CAST IS OFF after medial malleolus stress fracture !! New Kinds of Pain :'( Need HELP
Posted , 7 users are following.
Hey Everyone !
So, my cast was removed yesterday after a stress fracture in the Medial Malleolus ( Inner Ankle Bone). The Removal thing seems exciting but it hasnt been much normal.
I dont know why but the achillies tendon of my left (injured) foot is so stiff ! Like really.
When I do the Plantar Flexion ( Stretching foot down excercise) It hurts so much. Even the Heels give a sweet pain after being pressed. less of the sweet more of the pain.
The injured Leg has become really 'small' , muscles have atrophied. And I cant rotate my ankle still. And Cant walk. Can put Weight. More like dont want to put weight ..even when standing.
So the Doc has told me to use crutches for 10 days and Meet him in 10. He'll tell me to putt off crutches and Then Physiotherapy.
I just want to know about your Experience after Cast removal ..the pain if any.. and returing to walking..running..sports? I was in a cast for like 9 weeks.
0 likes, 121 replies
yashmoon
Posted
Hey guys ,
It has been 3 weeks since I have been walking without any aid.14 weeks since the hairline break.
The thing is I am walking , like kind of..almost.
But I know I am not distributing weight equally neither on both feet and neither on the injured leg ( parts of that foot )
I am always inclined towards my uninjured side.
But the wierd thing is I can somewhat jump , but Most force comes from uninjured leg.
I can kind of run from one room to another. But After I sit, the uninjured leg hurts. That means the force is being exerted almost on the healthy leg only.**BUT**
That is not the worst thing.
There was pain in my ankle joint ( The Synovial if that is what it is called) deep inside and felt like there is some rigid thing inside which is being bent and hurts bad when flexed upwards.
When I would Push my leg against a wall and put weight on The Joint and it hurt I thought it means it is getting better.
But it is still the same. Trying to make the feet flat and boom there is that stretching of something solid pain.That means when i bend down on one leg and there is localized weight on thr joint. There is sheer pain. Wierd pain. But it hurts bad.
So I did it all the time and what happend was that my feet hurt more even when I only place little weight. But it become normal in a day again.
I hope this pain is normal. I dont that synovitis thing right ? Because when I cut my earlier plaster when i shouldnt have in 3 weeks ( very stupid of me and then had to have another one ofcourse ..) this pain wasnt there. But now after being in a cast for 9 weeks it was. So it is ok right ? Just some plaster disease hopefully ?
Btw I had a medial malleolus stress/hairline Fracture.
Please respond ?
HOPEFUL
patti123 yashmoon
Posted
I would ask your doctor or physical therapist. My PT said a constant aching is normal, just not sharp pain, like being stuck with a screw. Everyone is different, so it is too difficult to say. I can say, getting on your feet and elogating those tendons and ligaments hurts overall a lot. I definitely wouldn't be jumping though at this point! I would use a walker or crutches to distribute the weight evenly. Basically what I keep hearing is our bodies were meant to be balanced and imbalances are bad for our knees, hips...everywhere. For example, I have weight lifted all my life for fitness (not competition level...just general overall fitness and to make my muscles look toned). I was told by my doctor and physical trainer, that I couldn't work the noninjured leg, until I could start to work the injured leg. Now I do weight lifting with both, but only as much weight as the injured leg can handle. I am working my way back to grow my muscle loss and I think it will be about a year, from what I hear, before both are pretty much the same as before my injury. Also, re. weight balance...sometimes the walker is the best at times, because it helps you to put weight evenly on both legs. Hope this helps.
Tituscanby1 patti123
Posted
I just purchased some basketball boots. Wow what a difference. Fully supported. Mentally and physically.
I am almost walking totally properly, for 1-2 hours at a time.
Swelling was a problem to start, but that is getting better. Glad it's winter, but saying that, my plate area is achey in the cold, and it extends up to my whole Fibula.
@(*+*)@
patti123 Tituscanby1
Posted
So happy for you Tituscanby! You will begin to walk more week by week now. You are on the mend for sure!! That's how it all starts. Yay!!!
daphne23784 Tituscanby1
Posted
Hi Tituscanby, I am sooo happy to see you are walking. It will only get better now. It must really feel great to see light at the end of the very dark tunnel you have been through. Remember don't stop keep moving forward. X
yashmoon patti123
Posted
I have been doing better ! Like Great !
PT has started. 4 sessions in.
Calves are almost identical ( thanks to cross trainer). Walking without a limp.
Almost perfect.
Only this wierd thing is happening ( update).
Im really thankful !!
