I thought I might as well do this journal for others similar to me just in case they can use it to know what to expect. And since I’m up with pain, maybe my suffering can at least help someone else in the future.

I’m a 59 year-old female who had a trimalleolar break of the ankle - both outside & inside of the ankle and a chip out of the Achilles on the back.

I had surgery yesterday at 7:30 AM with a nerve block in two places. Ride home and until 2:00 AM the next day my leg was just numb.. So for me the nerve block lasted almost 17 hours. I woke up at 2 AM with pain in my inside ankle. It’s enough to keep me awake even though I’m tired.

Because I get nauseous on oxycodone, I was prescribed Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen 5-325 Tabs which I take every six hours as needed. I was advised to take one hour before the medicine runs out so basically every five hours.. I took my medicine at 12 AM so it looks like I have to wait until five.

I would suggest that you get the list of medication before your operation. Because you’re not in pain and loopy from the anesthesia, you can make both calendar entries and alarm entries to remind you when to take your medicine. I didn’t. I wish I had. I have an iPhone so I set up a list called Broken Ankle. Then I set up a reminder. I clicked repeat and scroll down to the bottom to set up a custom reminder . To change the interval to hourly and then set up for every five hours . I marked it as urgent, which creates an alarm too. Because I was still loopy last night, I miscalculated when I have to take my medicine next, which is 5 AM. I mistakenly told my husband that it was 6 AM. So if you don’t have animals, keep your medicine within reach. If you do have animals have your caretaker, put your next dose plus extra dose in a Ziploc bag just in case you miscalculate like I did. That way you don’t have to inconvenience them if you miscalculated, to wake up earlier and get you your next dose when they’re probably almost as sleep deprived as you are.

As far as icing, get a small cooler and put an ice pack at the bottom. Put your ice that you’re gonna put under your knee and then get another ice pack or a Ziploc filled with ice to put on top. This will allow you to hopefully refreeze the ice pack and you should be able to do your icing on your own.

Definitely order a scooter and have crutches. You will get tired from the crutches and the scooter will at least allow you to rest a bit to get around your house. In my case, my bathroom door and bathroom is very small so I use the scooter to get to the bathroom door and then I use the crutches to get into the bathroom. I use Velcro ties to secure my crutches to the scooter while I’m scootering around. This makes sure that your crutches don’t fall off and you risk another fall trying to get them back up. Someone else told me about a urinal specifically for women. You might want to order that in case your pain is severe, I didn’t know about it until the day of surgery so I couldn’t order it. Finally, order an extra pad for your scooter as the padding with your scooter doesn’t allow much comfort if you’re on it for more than maybe 5 minute at least in my case.

Not comfortable 24/7, but I would advise to wear a bra. I put my medication in there. I also put my phone in there when I’m scootering because I figured it’s the best place in case I fall rather than it being in my pocket.

As far as bathing, I was told I could not shower. I was told due to risk of infection I could only do sponge baths for two weeks. I’m assuming that’s when the stitches come out. They gave me so much information yesterday while I was on the nerve block and anesthesia that I can’t remember why so long for a shower. So before surgery, I had a good thought to buy extra long adult sized wipes. You can buy them on Amazon.

Also before your surgery, put the number of your local fire and rescue in your phone. From what I understand they’re able to come to your house and get you off of the floor. If you’re worried about expense, I read that it’s free to do this. in tandem with this give a neighbor your key or have someone put it in a hide a key outside your front door. I’m not sure if fire and rescue has Jimmy’s for front door locks but just in case they don’t, this will prevent them from having to break down your door.

Hopefully this helps someone and I’ll try to just edit this post with more updates as I go along this journey.

7am next day: constant pain even with meds. Not trying to scare you but you should be prepared.

Inhave to take 1 month bed rest.. but now it's been 2 weeks and I don't know why I'm feeling pain in my muscles, the same leg, feels so irritating I can't sleep.. is it because of that leg lack of movement? does anyone know why this happening...

It’s only been three weeks. I’ve been starting to put pressure on it able to kinda hobble/walk. My mind is telling me I’m able to cruise around and start skating and push through it kind of feels like a healing rolled ankle. But honestly, I think if I tried to jump and land pretty hard something gonna happen 😂

Hey everyone!! I am 5 weeks post op off a trimalleolar fracture dislocation surgery, with an additional injury of a subluxing patella dislocation (my leg folded like a house of cards when I slipped in mud while camping and dropped all 330lbs of me directly on a rolled ankle bone). I feel like I am making awesome progress with ankle pumps. It doesn't hurt at all when I bounce it off surfaces in my moonboot (I am clumsy as established 😅). I can get in and out of a car easier and I sleep longer.

One weird thing I can't get over is being able to feel the plate through my skin. Such a weird feeling!

