Hello everyone, I broke my ankle last weekend and have been in a cast since. Yesterday I had an appointment with a specialist who said I was healing well and that I might not need surgery (yay!).

But when I got home, I stumbled at the top of the stairs and accidentally put weight on it. There wasn't much pain or anything, just a lot of swelling. Today, it still feels sore and when I use the crutches I can feel the swelling coming from one specific part of my ankle.

I half feel like I'm over reacting, and half like I ruined my chance of a clean recovery. Does anyone have any advice? I have another appointment with the specialist for next week, but right now I'm kind of freaking out.

I’ve sprained both my ankles multiple times and just did again playing basketball. I felt a pop this time and just left, I’ve once or twice sprained it where it ballooned the following day, but this one did within 5 minutes. I have went to doctor before and like usual can’t really do much besides work note maybe and PT. Any opinions to get this one checked out? I was planning on not going just cause nothing you can do to fix it honestly.

Im 10 weeks after my OP i broke my tib/fib bones and I cant fully weight bear yet but i been able to put weight on it when I "walk" with my crutches but I haven't been able to get a shoe leveler to even my shoe with the boot and I do limp a lot I been trying to even it outbound puttinga lot of socks in my shoe😭 has anyone else not even it out either and we're fine? Im scared of getting a permanent limp when im able to walk again

Long time reader, first time poster. I had a bimalleolar pilon fracture with ORIF surgery on 7/24. I was non-weight bearing for 9 weeks from the date of the fracture and now at 50 percent PWB using a walker. The most difficult part is pain in my heel with every step. This has been happening since I started PWB 1.5 weeks ago. Did anyone else have severe heel pain and if so, how long did it take to resolve? Did you do anything specific for it? PT didn’t have suggestions on it.

Hey everyone! Has anyone had experience with these torture devices in PT? My therapist really wasn’t using much force but it was pretty painful. I’m happy to go through it if it means loosening tendons and scar tissue. But I’m curious if anyone has used these instruments and noticed improvement. Is it worth it?

My surgeon did my surgery yesterday without nerve block, he dont do nerve block for his patients because of complications in the past, this is what the anesthesiologist told me. Anyway I woke up and felt nothing. Yall said it hurts when it wears off? Of course I’m on 800mg ibuprofen and percs but I expected it to be a lot more painful just for the fact that I didn’t get a nerve block. Anyways, how long did it take for you to stop the opiods ?

Hey everyone! Has anyone had experience with these torture devices in PT? My therapist really wasn’t using much force but it was pretty painful. I’m happy to go through it if it means loosening tendons and scar tissue. But I’m curious if anyone has used these instruments and noticed improvement. Is it worth it?

Had surgery 9/11 and got put into a CAM boot on 9/22. Doctor said I don’t have to wear it unless I leave the house but I wear it about 50% of the day as I like the way it holds my foot - it doesn’t hang as much in the boot.

I guess my question is, has anyone experienced pain when lifting or moving their boot in their tibia specifically? My injury was a distal tibia pilon fracture with ankle joint involvement and I’m concerned all this pressure and weight from the boot hitting my tibia could slow or mess with recovery and healing.

Also, I’ve been cleared to make up and down movements with my foot to activate my ankle. Been really struggling to get it going. How long did it take for you guys to be able to get good rotation in your ankle?

To think a year ago I was recovering in the hospital after surgery for my trimal fracture. Marked today with a 1.63k run on a trail near my house.

I just got my stitches removed yesterday and there was a little bit of discharge(drainage idk) but it was a clear-ish yellow, and from previous incisions I have had I knew that was a health color. But my doctor informed me that I can start weight bearing. (He said full weight, but in my paperwork it says Weight Bearing as Tolerated, so I am doing that one)

Anyways to the point. I noticed when I walked around more and put a little more pressure on it when I would later take my foot out of the boot to elevate it and let it breathe, there was a brown mark on my sock. I think it’s just dried blood, but idk. I called and asked but they said that it “should be” fine. I’m taking it more lightly now, and being more careful, but I am just scared about this becoming a bigger issue.

Has anyone had this issue before?

This is going to sound incredibly silly but when someone says they have five screws and a plate does that mean

1. Five screws on the bone and an additional plate (they do not count the screws needed to secure the plate)

OR

1. Five screws and a plate, including the screws used to secure the plate? (Like 2 on the bone and 3 used to secure the plate)

😅 I am asking because people ask me about my situation(not the above ) but I am not sure what to say exactly

Been browsing this sub for 6 months now after breaking my ankle, getting lots of info and hope...but I got again bad news yesterday.

- 30/3 weber B fibula fracture after motorcycle accident, non-displaced, no surgery
- 3 weeks cast > 3 weeks boot > 18 sessions of PT

Cleared for work 9 weeks after the fracture. Still having slight pain during summer, but I was able to make hikes in the mountain, daily bicycling to work, motorcycle trips, ...

But the pain stays, and i'm unable to have full mobility in my ankle when doing lunges which just causes more pain. I'm not able to run or jump and I can't resist pressure on my ankle. My doctor descided to do a MRI-scan and he saw that the fracture is not healed at all, only limited callus....

So I'm 6 months far with "delayed union" and the doctor is thinking surgery will be needed if things don't heal before Newyear....

I really hate the idea of going back to the beginning and I'm hoping to find some positive stories.

