broken ankle recovery...

vipervillain

i broke my ankle and will have my 2nd cast taken off this wk. i had surgery and a rod and screws placed in my ankle also. my ankle feels fine right now but im wondering if when the cast has been taken off will i be able to walk as normal straight away or will there be alimp etc and if so how long will it take to be fully back to normal

krudler

I had a piece of bone removed from my ankle years ago and was in a cast for a couple of months, prepare for a very smelly leg and steep it in a hot bath to get rid of all the dead skin cells and stale sweat, its icky. Will you need physio? I did and it was hard at first, it really depends on the injury tbh, I was using a crutch for a while after my cast came off and tbh it still gets stiff all these years later, something like that you're kinda stuck with for years. Just do lots of stretching exercises, they should give you some when the cast is removed or google them, as it'll help with any morning stiffness (fnaar )

vipervillain

according to the doctor i will need to see a physio but didnt really to into much detail about this.they mentioned that about the smell and i can even see my toes are dry and theres lots of dead skin.oh yeh and im told expect to see a very small leg....:(

krudler

Yup, the muscles atrophy so they shrink from not being used. do lots of walking and leg exercise, even flexing your calf muscles to the point of strain helps, i had my op 7 years ago and my left calf is still slightly smaller than my right, its not noticable at all, but I know.

The physio isnt so bad, you'll do stuff like standing on something on one leg and balancing to make the muscles work, I found swimming helped a lot, really loosens up any tightness you have, maybe even get a sports massage, it'll do you good.

Jenneke87

Hi there,

I´ve broken my ankle twice so I´d like to think I know something about the recovery process.:)

You won´t be able to walk properly straightaway. Your ankle and calve muscles will have become stiff and weak from being in a cast for a couple of weeks. It will take 4-8 before you can walk as normal again, but it might take half a year to a year before your calve has reached the same size as before

Now I have screws in my ankle as well, and i can feel mine when I rub my ankle and also sometimes during walking, so be prepared that you might feel yours as well. It´s a bit of a stinging sensation but nothing too bad IMO.

The scar will be very sensitive in the beginning so be gentle when you dry your foot and ankle. Also, when coming out of the cast, put your foot and ankle in a tub of hot water so that the muscles can loosen up again and also because a lot of dead skin, salt and dirt will come off for 3-4 days.

I wish you a speedy recovery

krudler

If you're concerned about the scar get some Bio-Oil to put on it, they sell it in any chemist and its brilliant for scars, I never minded mine as I quite like it, its ugly and bumpy to begin with but after a few months it'll die down and turn white.

vipervillain

i ll def take that on board...something i have been thinking about is i had been going to the gym before this happened the likes of using leg machines will i have difficulty using these now going forward......?

vipervillain

the scar wont really bother me that much only because of the place that it is so wont be seen....thanks jenneke for that info as well its given me a good idea of what to expect.that was very unfortunate you broke your ankle twice.do you mind me asking did you get the rod and screws in the first time you broke it and then broke that again...? i heard there can be complications if you brake the same ankle again after having that surgery

krudler

vipervillain wrote: »

i ll def take that on board...something i have been thinking about is i had been going to the gym before this happened the likes of using leg machines will i have difficulty using these now going forward......?

to begin with, but keep with the physio and they'll probably tell you what you can and cant do with leg workouts.

Jenneke87

vipervillain wrote: »

the scar wont really bother me that much only because of the place that it is so wont be seen....thanks jenneke for that info as well its given me a good idea of what to expect.that was very unfortunate you broke your ankle twice.do you mind me asking did you get the rod and screws in the first time you broke it and then broke that again...? i heard there can be complications if you brake the same ankle again after having that surgery

No I got the screws after the second time. But if I were to break it a third time anywhere near the screws I would be in trouble

vipervillain

egg shells springs to mind..:)

Nevyn

You can help by taking a look at your diet, make sure you are getting enough calcium and potasium and vit D so your body has what it needs to repair the bone and then make sure you are eating enough protien when it comes to rebuilding the muslce.

fred funk }{

I broke my ankle playing football five years ago. I had surgery and have some screws in there now.

After I got my last cast off I was shocked at how much muscle had wasted away, my calf was tiny. I was told i didn't need physiotherapy just plenty of walking and running when I was able.

I went back to work pretty after soon and in hindsight it was too early because I was still in a lot of discomfort for a few weeks.

Once I was able to walk without to much bother I started walking, started off just doing short walks and listened to my ankle when it told me it had enough. I progressed quickly enough to short jogs and eventually back playing ball.

I had bouts of severe pain for the first year and even returned to the hospital to make sure everything was OK which it was.

I still get a sharp pain sometimes where the screws heads are after exercise especially if running on hard ground and if i'm crouched down for more than a minute or two my ankle becomes very stiff. I also haven't got full movement of my foot, I can't move it side to side as much as I can with my other one.

All in all, it doesn't really effect me that much and if it does it's only for a moment.

GiftofGab

Broke my ankle about 15 months ago. Had to get 6 screws and a plate in it. It still gives me trouble when I run on it.