Ankle ORIF

Yeah same here, my stomach has bruised up a little, I run out a day or two after i see the consultant for my 6 week check up. so hopefully they say just finish them and done etc.

Yeah sounds similar and I'm hoping that I recover quickly, I'm very active and fit guy so this has very much effected my mental health as I'm not one to sit about.

Yes very much so, let me know how you are getting on for sure.

The mental health side, gosh nothing prepares you for that does it?! I had some pretty dark / awful days in the beginning. It took quite some time to come to terms with the injury, from something so insignificant / normal. My boring story is I was literally carrying my 5 year old daughter home from a friends house round the corner in flat shoes might i add, when my foot just gave way and rolled about 50m from my house. I couldn't believe it!! Just know its not gonna be forever and this time next year and all that.... hopefully a distant memory!

It really is, something which has surprised me and I have found hard and I'm quite a mentally strong person normally.

Yes the beginning part was hard for me to, I think I was getting over the shock of it for sometime too.

Wow that is crazy and just goes to show how easy these things are done etc

This is what I keep telling myself I just want to be able to walk, run and do the things I enjoy again, I know I will get there but can't help but worry.

@anna29420 @georgia05996 and @leanne46572

How you all getting on?

I go for my 6 weeks post op check on Friday, will have an xray and then should start weight barring

Hi Adam,

I took my first 4 steps yesterday with the boot, first steps in 11/12 weeks (I've lost track of time I dont even know anymore) but it was amazing hahahaha. I felt like a child learning to walk again. I did feel a bit of pain after though so I'll leave it at that for now haha.

I have my appointment on the 1st Dec to take the boot off but it's been cancelled for the 8th Dec which is annoying as my works christmas party is on the 4th and I was looking forward to being a free woman for it so might just take the boot off myself....

How are you feeling?

wow that's crazy, that's a long time to not walk.

hopefully things will ease up for you.

I'm still doing my ROM daily 3 or 4 times but wont be weight barring until end of the week if everything is ok. i have a goal to walk without crutches by middle of December

Believe me I know haha!!

I'm praying your appointment goes well for you! I hope we're all walking by christmas time, what a bad way to end the year if not haha

I'm hoping with the fact I'm pain free, no bruising and swelling anymore than my bone is healing.

Yes my plan is to he walking without crutches by 2nd week of December and running by Jan, I have 2 physio session a week to start with and then 1 every week after, hoping that will help it along

@Adam_

@georgia05996

Wow well done Georgia! that's great news! so happy for you! Sorry to hear your appointment was pushed back though, although not surprised after hearing our stories unfortunately.

I've not made much progress really in terms of walking, but had my first deep tissue massage to ease up the soft tissue, scar tissue and ligaments around the ankle yesterday and boy did it hurt... but in a good way! within half hour my ankle was a lot more free, reckon by around 15-20% extra. i felt on top of the world yesterday, today it's quite sore and swollen- so having a rest day. I'm trying a different route, I'm not using the air boot, just physio grippy socks with crutches (as still cant get shoes on my foot) my broken ankle still has limited movement pointing up but Im going with it.... will have next appointment with physio towards end of this week, probably when you're at your 6 week check, Adam, so will report then.

Pleased to hear you think it's healing well too, im sure it will be fine and you can start weight bearing at the end if the week. Keep thinking positive!

Praying for our Christmas miracles ha!

Hi @leanne46572 interesting regarding the massage etc, is that something you arranged yourself?

a few people have suggest going to swimming pool so might try that if I'm allowed to start weight barring at end of the week.

I will of course report back after my 6 week check, I know they are going to xray it to see how its healing etc

Adam

My physio did it yesterday after initial assessment etc, I'd deffo recommend!

Hydrotherapy will be brilliant if you can get yourself to the swimming pool you should....kinda related story- My basset hound, Elvis, had a serious spinal injury last year and needed a major op and we had weekly hydro sessions with him to learn to walk again and they worked a treat and he got back to walking! (the vet expected he'd end up in a wheeled cart) As soon as i am comfortable going i will get to a pool and just walk along the pool floor.

In the meantime Im filling my bathtub and using my poorly foot to do heel raises and pressing hard and take the weight of my body and that feels good too and like its waking up some muscles that have been asleep for a while.

That's good and yes have a hydrotherapeist pool near me so once my physio gives me the ok and exercise i will head there for sure

Hi Leanne,

Hope you're well?

I actually called the fracture clinic up about my appointment being delayed and managed to get one for the 24th november instead so it seems my boot will be gone before december!!

She also mentioned that I can start fully weight baring on the 17th so a week!! A day after my birthday haha 😦 I've decided i'm having a postponed birthday this year hahaha

Have you tried walking yet? How is it going?

