Hi All, new here
Posted , 6 users are following.
Hi, I'm new to this forum. So glad I found it. I broke my left ankle on July 12, trimalleolar fracture. I fell leaving work on uneven steps so I'm out on workers compensation. Had surgery on July 20th and have a plate and 11 screws in. I had my sutures removed on August 4th and went into a CAM boot. I'm non weight bearing till I go back on September 6th for another X-ray. I've been experiencing a lot of burning/stabbing pain around the incisions and I wonder if the boot is rubbing against the screws as it hurts a fair bit when the boot is on. I only wear it when I'm out and about. I was afraid to take t off the first couple of nights but now I prefer it off as its heavy, hot and painful. Has anyone else experienced the burning pain I described? Also, what type of footwear is recommended once weight bearing begins to even up your gait? I've read that you need something fairly tall so you're not walking with misaligned hips. Looking forward to interacting and sharing more with everyone. Thanks in advance for any and all advice!
0 likes, 39 replies
patti123 SS315
Posted
Hi SS315- I am 6 months out with a trimalleolar fracture (plate and 13 screws). I have heard people on this site say they used lamb's wool or something soft, that they put in the boot and that helped them. I had a cast, so I didn't have the stabbing pain by the incision from the boot, but I remember reading that a lot of people have experienced it. I also broke my left ankle - you are lucky, because you are probably able to drive. Basically, there is a lot of waiting, as you have already learned. It took about 7 weeks for my bones to heal (seems like the body is pretty miraculous if you really think about it). The part that takes longer is getting your tendons, muscles, and ligaments fired back up. They shrink up being in their inactive frozen type state for so long, and it takes a bit of work and firecracker feelings to get them back into shape. That is what the PT is for. There is a ton of info here, if you read old posts. There are also a ton of videos on you tube as well to help you with weight bearing (it took me 5 weeks from beginning to end- basically 25%WB per week improvement, with the final 25% taking two weeks). At 5 weeks, I could walk on both feet, but I may have needed a single crutch still. I can't remember at this point (isn't that good? This does pass!). The great news is you will probably be up and walking on it after 5 weeks, once you start WB. The walking helps the bones to harden further. Be careful not to get out of your boot too much because I read that if the bones move even a little, you can get arthritis years down the line. We certainly don't need that after all we have gone through! The best thing to get is an Even Up for the shoe on your good foot. You can find it on Amazon. I will private message you with the info. The Even Up I believe is super important because it keeps your hips and knees from getting messed up from malalignment.
SS315 patti123
Posted
Thanks so much patti123 for all of your suggestions for cream/moisturizer and for sharing your recovery timeline. I can't wait to say "I'm 6 months or 12 months out".....I'm 6 weeks since I broke it and I feel like it's an eternity already. I'm also feeling a bit guilty about being out of work but if they had fixed these steps (3 others before me have fallen and broken various bones) then I wouldn't be in this predicament. I have been extremely careful when I'm not wearing the boot. Basically I'm in my bed with my leg elevated or I'm in the bathroom briefly. Do you really think I should be wearing it more? I certainly don't want arthritis or anything down the road. And yes I was pretty shocked at how fast my calf muscle atrophied when I got my first cast off. I hope I can rebuild that quickly too. Have you used the Even Up? I just looked at it and it's quite ugly but if it works then it's worth it. And thank goodness I broke the left and not the right ankle. I have been driving around a little bit here and there. I'm super careful though, don't want to get pulled over and get a ticket for being "impaired".
patti123 SS315
Posted
Hi SS315- I definitely used the Even Up and I absolutely loved it. I really didn't think it looked bad on and kept me from having any alignment problems. Everyone seems to love it that gets it, from what I have read. I would ask your doctor, but my understanding is you should wear your boot as much as you can when you are moving around, until approx. 7-10 weeks out, or your doctor tells you that your bones have healed. Then most of us wore it during WB as well. It would be so easy to slip, a lot of us have with our crutches, scooters etc. and I'd hate to see you go backwards. It seems like forever when you go through that stage. I was counting the hours, but now looking back it seems like forever ago. Funny how that works. It was just a major inconvenience. I wore a cast for 7 weeks, and then a boot for about 6 more weeks. After that I could get into my tennis shoes (but the one on the injured foot was tied much looser and felt like I had 2-3 socks on my foot).
daphne23784 SS315
Posted
daphne23784 SS315
Posted
patti123 daphne23784
Posted
Glad to hear that Daphne! Mine have too! We both did a lot of massage on the scars themselves, and I think that helped too! I started though at week 8 when my cast came off. Still helped. And the steri strips are really good I think for holding the skin together so your scar will heal properly. For those who are wondering if they should take them off, I'd leave them on as long as possible.
Tituscanby1 patti123
Posted
Are you girls going to get your hardware out?
I looked at my scar last night. Only visible it a few spots of the 4.5"s.
Got myself a gift yesterday. A mobility parking permit for a year. Damn, should had it months ago, but it is great just the same. I can now walk where I want rather than where I had too.
🌻🌼👏👏👣👣🚶🚶👣👣🌞😀🌞🌼🌻
jenn36134 patti123
Posted
Tituscanby1 jenn36134
Posted
I had sutures- stitches with thread. Didn't you guys have that? Maybe because they had to open me up big time to deliver bone graft?
Ha, Gosh feels like I've been to hell and woke up in heaven, and All on earth!😂😂🌼👣🌼👏👏
jenn36134 Tituscanby1
Posted
jenn36134 Tituscanby1
Posted
Tituscanby1 jenn36134
Posted
They want to take my plates and screws out. But my bone is so soft Dr said my leg would crumble lolol. Would look funny! 😂
jenn36134 Tituscanby1
Posted
Tituscanby1 jenn36134
Posted
My surgeon routinely takes hardware out, but not in my case. My physio feels the plate and screws when me massages my ankle. Tells me to feel them to. Ah Nooooooooo. I'll take you're word for it that they're there thanks! Haha. I'm a bit squeamish😀
When I'm doing the chores I feel sore along where the plate and screws are. I get a little concerned that they're all moving because the bone is so soft. He's too scared to give me another X-ray as the one 6 weeks ago was Worse than the one 12 weeks ago.
I don't have any follow up appointment.
jenn36134 Tituscanby1
Posted
SS315 Tituscanby1
Posted
I had the same thing, thread sutures. Had mine removed 2 weeks after surgery and it did sting when the nurse pulled them out. I was also shocked that she didn't wear gloves. It kind of grossed me out. My mom is a nurse and she was with me and she said the same thing about not wearing gloves.
daphne23784 Tituscanby1
Posted