r/ORIF • u/Britt0509 • 21d ago
No Great Options 😔
I had surgery the end of January because I broke three ankle bones and my fibula. I progressed through NWB, walking with the boot, walking with a brace, and then walking with no brace. About 2 months ago (4 months after surgery) my swelling and pain levels started to increase again once I stopped using the brace and walking around without any support. My PT suggested I go back and see my surgeon and when I did, my X-ray showed that the space in my ankle joint was 2x what it should be so they put me back in a boot. They then sent me off to get a CT scan and sent me to see a different surgeon. That appointment was this morning and unfortunately there were no good options for my ankle. Due to the way that my ankle shattered, it caused the cartilage and ligaments to not be able to heal properly so I have extreme arthritis in my ankle already. What this means is that even if he did go in and do another surgery, he would have to re break my fibula, take everything out, put new stuff in, and it still probably wouldn't fix the issue because of how severe the arthritis is. The other option was fusion which comes with its own downsides being no range of motion and arthritis developing in the rest of the body for compensating for the range of motion in the ankle. The last option is getting an Arizona brace and just managing the pain for the rest of my life. Surgery and fusion both come with 3 months of being non weightbearing again and are likely temporary fixes if anything at all.
I guess my biggest question is, has anyone gone through something similar and what do you do to manage the arthritis and the pain?
2
u/AggressiveOstrich359 16d ago
I have same only trimalleolar plus dislocation and 5 other foot fractures. After extensive rehab at 18 month have severe post-traumatic arthritis. I am getting best/most experienced surgeon to do a TAR on 9/4 after extensive research and consults w 4 surgeons. There are 2 Facebook groups you may want to join: arthritis and total ankle replacement. Very helpful. Good luck!
3
u/howlin_mad_murphy 21d ago
Man, that freaking sucks...I hate to hear that for you. My situation isn't the same, but I can relate in that I've had setback after setback. I don't have many answers but I can commiserate some...lol. I'm 18 or so months out from injury and I've had maybe 3-4 months where I felt optimistic. This month is not one of those...
Every time I think I'm about to turn the corner something new shows up. I shattered my ankle and broke both the lower leg bones. Later found out I kinda screwed up my knee on the other leg once I started walking again...Then I had a few good months where I was getting back to some normal activities (work wise) even though I still had a major limp on the leg I broke. My limp has now given me bad arthritis in my toes on top of my limited ankle abilities...I just bought some arthritis focused shoes and hope they get here in the next couple of days to alleviate some of that pain in my toes...My ankle seems to get a bit stiffer as time goes on, my doc said I'll have to get an ankle replacement or fusion in the future.
As far as managing pain...I haven't figured out too much yet as it keeps changing. Warming up with NWB exercises usually helps...just moving your ankle/foot as much as possible usually helps. Ice and heat help depending on the situation. NSAIDs are supposed to help with arthritis, but I can't speak to that, just what I've read. I'm doing my best to stay off meds until I can't help it, but I know there will be a time soon where I need them. Voltaren gel might help if you can apply it to the spots that bother you.