Hi Georgia,

Great news about the appointment date!

I reckon Im probably about where you were in the first week of weight bearing. No big improvements other than it been easier to get around on crutches. I not managing to put much weight through at all. Ive not been using the boot just socks or bare feet and my toes are hitting first as i can't flex my foot to get the bend to walk correctly. My physio says that will in time, i really hope so!! ive been doing most of the exercises given to me -have just bought resistance bands today- and have seen a slight improvement on the the dorsiflexion this last week as well as strength and after my first massage last week I am able to tense my calf muscle again (as that had totally gone) so am building on those things and praying it will all come together within the next few weeks. Taking it as a marathon not a sprint after realising nothing is gonna happen overnight. Swelling has returned since doing more, as well as a funky purple red coloured foot and lower leg, with new aches and pains all around the foot, heel and ankle which I'm taking that as a good sign of working on muscles etc that i havent in months.

How you getting on? are you managing to put much weight through it and hows your dorsiflexion? are you managing heel to toe?

Sorry to hear about your birthday, I can totally sympathise, I was in hospital for mine unfortunately. I spent my 37th on the ward the day before my surgery- the lovely nurses bought me choccies and stuff and tried to make a fuss though. Plenty of catching up on parties when we're out of this awful nightmare eh?! Sending you a virtual cocktail in advance of yours!

Hi Adam, how you getting along? is it your appointment tomorrow??

Hi Leanne,

Yes 6 week post op Xray and check up tomorrow, I'm feeling positive. my foot looks fairly normal, no bruising,swelling etc. i have good movement up and down, dorsiflexion is not far off my good foot. i can make circles although not very big.

Question why you not using your boot to weight bare, surely that would he better than going straight to bare foot?

thanks for asking and will provide update tomorrow

For me, the boot never fit correctly to begin with, my ankle didn't sit correctly in it and thats why i ended up having this extra work to do on my dorsiflexion. . The consultant ended up telling me to take it off when resting and use while moving around in case of falls when i complained and asked for a wider boot (a wider one doesn't exist)

At my 6 week consultant told me i didn't need it anymore and could loose it altogether if i wanted. Lucky for me working from home im not outside much. Physio also agreed not needed, and for some it can become a bit of a safety blanket, so as we were all in agreement in then house im not using at all, but when i do leave the house im using then as cant quite fit into trainers yet... although not far off hopefully so will happily throw it altogether when i can. Just a different approach,.as we said before different consultants use different methods I guess. I was happy to not use it as im quite tactile and feel better having my foot touching the floor.

All the best for tomorrow, and let is know- sure it will be good news for you, it sounds as though everything is healing well for you that's for sure.

That makes a lot of sense, i will see what they say tomorrow.

I have felt for a week now i could put my foot down and walk but of course i haven't.

It will be interesting to see what they say tomorrow regarding it

Thank you

woohoo im in the weight barring club

6 weeks of walking in boot, can take it off when sitting down or in bed.

been told to listen to mu body and if swells or hurt then to elevate etc

i keep forgetting i can walk on it and go to use crutches normally, so will he weird to adjust.

don't feel 100% comfy on it yet but literally was only given the news at 4. im off to the Theatre this evening so see how that goes

@leanne46572 @georgia05996 @anna29420

Excellent news!

Hope it continues to go smoothly for you! Let us know how you get on, I've got my 6 week appointment in just under two weeks so keeping everything crossed to be able to start weight bearing too!

Thats amazing Adam!! Welcome to the club!

Hope you have fun at the theatre but be careful hahaha!

Leanne, definitely don't rush haha just do what you feel comfortable with, maybe after a little more physio you will feel more confident. I also got new aches and pains when starting to WB more haha.

Aw that's lovely for the ward to do that for your birthday. My work made a fuss about my birthday today as I'm off for a few days next week and it was lovely haha but I always pictured doing something crazy for my 21st but not got much option atm haha.

honestly it's given me such a lift if honest but just hope it continues. I do have more questions for when i start physio on Monday

thank you and yeah was good, i found out if i don't move ans stand in one positon for too long then it can be uncomfortable and ache but as long as moving I'm ok

@georgia05996 @leanne46572 @anna29420

Question

How are you sleeping, as in position

I've been sleeping my back with foot elevated since i had op. now I'm starting to weight bare is it ok for me to sleep on my side with foot elevated or not?

how are you doing sleep wise

Hi

Went out for a 2.5 mile walk around where i live today just listened to music. so far no swelling or pain really, i might get that later but just gonna listen to my body.

now laying on sofa resting up but feel better for getting out, got friends 40th party tonight gonna pop into that for an hour

aw bless you Georgia! 21st! wow you deffo need to get something arranged when you're back on you're feet! Im sure you're friends and family will make a fuss of you too.