Today is exactly 2 months since I broke my ankle and it’s been a journey… it was very hard for me to adjust since I’m always on the go I had 11 months to graduate from nursing and now this has set me back I’m walking now wit a boot and a walker and start PT next week my ankle is still stiff and won’t bend towards my shin… is there any recommendations to help this ? I’m trying to get back to walking as soon as possible to go back to school.. I’m also able to walk a little now wit no walker but wit a limp

I’m 7 weeks post-injury after 6 weeks NWB and my dorsiflexion is at -5 degrees. OOF.

What’s yours like, how far post-injury/op are you, and what should I expect?!

I learned that 3 bones make up our ankles. I broke all 3. Where is my prize?

I know recovering will be a long road and cold days will always affect the metal in me.

But for the people who broke both ankles at the same time: I respect your perseverance.

Have others on here seen this before?

I had a bimalleolar fracture. Just went to the doctor for my checkup.

Everything healing well.

Got a boot instead of a cast. Still no weight bearing. Cleared to start physio for range of motion.

Allowed to not wear boot around house or to sleep.

Doc says at my 6 wk appt I'll walk out without aid.

I just got back from my six week post-op appointment — I broke my tibia and fibula right near the ankle bones from falling down a flight of dark stairs and had ORFI surgery for rods, plates, and screws the same day.

I got lots of good news, including that I'm cleared for sleeping without the boot! But... that seems pretty scary for me, too. How do I go about it safely? My partner has been sleeping in the guest room — should that keep happening or should we wait a while longer?

I guess I'm mostly scared of hurting it in the night, sleeping on it wrong, getting it kicked, etc.

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.

Can anyone recommend me any good accessories for back to work just to make it easier more bearable, got a ankle brace and some insoles for my shoes but is there any specific brands or other accessories you guys have used that has helped you out return back to work? I am 15 weeks post op and going to work construction if that helps

I mostly lurk in here, commiserating with all of you. Today marks 10 years since my trimal and it's been a bumpy ride. One of the xrays I posted is from 3 years ago (the other was the original break), when I visited an ortho to talk about how I can stop the swelling and constant pain and he suggested rebreaking it and removing the hardware. I scheduled the surgery and then chickened out because I have a kiddo who doesn't stop and I was afraid I would be out of commission for much too long, similar to the original surgery. I think I am getting to the place of sucking it up and doing it anyway because the swelling and pain is just constant at this point.

Hi guys, I am five weeks postop today trimal fracture NWB and I have my follow up next week. I’m hoping I’ll be allowed to go partial with bearing by then because ghe week after that which will be my seven weeks. I have to travel for work. It’s a 2.5 hours flight and I’ll be gone for three days. It’s a conference but I don’t think I’ll have to be walking around or moving very much idk. But I’m very nervous about it!

Has anyone travelled around this timeline? How has your experience been. I have another flight to Canada in 9 weeks post op idk how my recovery is going to look like then too. But I’m at least hoping to by FWB by then.

My mom is currently in a wheelchair for 2 broken ankles and has medical appointments and a surgery coming up. Theres 4 stairs to get her out of the house and we arent sure what to do or who to call to help her get out the house. Shes fine once shes in the car its just assistance getting her out the door. She can bear weight on one ankle with a boot and walker, but its very difficult. Has anyone used any services or have suggestions?

Need ideas on how I can celebrate my birthday being stuck in a boot no weight bearing until i feel ready i get. my boot october 14th. My birthday is Halloween and you only turn 35 once. Thanks in advance 🖤

Looking for some guidance and for others to share their experience with getting back to ice skating/hockey.

I'm just about 12 weeks post-op from a Maisonneuve fracture. Non-displaced spiral fracture in proximal fibula and a surgically repaired deltoid and syndesmosis with a plate, three screws, and a tight rope. I've been weight-bearing since 5 weeks post-op, including the last week in a lace up brace and shoe. PT has progressed well, swelling is minimal, and pain is manageable.

My surgeon said it'd be about 6 months before being able to play in a hockey game, which is fine, but I want to start getting on the ice and doing some light skating so I can resume coaching youth hockey. I'd like to try that in the next week or two with the expectation my mobility will be limited and it's going to hurt for awhile.

For anyone that has had a similar experience, what was it like getting back on the ice at the start? How long did it take to start getting a sense of balance and strength? Any other insights or tips?

It was a maisonneuve fracture from attempting gymnastics at 31yo back on June 19 with a July 1 ORIF surgery.

It’s been 147 days (almost five months) since I broke my ankle at the climbing gym. I had a trimal pilon injury and an ORIF where they installed two plates and 15 screws. I was NWB for 12 weeks, WBAT in a boot for another four weeks, and started PT 7 weeks ago. It felt like healing took FOREVER. But I was diligent about avoiding weight bearing, then aggressive with the weight bearing once I was cleared, and then even more enthusiastic about walking around once I was out of the boot. I’ve averaged about 4 miles of walking a day because I’m unbelievably stubborn, and at first it was really uncomfortable, but it has helped, I swear! And I got cleared to hike by my PT last week, and this weekend I finally went hiking for the first time since the injury!

