Broken distal fibula in boot - swollen and uncomfortable - any advice?

i would definitely call the doc office and get advice on elevation (which i think is good whenever you are sitting) and taking it out of the boot. for the knee scooter, i literally put a whole pillow on mine, and it saved my knee!!

karen

That is so frustrating! My doc did the same thing. At first I didn't even know what questions to ask. First, the boot never feels like it's on right, its heavy and uncomfortable. Try to keep your foot elevated more than you think necessary. If your foot swells when your eating dinner for 20 mins, elevate it after 10. When you work up to 30 mins of non swelling, elevate it after 20. I am up to 4 hours without swelling but I still try to elevate it every 2 hours. I hate taking all meds, so I weaned myself off of motrin within 2 weeks of my surgery. My reasoning is that if you are altering your bodies responses then it is harder to figure out what you need. I started taking my boot off after about a week just to ice it. Honestly, it really hurt at first. My foot was so hyper sensitive but I was glad when I started PT that I had worked through that on my own. Hope this helps! Also I didn't use my knee scooter much so no help to offer on that front.

Thank you ladies! I did go to the orthopedist today and the nurse taught me how to put the boot on nice and snug. The ortho told me to keep it elevated as much as possible and if it feels swollen to not hesitate to take it out and ice it . He also said I could take it out while sleeping but that makes me way too nervous.

I've been reading that taking motrin or advil is not advised for broken bones as it hinders the healing. Who really knows though.

Needless to say I have kept it up 90% of the day already. I hope it helps. I want it healed as quickly as possible!

I had a knee scooter for 6 weeks while I was non weight bearing.

It was an absolute saviour, but at first really hurt my knee. Check and see if your scooter is at the right height, once I adjusted the knee rest down (so my hips where level when standing), then the pressure on my knee went away.

I took anti imflammatories per the doctors instructions for the first two weeks only and only then as needed for pain, with or alternating with paracetamol depending on the level I was at. Elevation and ice is better for the swelling. NASIDS block you up and also long term use can cause stomach ulcers. Neither of which you need on top of a broken leg.

I wore the boot to sleep for the first four weeks, then it started driving me crazy so I stopped wearing it. Instead, I wrapped my leg in a body pillow and slept on my back, so that it was still very secure.

Im now at 7.5 weeks post ORIF fibula, weight bearing for 1.5 weeks and completely weaned from the boot. Not off crutches yet though. Thats my next task.