I'm trying to stay positive....some days its hard though! it is still early days though isnt it, i just keep reminding myself.

adam you'll be the first to full strength at this rate! good for you.... sounds like an ideal plan to pay attention to your body.

Im gonna try up the activity this week and see what difference that brings.

With regards sleeping on your side, you're absolutely fine to now- i just use a pillow to raise the leg with my poorly foot.

enjoy the party- keep us posted!

hope you're getting on ok anna! hang in there you'll soon be able to start weight bearing too!

We will see, interested to see what the physio says on Monday

I having trouble walking on bare foot inside though it just feels really scary. walking in the boot though is fine and finding it ok

thanks about sleep it made sense to me

I've texted my consultant secretary some extra question as don't want to do the wrong thing

Yes will keep in touch, I find these chats helpful

Yeah all going okay thanks!! Seem to have good range in the ankle, bruising gone and no pain since a few days post op, swelling improving daily too

I must admit I accidentally stood on it the other day (in the boot) as a reaction to my daughter coughing on a bit of food (we are weaning and I panicked) and surprisingly it didnt hurt at all, these last few weeks are dragging though!! Im ready to get going haha

How is your weight bearing going?

I got told I could sleep without the boot from 2 weeks, started sleeping on my back with my foot on a pillow, but now sleeping on my sides, was waking up alot if I wanted to move - likely subconscious as not wanting to hurt myself but this is reducing now and I'm sleeping a lot better

Nice, my consultant made me sleep with boot on for 4 weeks after i had cast off. he has only just allowed me to sleep without it because I'm weight barring.

I think some consultants approach it differently

Yeah theyre all so different arent they! I had a reaction to my cast so I think he wanted time with the boot off to let my skin air and heal

Hows it feeling weight bearing? Are you using crutches still?

I only started weight barring yesterday afternoon so still using crutches but I have done 10k steps today and this evening my foot is now doing better walking around the flat with no boot on, at first I couldn't do that but seems my body is fine with it just kept going. I'm going to head to the gym next week to do some upper body work etc will obviously have to wear my boot

It really is a game changer being able to bare weight

ah thats amazing! glad its feeling a bit better without the boot too, all sounds positive

gym sounds like a great shout too. I cant wait to be able to go back and get back to running.

Hopefully you will be weight barring soon

I love running normally run a lot, I just can't see me running this side of Christmas 😦

Yeah its the main thing I do! Just hoping it feels okay once I am able to start. Might have to invest in some new runners, think I'll start on the treadmill to begin with.

When does your physio start? I bet you'll come on even quicker once you start

start Physio tomorrow

I have confirmed with my consultant that i have to wear boot inside and outside can only take it off when sitting down or in bed and he would prefer me sleep on back and not side

so many rules ans it differs depending on consultant by looks of things

Its a good sign if it didn't hurt for sure! i had the feeling i was ready to stand up in those last weeks / days before the 6 week appointment. You'll find this last week or so will drag and you may get anxious but it will come. I just cant imagine taking care of a baby while going through this so it's wonderful you're feeling so well.

My WB going slower than i would like but i am seeing some improvements every few days, then i stall for a few days and so on. Mine was a particularly bad fracture though so I still need to be patient! Im working the stretches so hard, but they're certainly helping.

hi guys,

how're you all doing/getting on?

i dont know how you're all walking loads, i walked for about half an hour today and i am dead hahahaha

Hey Georgia!

impatient haha, into my last week before my xrays and go ahead to hopefully start weight bearing, feeling anxious as just want them to let me start my rehab now!

how are you getting on? half an hour walk is good!! sounds like youre making progress

hey guys, slowly is the answer 😫 I thought i was getting somewhere Friday but i was in pain yesterday so had a day off- also we said goodbye to our dog on Friday so wasn't really in the mood... no pain today but feel like I've gone backwards a bit.

I've been doing an hour a day stretching / strengthening exercises with half hour walking around the house for this last week, my walking still very slow, not striding but the heel to toe was starting to come back yippee, still only managing around 25% of my weight....i was told to expect a few set backs. If you haven't already id recommend you get resistance bands, they've been a game changer for me in terms of strengthening and stretching the ankle!

Georgia have you managed to put your full weight through it yet and are you managing to stride yet? Im still crutches, bad leg, good leg stop, but I'm hopeful as deffo saw some improvements before this weekend. Anna this last week is awful just waiting around, i hope it goes quickly and you can start!!