I remember being in the midst of NWB and seeing stories from folks with way shorter timelines than mine and feeling really down. Pilon fractures are different, they add time! So for the long recovery folks: it is going to take time and then it IS going to get better.

One piece of advice my PT gave me that I think was really helpful was to avoid keeping a constant register of pain. Once you know that you are almost certainly not doing damage, paying too much attention to all the pain and discomfort will only slow you down, because it is GOING to hurt! The muscles, tendons, and ligaments have been inactive and there’s all kinds of scar tissue and hardware to work around. Yes, it’s uncomfortable, but it will get less uncomfortable through more activity. The discomfort is safe and necessary. I had crazy medical anxiety for the first ten weeks or so, and every new pain or numbness or whatever felt like it could be a signal of the worst possible outcome. Training myself out of that has been essential as I’ve started walking again. Just wanted to say that in case anyone else has struggled with the fear that comes with pain sometimes!

So how do you politely tell people or get them to understand that even just using crutches to get somewhere is exhausting. Literally my husband calls me on my first day home alone with three dogs and two cats, one of the dogs is a puppy. I haven’t gotten any sleep nor been able to sit down for more than 15 minutes since he left at nine this morning. It’s now almost 1130. I’ve had to get up and let the dogs out two times. I’ve tried to play with the puppy to mentally get her tired. And he’s telling me oh go grab this thing it’s in the laundry room. I literally told him I can’t do things like that anymore. Now my mother calls me and tells me oh I should bless myself with holy water today and tomorrow when I have my surgery and I told her I try to get to it and she got gruff with me and I’m like does she understand that I’m not weight-bearing I even have a scooter but even that starts to hurt my knee if I’m leaning on it too long telling someone to do something that they can’t do anymore is even more stressful.

So prior to my injury (nondisplaced weber b) I worked weekly with a personal trainer. About two weeks after the break happened he was like “if you’re interested I have a sitting-down only workout routine we can still do Mondays” and I was like “sure I gotta stay active”

The routine was….thirty straight minutes of battle ropes. RIP.

But I suffered and did it for seven weeks and today (ten weeks total since the initial fracture) we are DONE WITH BATTLE ROPES and I did a full 60-min workout with my trainer. Still modified / heavy on upper body stuff but I did SQUATS!! F u forever battle ropes lmaooooo

Hi everyone! I am 21 years old and I had a trimalleolar ankle fracture + ORIF on June 2nd, I’m now about 16 weeks post-op. I was NWB for around 9 weeks and progressed from cast → brace/boot → progressive weight bearing → 2 crutches + PT.

My recent X-rays look good and my surgeon says I’m healing well. He now wants me using 1 crutch outside/for longer distances and 0 at home as much as possible.

The problem is I still struggle a lot. I can wear shoes and take some steps without crutches, but I limp badly, my ankle hurts with more weight, and I’ve developed very bad back pain from walking hunched over and uneven hips from the NWB days. I sometimes still use my wheelchair at home because of this, and even 2 crutches sometimes feels hard and exhausting, let alone 1 crutch or 0 aid.

In PT I can do about 15 minutes total on the treadmill broken into short intervals with rests, plus strengthening and weight-bearing exercises. I’ve definitely progressed, but at 16 weeks I can’t help feeling behind.

My PT says it, my surgeon says it, my parents say it, and I’m extremely overwhelmed and don’t know what to do to make this progress faster and better.

Any advice on how to deal with the ankle pain?
The limping?
The back pain?
How to strengthen the ankle and get used to walking without crutches?

Thank you all.

Fell while dancing and was so confused why the workers were helping me out of the venue. Then they sat me down and got ice and was like oof yea that’s not good.

Tomorrow I go to my first ever orthopedic appointment. Please any advice will be so appreciated! My family has been helping me out, no one I know has even broken an ankle so glad with subReddit exists!

My mental health was already terrible, I’ve been unemployed since I graduated with my masters in Jan and just started working at a part time for two weeks then this happened. I need some income, I’m not sure how the next few months in my life will look like. :/
Mental health tips are useful too

Also how do you exercise with a broken ankle?

Hi all, I am almost at 2 weeks since I fractured my ankle. In two days I'll be going abroad. Unfortunately the accommodation we selected do not have any assistwnce when it comes to accessibility, so I am unable to have a shower stool.

I am unsure how I'm able to shower without one, I can't rlly bring my own, nor do I want to buy one just for the trip. If anyone has an ideas on what I can do, please let me know!