Ankle Injuries

[zoeken]

Well it has now bee almost 8 months since I broke my ankle. I have had a second MRI that did show some healing.I also have the bone stim. I took a couple of weeks off work and that seemedto really help.My doctor even let me go without my boot. I went nearly 4 weeks pain free. Then all of a sudden I really started hurting again. The pain was so severe that I just sat down on the floor at work and started crying - I am a retail manager for a high volume store so this is unheard of! I went back to the doctor ahead of schedule because he told me if I had any pain to call immediatly. He did more xrays and they still look the same. He put me on predisone for 20 days to see if maybe it is just an inflammation causing the pain. I go backin this week. If the predisone had not helped, he said it is time to do someting else, this has gone on for too long. No kidding - 8 months is way to long! He said he wil probably put a plate in. Does anyone have any thoughts on this. I am so tired of not being "normal" and being able to enjoy my life I will do anything. Do you think it would help at this point or am I just screwed? I am really worried about the long term effects of my tibia not healing properly. Thanks for the support!

[Ona]

What bones did you break in your ankle? In June 2005 I fell down a full flight of stairs in our home and fractured my right ankle, and broke both the tibia and fibula on my left. The tibia actually was thru the bone. Thank goodness for shock...I don't remember feeling anything. The right ankle healed with only a boot but I ended up in a rehab/nursing home for over a month. I began with an external fixator and eventually had a plate and pins in the fibula in August of 2005 because I was "non-ambulatory". I had a very deep wound that needed to heal from the exit of the tibia so surgery was postponed to see if the bone would begin to grow into a healing union on its own eventually. I had lots of P.T. and had some relief but never had a pain free situation. I was a dance studio manager for 15 yrs...no more of that, and have not been able to stand for any significant period of time to be able to hold a job. I try to function and will do anything if the reward is worth it such as traveling with my husband, but I pay the price after being on my feet for awhile. I recently got back to pt 3x a week for about 8 months. I had e-stim, ultrasound, deep massage and manipulation as well as about 2 hours of "exercise" and stretching on my own. I have been in increasing paralyzing pain now for sooo long now that I am feeling totally disfunctional and depressed. I went to a well known Ortho guy here in Philly. After new xrays, he determined that I have totally encompassing post traumatic osteoartritis, something that continues to build after a trauma. No kidding! So I have been walking bone on bone for a long time now. He offered 3 options: remain in pain, wear a foot/ankle orthodic ( called a FAO), or have an ankle fusion. I researched each option and decided to go with the fusion. It claims to relieve pain in about 95% of patients which sounds like a miracle to me. The worst problem that could arise is infection which could lead to amputation...yup, that really stops you in your tracks. He felt I was not a candidate for an ankle replacement...too new...not long lasting and I am too young for it.(finally too young for SOMETHING...I'm a 54 yr old woman). I did not want to wear a brace for the rest of my life. I have not worn anything but an athletic shoe since 3/2006 and don't want to think I will be "shoeless"' forever. I then decided a second opinion might be a good idea so I saw a very well respected Dr. at The Rothman Institute here in Philly. His diagnosis was the same however he would not do surgery unless I began with a brace...1 month to fabricate, 2 months in the brace before he would see me again. He was adament about his plan so I left his office very low since I had already psyched myself up for the surgery. Well, since a brace will mimic exactly the immobility of the ankle, I have made the decision to start off with the less invasive solution and got fitted for a custom brace one week ago. Who knows what the result will be but I cannot live with this pain any longer. Do you still have cartilege between the talus and your tibia. Is there the beginning of arthritis. Have you seen an ankle/foot specialist, NOT JUST AN ORTHO DOC? Are you still able to remain on your feet long enough to work retail? That was my career before the dance studio so I know the demands. Are you EVER pain free? I used all kinds of meds like Hydrocodone with no relief. They just didn't work for me. I would enjoy hearing back from you and following your issue. Good luck.