and forthright about it.

You certainly have youth in your favor for your healing prospects. A trimalleolar fracture with ankle dislocation does sound pretty serious though. Only your doctor knows the medical details-- you should start asking a lot of questions now and as you go through recovery.

Each ankle injury is unique due to fracture break number, locations, and severity. Then there is usually soft tissue damage that accompanies ankle fractures/sprains and that can be a serious limiting factor on recovery trajectory. Age, health, nutrition, occupation, physiotherapy, and a host of other variables all figure into the equation of healing success or failure. I would add that a positive attitude and 'take charge' (of your recovery) mentality can make a huge difference in outcomes.

Forget the idea that ankle injuries always have similar progressions and outcomes-- they are not created equal for reasons I mentioned above.

You may be dismayed now and even go through a spell of depression like many of us ankle patients have. That is normal. Once you are past all that and accept that your future is in your hands it is time to get to work on rehabilitating that ankle. Aim for recovering to 110% ankle success (ankle healthier than before). Even if you fall short of 100% you can still aspire to get back all ankle function you possibly can.

I’m 41 and had exact same things injury June 21 , 2017.  December 15 I had all the hardware removed bc it caused me pain the whole time so that was my experience.  I am recoooerating  from this surgery now .  Been quite the ride — 

Wondering how you are doing?  My 15 yo dtr had exact same injury plsu some splinters and bone compression on 1/21/18, so a month after you.  She was in cast about 9 weeks, boot for two and FWB without boot for the last 4 weeks or so.  Her progress since being out of the boot has been huge, and she has just been cleared to start light jogging and stationary exercises and non-jumping and non-contact sports activities.  Thats been really good for her mental health as she was just starting to get down about how much she was missing,  She was a very competitive lacrosse and volleyball player.  She did a volleyball open gym session this week (no jumping) and has started to help with our junior lacrosse program.  Her range of motion is at about 75% (compared to 5% when right out of cast), and PT feels pretty confident that it will get where it needs to go, based on how far she's come.  There's hope!