First day of weight bearing pain

I had two ligaments repaired and some extensive damage done due to a fall last year and had the surgery this year Nov 13th.  Today was two weeks to the day and I had my splint cast taken off and a hard cast to my knee on for one week. Today I was told I can put almost 50% of weight down and try to walk on the foot. Next Monday the cast comes off again and take the stitches out then a cast until Christmas. Then to a brace for 3 weeks to a boot!  It seems to me that you just went from a crutches to walking??? Without physical therapy???   That seems so extreme to me after only 10 weeks!  My foot is super painful today in the cast but I am only 2 weeks out. I was told that I would have a lot of pain for a while due to the ligament damage. 

I would give it some time and hopefully with some time it will lessen for you. Make sure you stay ahead of the pain with your meds they gave you. 

We are similar in injuries so I will try to keep you posted as I move along! 

Good luck!

Rose

I had a similar feeling when I was told to weight bearing.  The doctor and PA wanted me walking with my boot and no crutches. The doctor gave me a choice a couple weeks into weight bearing.  He said try walking with your boot and no crutches OR crutches and no boot!  I chose no boot and used crutches.  For me that was a positive shift to more weight bearing.  I started using one crutches sometimes and now after 3 weeks of transitioning I am not using crutches at all!  I walk slow and have to put my foot up a lot but I’m on my way!  

Good Luck!

Peggy

It is painful to start bearing weight bearing after being NWB for a long time. I had a trimalleolar fracture of my ankle in September and was NWB for 8 weeks. Then 50% for two weeks before being 100% WB. I worked with a physical therapist and have just started to walk with no "aids" in the past two weeks. I have been going to physical therapy and my therapist has worked with me to regain my mobility.  She emphasizes a gradual approach rather than just working through the pain.  Personally, her approach has worked well for me. I think doctors view the process in a very technical, clinical way, not necessarily as a drawn out process. Have you consulted a PT? I recommend it. A PT would help you develop your muscles at a pace suited to your needs. And be thankful that you know you will get better.

Thanks everyone for the info! I am going to start PT this Friday.

Today, the worst pain I have is in my outer heel, but the only surgery I had was on my inner ankle (PTTD), not my heel at all!

I'm guessing it's because my foot was frozen in place and unused for 4 weeks. It hurts worse the more weight (in the boot of course) I put on it. So I've been standing and rocking on it like 25% weight. I'm asking my PT about it when I go.

If it weren't for that pain, I think I could walk in the boot unaided. My surgical site is a little sore, but the heel pain is horrible.

Thanks again to everyone for their thoughts, stories and information. I wish and pray speedy and complete recoveries for you all ??

Hello Kim,

I experienced an injured post tibial tendon subsequent to an ankle fracture/sprain.

I was in a CAM boot NWB for about 6 weeks, then about 2 weeks PWB (50%).

The injured post tibial tendon (it was stretched but not completely torn) developed into post tibial tendon dysfunction (PTTD), and it was the single biggest hindrance in my recovery since initial fracture/sprain. Everything else (ligament, bone) bounced back on schedule.

When I started walking with and without boot the only pain I had was from PTTD. That tendon, when injured, can be vexing in recovery. It has a reputation among doctors that treat it (usually sports injuries in athletes and enthusiasts from too much running, sprains, etc.) as being problematic, and not always healing completely. If it doesn't heal properly it could spell chronic ankle problems down the road.

For the first few months, simple walking produced minor but nagging pain in that tendon (it runs in its connective tissue sheath from calf down around ankle bone and connects on foot bottom near arch). Walking down stairs was too painful (tendon has to stretch like a pulley to do that). Also single heel lifts (toe raises) on that foot was impossible at first (tendon too dysfunctional to aid in that mechanical action-- that's typical).

Now, I walk and use the stairs with confidence and little or no pain (since about 8 months or so). But it hasn't been easy.

I've done fairly aggressive rehab to forestall life-long chronic PTTD, with physiotherapy, PEMF therapy, and supplements to regenerate connective tissue. I've relied heavily on elastic bands for inversion/eversion exercises to tone that tendon, and a lot of work on wobble board as well.

A good orthotic shoe insert has been a great help in supporting tendon, as it has been for many PTTD patients.

Best of luck to you.

hello Kim,

I hope you're around, cuz i've been looking for someone like you for a while, with the same pain symptoms, i've had surgery almost 7 weeks ago, a broken fibula with part of the ankle, and i was non weight bearing for 6 weeks, and then i had another minor surgery to remove some screws, i started weight bearing 3 days ago, and my doctor keeps saying i'll be able to 100% weight bear in 10 days or so, well, don't see it coming, i think my muscles are ok, but my foot hurts so bad when i try to put some weight on it, and my heel just kills me and i don't get it, i'm a student at faculty of physical therapy, so i know the science behind most of my case, but this one, i don't understand, my range of motion is fine in the ankle joint, but my foot itself hurts like hell when i start walking or weight bearing, even with crutches it still hurts in a way i can't walk (can't really say walk if im putting most of my weight on a crutch and just pulling my leg), but about the heel thing? what happened with you? if you went to a pt, how did you solve this? and when did it start to get better? what should i do?

thanks, and i hope you're okay now

Shahd.