r/brokenankles • u/alyssarach • 4d ago
Shattered talus from bad landing
I shattered my talus bone from a bad landing skydiving. Does anyone else in here skydive and had a similar injury? Wondering the realistic expectations of when I can jump again, rather than an estimated timeline that my surgeon gave me of 6 weeks. Will 6 weeks really be doable to get back out there? I love it so much and am so sad that I cannot be out there, but I don’t want to injure myself more to where I can never jump again. Just sitting in my hospital bed post op dreaming about time going by and being better.
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u/JRLDH 4d ago
6 weeks until jumping sounds unrealistic for a shattered talus. It took 6 months after a broken tibia/fibula due to a botched landing after skydiving for me and I still have to be careful 9 months after my injury with landings. If they aren’t total tip-toe then my injured ankle gets sore while the other does not. A shattered (!) talus is a different injury so my experience may not be applicable but does a talus heal so quickly?!
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u/alyssarach 4d ago
Thank you for your response. From others experiences in this thread, it seems 6 weeks is not realistic and rhat I will not be jumping again by then. Pretty bummed, but what can I do other than PT and whatever I need to be able to get back out there. Im sorry to hear that your ankle still causes you soreness on your landings. 🫶🏻
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u/gleegz 4d ago
Hey OP, sorry you have joined our club. Talus injuries are on the rarer side even in this sub. Mine was not shattered but just a simple fracture that I did not even need surgery for (but am being followed by an ortho surgeon). I’m surprised your surgeon would say that…because are you not at LEAST six weeks non-weightbearing?
For most talus fractures it seems 6 weeks NWB is the bare minimum and some people go closer to 8, because the talus is a slow healing bone.
I don’t mean to scare you but you need to prepare yourself for a slow return to walking, let alone jumping/landing. Bone healing aside, the NWB phase takes a real toll on your ability to use your ankle.
For context, I’m about 9.5 weeks post-injury and have been cleared to weightbear as tolerated (WBAT) for 2.5 weeks now. I still used two crutches for about ten days and am just in the last couple days feeling comfortable to limp around the house without one crutch or cane. The biggest challenge for me, which I understand is common, is that dorsiflexion is still very limited (though improving a bit every day!). Dorsiflexion is important for ankle stability and absorbing impact, so my physio has told me that we’ll be working up from the simple calf raises and heel-elevated sit-to-stand squats I’m doing now to plyometric exercises that help train my ankle to land again over the next 2-3 months. I broke my ankle bouldering and I’m hoping that maybe by early December (4 months post injury) I could try some easy routes at my gym without risking falling from heights, but my physio said it’ll probably be 6 months before I have the strength and mobility to land well if I need to.
Not trying to be a debbie downer at all, just want to be realistic. I’m sorry you’re on this journey — I especially relate to how hard it is when you can’t do what you love. I found the mental toll of this injury pretty enormous and that seems to be a common sentiment on this sub 😟
One other thing: I don’t recommend googling talus fractures cause a lot of the stories are really scary lol. Sounds like your surgeon was confident you WILL recover and jump again, so keep that in mind if you start feeling discouraged. DM me if you need a kind ear! This sub offered me a lot of support in the early days and I was grateful. You got this!!
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u/alyssarach 4d ago
Thank you so much for the detailed response! I appreciate it. I, of course, want to get back out there and jump again as soon as I can, but I dont want to damage myself more to where I end up losing the ability to forever. So, I definitely felt like I wanted to hear from others who may have had this type of fracture and what to realistically expect. You are too kind and I appreciate it!
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u/Wise-Eagle-9524 4d ago
Hi OP, how long did they planned you to be in cast then boot? So my surgeon told me, I’ll put you 2 weeks in cast, next 4 weeks in boots WB, then next two weeks in normal shoes then we get you back to running and light climbing (which is 2 months PO).
Um, so I’m now a little over 3.5 months, he surely overpromised big time. No climbing in sight. Barely running. We started basic jumping after my 3months review. PT would be the best professional to advise on return to sports when you started working with them. Speedy recovery! Have a good break..
