Severe burning in foot 14 days after ankle surgery

Hi Jane. Its Sept 2016 and I was wondering how your ankle is now? I broke my ankle in 4 places shattering the outside bone. I just got my cast taken off the other day. I have a 5 inch rod on the outside that is not giving me any problems but the couple of pins on the inside my ankle are what's giving me the problems. Its burning and itching like crazy. It feels like a bad sunburn. I have the boot on now and my ankle wrapped in gauze. I do get relief when I take the gauze off and put cream on it and air it out. But question to you is how long till it stops burning and itching? I thought yours happened a couple of months ago. My doctor gave me 30mg oxycontin (I also have a bad back) but it seems like they don't work. I will take anyone's help for what I can do.

Thanks

Hello all, im 2 days post op from a fibula break @ the ankle. Dr braced & screwed it back 2gthr as well as put a small implant in for my flat foot. I'm on here for the burning as well. I went back to the Dr yesterday for the bleeding & to inform him the pain meds(oxy-acetaminophen 10-325) aren't working, that my foot felt like it was on fire. He gave me another pain block (which are shots that's supposed to numb the area) that didn't help, and got me a cold machine(2 ice my foot & compress it for clots). Basically I wrote all of that because my foot is still burning, it's almost 6am here & I can't sleep. I've read through the whole post & comments & I will be calling his office @ 8am abt the gabapentin. I see it's only 1 or 2 ppl still posting. I'll update soon

I too found this forum because I was searching for someone with similar type of pain. I had surgery for my Trimalleolar surgery 2 weeks ago and it's not my ankle that hurts very much, it's the burning pain in my toes and along the outside of my foot. I had to cut the top of my cast of over the toes becausee it was so irritating. My 4th toe and pinky toe are both 90% numb still. My surgeon only gave me enough pain pills to last me 10 days. When I requested more I was denied. So I went and bought some over the counter topical spray called Neurogen and omg... all it did was make it burn worse!! I was up all night literally crying and trying to was off the medicine I out on it. My nerve pain feels like I've been stung by wasps on my toes.. and it's constantly try aggravating me. I'm a student and I cannot study because it's too painful and irritating. My doctor tells me to take Tylenol or Ibuprofen, which I can't take due to stomach surgery. I'm going to ask if she'll prescribe Gabapentin but I doubt she will. I'm wondering if plain Aspercream with Lidocaine would help. All I know is I cannot relaxor focus or sleep well at all with this burning pain.

I had a rupture of my achillies 5 weeks ago and surgery on 26th Oct. Now day 12 post op and see the surgeon tomorrow for revision. Apart from the first night after surgery when I was in a lot of pain I've felt ok just the typical aches and discomfort I guess after surgery. Ive kept my leg elevated and been non weight baring. The last 4 nights though I have been experiencing a horrid burning pain in heal which wakes me up and happens about 4 times a night. Pain meds don not seem to help relieve the pain at all.

Hi I'm so glad ive found this site! I had the same surgery jane its been 14 days today since my surgery. I was in a cast for 2 weeks no weight bearing. I went today to get it off (nearly fainted) I'm now in a aircast boot ive to gradually put weight on with crutches. I'm now home resting on the couch with the boot on as I'm up & down every 15 mins for the toilet but its severely burning! i feel very light headed & my ankle is absolutely agony and the nerves up my whole leg are tingling. I don't know if i should take it off to give it some air but its such an effort to take it off & on, Hopfully i feel better tomorrow.

Rsd/crps is often under diagnosed or gets diagnosed quite late. Turns out thats a big problem, because it is a progressive and debilitating disorder that responds best to early intervention.

I hope none of you have it - and you could probably rule yourself out if you look up the other symptoms and dont have them. But if you have chronic excruciating pain long after an extremety fracture , its really worth learning a bit about it.

Here in the us it is usually treated by neurologists, anesthesiologists, abd pain specialists.

