Blood rush or something more?

Sleeping with the boot on is rough, especially at first. I gradually adjusted and was able to sleep pretty well. I was also taking 2 "tylenol" at bedtime. I kept my boot foot elevated for the most part during the night.

Best wishes for recovery, Di

Hi G,

I also had the blood rushing pain feeling during the first two - three weeks post fracture (single fracture to fibula with a torn syndesmosis, ORIF with plate and 7 screws to stablise). The cause is more blood trying to go into the area already super swollen when it's not elevated. I found that if I slowly lowered it - sometimes, I would have to lower it a tiny bit, raise it, lower it a little bit more, lower it, so on and so forth over a minute or two before I could get it down with out grinding pain. Once down and through that initial few minutes the pain did seem to pass.

Once the swelling started to properly subside, the pain stopped occuring.

For the swelling, if you don't have one, get a compression sock like a tubigrip style. These work amazingly. You need to get it cut to cover from your toes to your knee and double it up. Then Ice and Ice and more ice. and elevate as high and comfortable as possible. Because you are in the boot, you can put the ice in the boot, that is what I did while I was resting.

For sleeping... if you can get a triangle or corner pillow off a couch, then put the boot in the corner part. It will hold it in place like a little hammock. You can shove as many pillows under the supporting pillow as you need for height. Just make sure your also supporting the rest of the leg otherwise you will strain your knee.

Ligament tears take up to 12 weeks to heal, breaks only take 6 weeks. While I broke my right fibula, I tore the ligaments in my left ankle, and because I had to weight bare on it, I couldn't use a camboot. They put me in a weird complicated strap that had 5 bits you had to clip in to get it secured. I wore all the time except to sleep, it held my ankle in place and I stopped wearing it around week 10, then strapped with tape for two weeks, and then the pain eased up. Have been tape/strap free on that ankle for 3 weeks now and it has been good.

In contrast I was non-weight bearing on broken ankle for 6 weeks, and then walking in boot for 1 and then weaned out of it over the next two and since then have not had any boot or taping - ie the last 6 weeks and it is okay pain and stability wise. Just working on strength and flexion now.