Recovery from ankle orif surgery
Posted , 8 users are following.
in sept 2018 i had ankle orif surgery due to trimalleolar fracture , so have more than 20 pieces of hardware in my foot . its been 6 months , doing PT, walking with a cane when i wear shoes . i limp and cannot walk too much of a distance. I can walk barefeet only with crutches , a cane doesnt work here . my question is will i ever be able to walk normally again , run or jump without a cane and barefeet? also currently i have tissue hardness on ball of my foot , the toes are not fully functional and nerve pain or zingers continue. when will all this end ? ANY SHOE SUGGESTIONS ?
0 likes, 12 replies
carol48255 mita31290
Posted
yes yes orthopedic shoes, and foot doctor Scholl's in them. keep trying to move your toes. I was out at 8 months.
erickablair mita31290
Posted
Sorry to hear that! I had ORIF surgery on Oct 31, 2018 and just a few weeks ago I was cleared to walk without a brace or any help! I have been walking/jogging (haven't tried going for more than a nicely paced jog) since even before then with my brace. Have been able to jump too (I'm a cheerleader and just competed nationally so a lot of jumping and being thrown around!). So I would say you should be able to in the future!! The healing process is so different in everyone! I didn't even get any PT!! I got stretchy tennis shoes that would stretch over my brace and those helped a lot and were comfortable. Has your doctor said anything about your toe function and nerve pain? As silly as it sounds I would recommend really keeping it elevated when you can but also trying to get your leg used to the movement and weight bearing if you can!
mita31290 erickablair
Posted
thank you for the encouraging response .. by any chance did you get any implants or hardware , which complicates the situation ?
erickablair mita31290
Posted
Yes i have a plate with 7 screws! So definitely not as much as you!
uel02419 mita31290
Posted
Hi,
I had reconstruction surgery to the 3 ankle bones plus some work done to foot back in May last year, it was not until Christmas that i was doing strength and conditioning exercises that i got rid of my fatigue and limp, so what im saying is this stage of your recovery is a phase, theres different phases through recovery, none of it is easy as you will be aware, but when you stop pushing yourself during exercises thats is were your recovery will stop, dont accept your limit, keep pushing yourself to improve.
Ive no idea if you have discussed final limitations with your physio, this helps understand where you are on your journey.
Good luck.
monique42871 mita31290
Posted
well, first off, everyones injury, surgery and recovery are all different so dont get too discouraged if you are not progressing how you think you should be. I had a trimalleor fracture and ORIF in April of 18 with 2 plates and 14 screws. my recovery has been on the opposite end of most people as my injury was very severe. i had some nerve damage that made the bottom of my foot numb and because of this, my toes contracted and did not move.. while the ankle had healed, i couldnt walk properly because my toes were essentially frozen in place . I underwent another surgery in DEC of 18 to break up the scar tissue and remove the hardware..what a difference! I still walk with a limp but my toes move and i can walk in tennis shoes pretty well. my PT tells me that as long as i keep my toes moving, i should be able to walk almost normally, Now what type of shoes will really depend on the person and injury i dont walk barefoot because of the nerve damage, but really anything that is cushioned on the bottom should be ok.. just test out different types of shoes to see what is most comfortable for you my favorites right now are any type of crocs because they slip on and off easily and over a brace and are very cushioned, but ugly. sketchers athletic shoes and dr sholls and aerosols work well too. good luck and remember that it does get better
dora1234 monique42871
Posted
monique 42. hii would like toknow more about your second surgery to remove scar tissue and plates/ screws.
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monique42871 dora1234
Posted
Dora,
I had to convince my DR to remove the hardware, He didn’t seem to think that it was causing that much pain to me. But I could feel it every time I moved wrong or twisted my ankle in a certain way. I also had scar tissue broken up at the same time. I was expecting my surgery and recovery to be a lot worse than it has been. Of course it hurt like hell the first few days but I was allowed to put weight on it in a boot as I could tolerate. I am now six weeks out still in a boot but see the doctor tomorrow to check the x-rays and make sure the holes from removing the screws have begun to fill in and heal. I’m in PT two times a week to regain mobility and keep my toes moving and not build up scar tissue again. I wasn’t sure if this was the right move for me but I was willing to try and I think I made a good choice. I don’t feel like I will ever be where I was before I first broke it but this is an improvement over where I was after the first surgery
Missy1969 mita31290
Posted
Dear Mita,
I had my ORIF in August 2018. I have plate and 11 screws. I am still limping. I use a cane. My ankle has stiffen and my range of motion has stunted. I will ask my doctor next Friday to get me an MRI. I NEED to know what is wrong! I just can imagine spending the rest of my life with this damn limp. I can't run, I can barely go up/down stairs - I do it holding on or else I know I will fall.
As for shoes, those pool slides that are very fashionable now I find to be the best.
How is your swelling? My swelling is still monstrous if I walk too much. I can only do about 10 minutes of walking, after that my limp gets worse.
I want my surgeon to tell me, good or bad, why I did not end up 100 % . So I can plan my future accordingly.
Good Luck,
Missy
monique42871 Missy1969
Posted
missy,
im not sure if we can ever plan accordingly for something like this i had a case of "delayed healing" and after 9 months of PT, exercises, second opinions and test, it was determined that my best course of action was a second surgery . i am now almost 6 weeks post op and still can not do stairs, squat run or even walk without a limp not sure if i will ever be able to, but i keep trying and am happy when i accomplish a goal and keep going towards the next good luck and try not to get too depressed about it
dora1234 mita31290
Posted
first of all im so sorry for your suffering. my surgeon suggested only brooks tennis shoes because they have ortho built in. i have been wearing only brooks since aug 2018 when i had my cast removed. i also contantly iced my foot for swelling and of coursei continue to take 82 mg aspirin every night. i was unable to take pain meds or anti inflammatory meds. its been hard. i have two platesnine screws. i have started walking my block. i cant run yet. went to the beach last weekend and walked the beach. still hurts most of the time. throbs. i continue to Hope i will get better and better. my friend who is in medicine encourages me to give it at least a yr. for me that will be july.
mita31290
Posted
DEAR ALL WHO HAVE RESPONDED TO MY POST
Firstly thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and experiences . I already feel comforted and hopeful with your responses. RECOVERY is just not physically but mentally challenging . I shall keep all posted about my progress . FOR NOW , I am planning to don my hoka shoes and walk with a cane and do the exercises that my PT INSTRUCTED and be hopeful.