And happy we all are getting almost normal.
Cheers
yashmoon Tituscanby1
Posted
GREAT !!!!!
That is super good news !!
You are gonna be normal ! And we all know normal is the greatest compliment for us right now.
sue56323 yashmoon
Posted
Sounds like your at the point i was when i got my cast off. Its very normal for your achillies to be as stiff as it is, it will loosen up in time. You may also notice like your being electricuted, thats normal also. My suggestion to you is that you gingerly try to rotate your foot in circles, left to right, right to meft, up and down.
Yes, your muscles in your injured foot have atrophied, and thats normal. Thats what happened to me. If you just came out of a cast, be very very very careful putting weight on it, not a good idea.
Did they put any kind of plates or screws or pins in?? If so, or not, you need to be very careful so that they dont move, and break the bone apart, etc.
Iam 14 weeks post op, and doing really really well. Im walking up and down the stairs almost normally. well, going down isnt easy as it still hurts, but getting better.
Im walking with out the boot, and in a flip flop for now. My suggestion to you is, when you get to that point (not knowing where you are, and the weather), I suggest wearing the thickest flip flop you have, and wear that around until the swelling goes down. Speaking of swelling, I do still get swelling thru the day, and especailly at nite after being on it thru the day. Its not as bad as it was.
I do still get pain in the incision area, and thats normal also.
I dropped a pot with rocks in the bottom of it about 2 weeks ago, and hope i ddint damage anything, but if i did, i would have felt it. I even went in the water at the beach the other day, and got slammed against a wave, and made sure my foot was out of the way of the sand below me!!
Good Luck, let me know how your doing.
sue
patti123 sue56323
Posted
yashmoon sue56323
Posted
I have been really really good !
Thank u so much ! Am glad nothing happened with the pot thing ! BE CAREFUL !!
We are gonna cross the finish line..be careful.
Im so happy for everyone !!
Just this one thing is bothering me..please read update.
Cheers !!
daphne23784 yashmoon
Posted
Hi yashmoon, good to hear you are doing well. Don't worry about not feeling pressure under your foot. I also had the same experience, but it should soon improve with pt and walking. I used to walk barefoot on different surfaces. Walk on tiles, carpets, paving even grass, any thing that has different textures. This really worked for me. I read a article where even putting your foot into a bowl of macaroni helps. If you still have a lot of pain after walking, don't stop with the anti inflammatory tablets. Don't worry you are nearly there.
patti123 daphne23784
Posted
The anti-inflammatories can get you through the initial pain after you start walking again. It can hurt to lengthen those tendons and ligaments back out! I normally don't take any drugs or medications but my physician, PT and surgeon told me not to worry and to just take them. Finally, I took one Motrin in the morning and one a night and it made walking and sleeping 100% more doable! Wish I hadn't been so stubborn at first and tried to work through the pain. After a month or two you are off them anyway. Try to take them with a little food so you don't run the risk of an ulcer.
daphne23784 patti123
Posted
patti123 daphne23784
Posted
yashmoon
Posted
Hello Everyone !
So I went to the doc last week. Turns out I wasnt limping that was just overthinking.
I am walking straight.
The Only problem i am facing now is i dont know normal or not.
When I am walking , the under foot ( plantar part) is not getting pressure like it should i think. All my weight is like on the Left region of the under foot ( I injured my Left Ankle ). Now i know weight is not supposed to be equally distributed and all but i dont know how to explain. Well i am flat footed. So I should i have atleast some pressure( weight) on the mid region of the plantar part.
I walk straight but while walking I can feel that the under foot parts that are getting in contact with ground in the healthy leg ..it is not doing so in the injured one. And that non contact region is really small but I would feel really normal and less painful if it was in contact.
The other thing is that my injured foot gets really sore after walking..like really.
My Range of Motion is probably same in both ankles BUT STILL the strain that you feel on your calves and above ankle region when you Flex your ankle I am not getting that strain in my injured ankle even though the ROM is same !!
I know this all sounds wierd but it has been so scary . Please respond.
Cheers !
patti123 yashmoon
Posted
Tituscanby1 yashmoon
Posted
I too have Flatfeet. I wear hard orthotics.
Silly as it seems, I would carefully try this..
On top of newspaper put a piece on copy paper. With poster paint, paint lightly the bottom of foot. (Like putting ink on a stamp pad ) using crutch, carefully stand on copy paper how you normally at this stage stand. Carefully wash off- rinse and repeat .
Compare the 2 and try to adjust.
If you don't want to have fun, go to Physio or podiatrist for help!
??