Ankle Fusion.

how long ago was your fusion? I just had tibiotalocalcaneal with hind foot fusion using tibial nail/rod! im 5 days post op and struggling still to get a grip on the pain! i have less than 40% nerve function in my left leg and ankle, so i falsely convinced myself that i would only feel 40% of the pain! apparently bone pain is a totally different animal. any advice you can give?

im hurting so much more than i mentally prepared for and that says alot as i have a SCI at L3 L4L5 and permanent nerve damage so my daily baseline pain is a 5.5-6

does the bone pain from the tibial rod ir from where they removed part of the fibula, go away anytime soon? does it get easier once they remove the staples/ stitches? and when they put a better splint or cast will it help? and if you had a cast did you regret it and wish you had a splint? they redid my splint when i went to office day2 in intractable pain due to splint to tight and miscommuniction on how much meds to take! they just put a stirrup splint on and told me to be very carefull its padded and wrapped well but it dies bot cover my heel or back of leg since i have spaples in heel and back of leg and it was rubbing the original splint! I have always chosen a cast over the last 6 years all 28 times i had a choice there were a few splints but the boots are bulky , heavy and expensive. a cast is protective and rugged and if applied right it is comfortable but more importantly its 40 dollars after insurance pays vs 185 my copay for boot! sorry for the long winded ramble im medicated and in pain trying to keep my mind off it

My fusion was only two years ago, but this all started for me back in 2007 when I was hit head on by a distracted driver. I had so many severe injuries, but the one that's been ongoing has always been my right ankle and foot. Sorry to hear about the pain, you're only 5 days post op so the excruciating pain is going to be pretty intense right now. 😦 Just keep hanging in there and eventually you'll start noticing the decrease in pain and what you can tolerate without going insane. Just don't fall behind on your meds, because it'll take longer to bring the pain back down to tolerable levels.

I didn't have a cast or splint following my foot and ankle fusion, I had an ilizarov frame for 9 months that kept my foot and ankle suspended by the pins and wires. I also had internal hardware including a Precice nail which allowed me to lengthen my leg because of the bone I lost during the surgery. After the external fixator was removed I had a cast for two months, followed by a boot before finally being able to wear shoes again. Its a long process, but trust me you'll get there! I didn't have many options left before the fusions, and so far I'm very happy with the results, even though I still limp, and have some pain / discomfort sometimes, but its nothing I haven't been able to deal with.

I'm sorry to hear you also have a SCI, in addition to your fusion. One of the many injuries that I was also left with after the accident was fracturing my C2, but thankfully no damage was done to my spinal cord. I ended up in a halo brace for 3 months following the accident, but not a day went by during that time when I didn't think about how bad my situation could of been with that level of injury. I mean it was already pretty bad given the amount of injuries and the surgeries I was recovering from, but your mind is just so overloaded when you're in pain and there's nothing you can do. No worries about rambling, believe me I get it! Get well soon!!

thanks for the quick response! sounds like you had a option to replace the bone loss! i don’t recall getting the option! i was told that it would be minimal but still noticeable . that we could make it up with orthotics or rocker bottom shoes. prior to surgery i already had limp from atrophy, weakness, and loss of sensation. thanks for the outlook of hope!

Hi,

that sounds pretty promising! Running! Wow! Congrats - that's a great outcome!

May I ask whether it was your right or left ankle? If it was your right ankle, how safe do you feel when driving? I'm into motor sports and I need to be able to safely drive vehicles (race them, actually). Thank you!

Stefan

Hi Stefan,

Sorry its taken so long to reply!

It was my right ankle that needed to be fused. It was a fusion of the talus to the tibia.

Driving feels absolutely fine - it was slightly strange to start with as you need to move the leg differently to accelerate, but I got used to it really quickly. So you just move the leg up and down, rather than relying on the ankle movement up and down.

I am still very pleased with my outcome from surgery - literally no pain at all, and can walk as far as I like (including on rough ground). I can still run pain-free (including on rough ground if I need to, although I don't tend to take this risk).

I'll try and remember to check back to the site a bit more often in case you have other questions.