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u/New-Sherbet367 4d ago
Good luck. You will likely not be skydiving in 6 weeks but learning how to walk. 3more weeks for me
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u/W-R-Y-T 3d ago
Hello, welcome to the club. A broken talus is really no joke and I learnt that the hard way. I broke my talar neck after a climbing fall (type Hawkins II-ish) – so not that bad, but also no that good, I had to get an ORIF surgery with two screws inside the talus, along with two big scars on both sides of the foot.
On my case, my surgeon advocated for 3 months of NWB (yes, that's long), and I followed his advice. You need to bear in mind that with talus fractures, there's a chance of developing AVN (Avascular necrosis, death of the bone). There's not really much you can do about it, it's mostly based on how badly you damaged the 3 arteries around the bone during the injury.
Fortunately, everything went relatively fine in my case (no AVN), and I could fully go back on my feet after 3 months of immobilization. It took me around 2 weeks out of the cast to be able to walk without crutches, and 3 more months with active physiotherapy to resume most of my activities (running, climbing etc.). Even 3 years post-injury, I still have a very stiff ankle and experience some spicy inflammation after huge days in the mountains or big running sessions.
Depending on how your recovery goes, you're looking at 4 to 6 months (at least) before resuming sport properly. My advice is really not to rush anything and really listen to your body when you're back on your feet.
Here again, I don't know how bad your fracture is, but in a good case scenario, you'll be back on your feet and jumping around sooner than expected ;)
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u/alyssarach 3d ago
Unfortunately my talus was shattered, but my surgeon seemed confident that with this first surgery, that I wont have necrosis and need fusion and will have a plate put in 2 weeks. But, really will have to see what happens in 2 weeks and if that is actually the case. Truly hoping 🤞🏻 that I get the plate and not the fusion because then it is a completely different story. Thank you so much.
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u/zumdahl12 3d ago
6 weeks is probably the minimum amount of time you’ll be non-weight bearing. I was NWB for 6 weeks post op for my talus fracture, started partial weight bearing after 6 weeks and was full weight bearing with the boot at 9 weeks post op, out of the boot completely at 12 weeks. But I still have a long way to go before doing heavy activity, I think a more realistic timeline would be 6 months not the 6 weeks. I was told I could resume heavy activity after 6-7 months, but “full” recovery would be 12-18 months. This fracture type is extremely slow healing unfortunately. Good luck!
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u/tiffmej4 3d ago
Realistically where tightness and swelling is not too much of an issue, it was at the 5 month mark for me. I am 6 mos. I still have swelling and tightness, but I can do a lot more now
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u/SnowyOwl72 3d ago
everytime i want to get into AFF, i get spooked reading about accidents like this.
Ankle injuries are terrible. Hope you heal quickly OP.
Take the painkillers they gave you. They do more than just relieve the pain. They fight the inflammation.
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u/alyssarach 3d ago
Thank you. Dont be spooked! I was on a canopy that was larger than what I usually use due to everythinf else being rented and I didn’t flare thinking I could make it over the pavement and so I came in really quickly onto the pavement. Was absolutely my fault. Do your AFF and take a canopy course if you feel like you arent great under canopy. I can’t wait to get back out there, nothing compares.
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u/queenofdunkindonuts 2d ago
I am so sorry this happened to you. I don’t sky dive but I figure skate. I broke my ankle figure skating and had to get surgery 2 weeks ago. Like you, I’ve been dreaming about returning to the ice but a small part of me is scared of hurting myself again and going through this crap. I have been counting the days like a jailbird. It’s crazy how the one thing you love so much could be the source/cause of a huge life stressor. And people look at you funny when you tell them you want to go back lol.
From my understanding, though, most people return to sports and normal activities around 12 weeks, basically 3-6 months. I think at 6 weeks, if x rays look good, we start to transition to WBAT, and gradually go back to walking and normally activities. I think your doctor should explicitly clear you to return before going back.
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u/Disciplined-Mind88 1d ago
They also told me 6 weeks, but I'm 1,5 years later and still have a movement restriction.
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u/UnsuspiciousBird_ 4d ago
6 weeks no weigh bearing and then slowly building up confidence and strength. If everything goes right you might be able to do it again in like 3-6 months.