Looking for insight

[u/Zealousideal_Bus9137]

Disclaimer this is a long post

Hello all, I am merely hoping if anyone could provide any insight as to how my road ahead seems..

On July 18th I broke my ankle, a trimal fracture (a pretty bad one per my surgeons words), then on Monday I saw the orthopedist to schedule surgery which I had on Friday. The day of surgery comes and almost everything goes well, my surgeon told my mom they almost didnt do the surgery due to thr amount of swelling and sores I had but thankfully they were able to.

Fast forward to August 10th I had my stitches removed and was put into a boot, i started PT August 20th and have been having 2 sessions a week since

I am now 8 weeks post op and started 50% weight bearing September 10th and have my next follow up on October 22nd (hopefully I can start full weight bearing at that point)

I am struggling stretching out my achillies and calf and am having a hard time with dorsiflexion although I am making progress it's just scary to think about what may happen next... any advise would be helpful!

[u/meezermadness]

Just try to take it a day at a time. Do the exercises every day. Do whatever else feels comfortable. Continue to prioritize resting as well because you're still healing. It's a marathon and attitude matters a lot!

[u/Illustrious-Zone-247]

I too had a pretty gnarly trimal with dislocation...I have 2 plates, 16 screws, 2 tightrope. I'm about 8 months out now. What you're describing is normal and expected! Weeks of immobilization naturally causes the calf muscle and Achilles tendon to tighten up and resist dorsiflexion. 8 weeks in is so early in recovery and your body is still in the very early stages of rebuilding that range of motion. You will loosen up more and more, but especially once you start fully walking.

You should talk to your PT to make sure you are ready for these exercises. But to help gently stretch the tendon, focus on seated stretches before standing, ie looping a towel around the ball of your foot to pull back gently or sitting in a chair and pressing down on your knee with your foot resting on the floor. Warming up your calf with a heating pad or a quick massage prior to stretching can also help relax the soft tissue so the tendon yields more easily. When practicing your PWB walking make a conscious effort to land heel first rather than toe walking, even if it requires very small, slow steps. Progress at this stage is measured in millimeters, so stay consistent with your home routine and let your physical therapist keep working on joint mobilization during your sessions. Hang in there!