Hope this is helpful to some - hope no one has it but if you do at least you can try to get early treatment.

I was actually diagnosed with it , but my case is a bit suspect as i dont have the excruciating burning unremitting pain component (but have all the other symptoms) - the current diagnostic criteria require the unremitting pain symptom for a positive diagnosis. Anyway as a reault ive really learned a lot about this disease and am trying to tell people about it - it is not that uncommon and yet people have never heard of it.

Apologies for typos lost patience with touch screen keyboard!

Hi all, I had ankle surgery on Nov. 7th for broken fibula, tibia and another bone and got a plate and 14 screws. Was in terrible pain the next day after the nerve block wore off and had to take oxycodone. On the 4th day after surgery the pain was better and I stopped the oxy and took tylenol instead. Around the 9th-10th day after surgery I began to get this terrible pressure in the top part of my foot along with a pins and needles feeling and occasional electric shock feelings that would make my leg jump. The pain got worse as the days went on, especially at night. I suffered all night long and I read all of these posts looking for hope that the pain would end. Was afraid to take oxy since it causes bad constipation, so took advil with my tylenol even though I know ibuprofen hinders bone growth, that's how desperate I was for the pressure and burning to stop. 

I was afraid my splint was too tight so had my father cut some of it to loosen it and also took off the ace bandage down by my foot but I was still in agony, the pressure was so bad I felt my foot was going to explode. After part of the gauze was cut I could touch my toes and my 4th toe was numb- as was the area under it on the top of my foot.

I researched and found things about permanent nerve damage and pain, it scared me. I prayed to god to heal me and take this pain away, I begged him. Then last night I started feeling relief and something flashed in my mind that- everything will be ok. I felt it was an answer to my prayers. The advil wore off last night then the pain started again. 

Today I went to my Dr. appt. to get a cast on and he put me into a boot instead, there was immediate relief so I think the splint was irritating nerves or tissues underneath. I see my pain relief as an answer to prayer and I am so grateful. Just know the pain can also be caused by the splint/cast and once it's removed it may vanish.

To all those who are still suffering, I was suffering for many days and I just want to give you hope. There is an end to this pain, just hang in there for a little while longer and it does diminish. My Dr. told me that the pressure, burning and pins and needles is normal for a bad fracture and having surgery and it will go away.

My pain is 90% better today and almost gone, I have not felt the pressure at all since the splint was taken off, I still have some pins and needles but it is going away and your pain will go away too! It's scary when you're alone and in pain but don't read too much about it like I did and scare yourself into thinking this will never end. The pain and burning goes away, I am proof of that! 

Hello all.  KelKel...your comments were very helpful and gave me hope!  My surgery was not as involved as a lot on this thread, but I am having the same problems.  I had ankle arthroscopy and peroneal tendon debridement on Nov. 19th and today they removed my plaster cast and put me in an aircast for four more weeks.  So far I have been non-weight bearing but I will be starting Physio soon and can also start to put weight on my foot.

My biggest issue right now is with the BURNING!  It is primarily all around the incision site but also in the back of my heel, where it feels like a really bad blister.  It starts slowly throughout the day but by the evening it is really bad.  I have taken a Percocet the past two nights just to be able to sleep.

I also have pins and needles at the outside of my foot, extending to the last two toes.  

I don't get why the pain just becomes so uncomfortable in the evening, if it is just "normal" healing...you would think it would happen during the day, too.

oh well, I will give it some time, cross my fingers, and hope it eventually fades.

A big 'thank you' to everyone who has shared their stories and provided encouragement!!!  

Ok, it's been awhile but I'm back with an update. The burning finally stopped,thank the Lord. The Dr wouldn't prescribe me anything for burning. Anywho I have the boot off and in therapy. Relearning to walk straight workout the use of one crutch, my PT calls it duck walking cuz I hobble side to side but it's walking. Keep the faith, although it seems like hell it gets better.