Hey, aw amazing hopefully you will be wb soon also!! it is scary but part of it is the best feeling ever!

Hi Leanne,

Glad you're seeing some progress!! I've also been using resistance bands to gain strengh!

I've been walking full WB no crutches quite a lot this past week but I have my boot on still so it'll be easier for me than yourself, maybe enquire about a boot? My next appointment is on Wednesday to which I'll be walking no boot so we will be in the same position and i'm preparing for setbacks.

Hi @georgia05996

I'm doing well thank you, I'm back in the gym but can only work on upper body.

averaging about 6500 steps a day, no pain, no swelling, feel like I could do more etc, have my weekly physio tomorrow and see what that brings. I've set alarms 5 times a day for all my exercises which is hopefully is helping

I'm doing well thank you, I'm back in the gym but can only work on upper body.

averaging about 6500 steps a day, no pain, no swelling, feel like I could do more etc, have my weekly physio tomorrow and see what that brings. I've set alarms 5 times a day for all my exercises which is hopefully is helping.

Also I'm only using 1 crutch to get about in the flat etc I've not been given amount to weight bare but using my scales I'm applying about 35/40%

wow that's great!! go you! biggest thing for me this last week is the strength and range of motion getting better. it's been incremental but I'll take any gains right now!

I'm really enjoying these catch ups...it's great we're all so close timeline wise!

It will get better that's for sure. Just keep at it.

I had my 2nd Physio today and he is really happy with me. It said my ROM is nearly back to normal and he is happy for me to just use 1 crutch and move to FWB next week so that will be 8 weeks post op and just 2 weeks since I've been able to PWB.

He also said that I will be walking as normal by Xmas.

Yes they are really useful and good for motivation etc.

I now have a new resistance band and some more exercises he wants me to do

sounds like youre all getting on great!! cant wait to join in on the weight bearing haha

was a frosty morning with us in Yorkshire and slipped on my crutches, ended up putting my weight through my ankle/boot to save myself, hoping i havent done anything!! thankfully it didnt hurt and no swelling etc. I dont need anymore setbacks

I'm in Yorkshire too and it was frosty yesterday! great news it felt ok when you put weight through it.... it's a sign that everything is as needs be so try not to worry too much. Weight bearing 'club' beckons.....!! What day are you back for your follow up??

Ahh where abouts?

I panicked and thought I'd done some damage! But all seems okay!

I'm back Monday morning

Hope everything is going well with you!

ahhhh! i have my (last??) fracture clinic appointment tomorrow to walk without the boot and none of my shoes will fit over my fat swollen ankle hahahahah what do i do

this is the tricky situation! I've spent the last few weeks trying to find shoes that fit me. You absolutely need wide width, Ive ended up with some wide fit Hokas, which are very cushioned and supportive in the wide fit and a size bigger just about get my swollen ankle in them. They are quite pricey though.... Im just waiting on the arrival of some scketchers wide fit as well. Will report back when they arrive! good luck!

I'm west Yorkshire near Cleckheaton- junction 26 off m62, what about you?,

Ive actually had quite a good couple of days after a horrid weekend. Managing between 35-40% bearing with 2 crutches in trainers, barefoot or socks... It's still quite slow but an improvement over last few weeks 👍 I'm working the strengthening as my foot still isn't strong enough to support full weight.... I'm just digging in and doing as much as I can now!

I've had to come to my appointment with no shoe in hope they let me keep the boot haha! I'll have to have a look at some wide fit shoes because my ankle swells up after any walking so there is no chance!

Wooooo I'm discharged

way to go Georgia!! woop woop!

ah yeah I'm a bit more south/east kind of between York and Doncaster

that sounds really good though!! any progress is good!

@leanne46572 @Adam_ @georgia05996

wahoo into the weight bearing club!!

been told to wean the boot and crutches as i feel able, expects me to be walking normally in 6 weeks!

woop! awesome news!! didn't i read somewhere earlier in the thread that you yourself are a physio? now the hard work starts again 😉

I've had a much better week this week, I'm a little over 50% with 2 crutches, nearly managing with 1 but there's is a bit of a hop still so I'll leave trying to master that another few days. I'm also managing the stairs in my house up and down with 1 crutch which im just beside myself with!! first time I walked up and down them over the weekend since September 11th- i could have cried- no more on my backside 👍

how you getting in adam and Georgia?

haha yep! So ive got no excuses, I see patients with my surgery most days!!

Managed a 10 minute stint on the spin bike and already down to one crutch, just feeling a bit tight and numbness on the outside of my heel feeling strange when im walking - and the fact the boot is higher than my other leg!! But we shall get there!

Youre doing so well!! massive win on the stairs, thats the bit I'm dreading!