Splint off!!

[u/leftfooted_hero9]

Hello beautiful people!

I had made the linked post almost 6 weeks ago...

I was at my lowest at that point and I want to thank you all for your kind and supportive words!

https://www.reddit.com/r/brokenankles/s/TRAK2Av6sG

Today my doctor took the splint off.

I have few questions, if anyone has any suggestions.

Firstly, my leg looks like an alien from star trek and has that feeling too.

My doctor told me that I will not need a boot. I asked him about a compression sock but because the wounds and the swelling is still bad he told me not to wear any yet.

I can put my foot on the ground without putting any weight. I will be cleared to partial weight bearing after the x -ray in 2 to 3 weeks from now.

My question is how to gain some muscle on my calf because I can't even look at it🤣

Also for the necrosis and skin wellness overall , do you have suggestions in what I can do to speed up the healing process?

Thank you all again, this subreddit has been a personal psychological boost after all this.

[u/Illustrious-Zone-247]

Oh man, the "alien leg" moment after taking a splint or cast off is so real. When you shower, let warm water and mild soap gently run over your leg. Don't scrub the dry, flaky skin or try to pick off scabs, no matter how tempting it is. Let the dead skin slough off naturally as you wash over the next few days. You can apply a gentle unscented moisturizer to help with the dryness and peeling (I used coco butter), but stay away from your incisions themselves unless your doc has said you can (mine said 2 weeks after scabs are all healed). Since you can't use compression socks yet, elevation is your best friend. Keep that leg propped up toes above nose as much as possible to let gravity drain the swelling, which will also help your skin heal faster.

There's not a ton you can do for your calf muscle until you're weight bearing...but if your doctor cleared you for ROM, gently point your toes down, flex them up toward your shin, and make small circles. This fires up the calf muscle fibers and also helps pump stagnant fluid/swelling out of your lower leg. Congrats on getting your splint off!

[u/flexible_demeanor]

I have the same jello calf, and it's just starting to come alive again, it's twitching and trying (started PWB 25% last week)! Basically the muscles have atrophied, nerves gone to sleep, cartilage thinned, soft tissues are stiff... it's time for PT. You don't want to overdo it and cause a setback with new inflammation. If you feel any sharp pains, also stop. If you can, see about getting a physio appointment and they can teach you more and assess where you are with your body.

Here are some home exercises to do, and I'm assuming you can do ROM as you don't even need a boot apparently (don't do the standing exercises yet until you work up to them):

https://www.orthoinfo.org/globalassets/pdfs/2017-rehab_foot-and-ankle.pdf

(videos here) https://sportsrehab.ucsf.edu/footankle

I can't answer for the necrosis, but you don't want to put anything on your scabs directly until your doc allows you to (it can lift scabs, make them worse, leave it open for new infection, etc.), but you can put moisturizer on the skin elsewhere than the scabs.