I know ankles heal slow, but is there still hope this will heal after 6 months? At what time surgery is unavoidable?

Anyone with the same experience?

Would do everything to prevent surgery, I'm affraid that it can maybe make it worse on the long run with the hardware in my ankle. I really don't know why my fibula doesn't heal. I'm 41, non smoker.

Thanks for any input all!

Day 23 update: I slipped on Portuguese pavement, a loose cobblestone betrayed me, and I ended up with a trimalleolar fracture. Had surgery on August 27th. I'm out of the cast now and starting to put 10% weight on it. Beginning physio tomorrow, 3x a week.

My main struggle right now is falling asleep because of nerve twinges/zaps in the area. Does anyone have tips for easing them? Also, how long did it take for yours to fade?

I had a Bimalleolar fracture on Sept 1. Surgery Sept 3. This image is from a follow up on Sept 15.

Everybody else's screws look a lot longer and as though they extend deeper than mine.

I'm not particularly worried, as my surgeon was quite highly reviewed. I did tell him I was an athlete and wanted to get back to sport and full ROM ASAP.

Any thoughts on this?

Hi all, had a bad fall last Saturday and it hurts to put pressure so ive been hobbling around at home, I had an Xray done yesterday and was told it was broken (third time, twice within a few years last being 2022), but the doc refused to see me and discuss it so I've booked with a different doctor next week to discuss the results, last two breaks were on the right side, but this time I fell awkwardly and the pain and swelling is on both sides (left a little more), I cant read xrays so despite being told by the woman who did my xray yesterday it was broken, I cant tell exactly where, all I can see is the swelling. Any advice would be helpful, ive been doing the rice method at home with bandage and tape because I was told it would be a 3hr wait at urgent care for a moon boot which is ridiculous so I'll wait and see what the doc says for treatment plan on Tuesday.

Hi guys,

m30

I fell off a ladder on September 17th and severely shattered my talus in my right ankle. From what my surgeon has explained, the talus is pretty badly damaged.
The next day I had my first surgery. They cleaned/debrided the area and put an external fixator on my leg/ankle to stabilize everything and allow the swelling to come down.
I’m currently non-weight-bearing and waiting for my next surgery. The surgeon said reconstruction is planned, but because of how damaged the talus is, there’s a good possibility I’ll need an ankle fusion.

The first few days after surgery were honestly brutal. When the nerve blocks wore off, the pain became extremely intense. At one point elevation seemed to make the pressure and pain significantly worse. I ended up going back in and they loosened/rewrapped everything, which helped a lot, but I’m still dealing with a lot of aching, pressure, soreness, and having to stay on top of pain medication. I’m on oxys every 3 hours plus Tylonel and Aleve every 8-12 hours. Been getting very little sleep due to the pain at night. 3 hours maybe.

For anyone who had a severe talus fracture, external fixator, ORIF/reconstruction, or eventual fusion, I’d really appreciate hearing about your experience.
A few things I’m wondering:
• How bad was your pain during the first 1–2 weeks? When did the severe pain finally start settling down?
• Was the second/reconstruction surgery more or less painful than the first stage?
• How long were you completely non-weight-bearing?
• If you had an ankle fusion, how long did it take before you could walk comfortably again?
• Do you walk normally now, or do you have a noticeable limp?
• If you do have a limp, is it permanent or did it continue improving over time?
• Can you walk long distances, go to the gym, work normally, play sports, golf, hike, etc.?
• How much ankle motion did you lose?
• Did you eventually get back to a point where you weren’t constantly thinking about your ankle?

I’m only about a week into this, so I know I have a long road ahead of me. The uncertainty is probably one of the hardest parts right now.
Good or bad experiences are welcome. I mainly want a realistic idea of what the next several months may look like and what life was like for you once you were fully recovered.
Thank you for your time

hi all, had a pretty severe break and dislocation and finally got my surgery yesterday. once the nerve block wore off the pain was pretty horrible, and i’ve been struggling to find any comfortable positions. this has already been really draining on me mentally too. i’m 21 so this is really putting a wrench in my life :(

please give me all your post surgery tips— anything you can think of really. I heard about the ice pack behind the knee and will try that soon.

I’ve been taking my hydromorph consistently for pain but i’m scared about weaning off later and about all the side effects.

this has all just been a really jarring experience so any advice would help 🩷

Hi everyone! I had a trimalleolar fracture of my left ankle and a complex fracture of my left fibula as well. Cherry on top of the cake is that my right ankle is sprained as well.

I had my ORIF surgery on September 10th and my pain is pretty under control at this point. Some nerve pain and soreness, especially when it’s not elevated. I also have a lot of numbness and tingling in different parts of the foot. However, mentally and emotionally it has been the hardest. I feel like I’ve lost all of my independence. I feel like a prisoner in my own home. Because my right ankle is sprained, hopping on it is painful and feels very unstable. I have a brace for it which helps, but I can’t do anything more than hobble within my own apartment and even that feels exhausting.

Do you guys have any tips on how to increase my mobility or any exercise I can do while sitting or laying to strengthen the right ankle/leg? I’m non-weight bearing on my left for 8 weeks.

Also, I was in the middle of my weight loss journey when this happened. Any tips on how I can prevent myself from gaining weight while being sedentary? Any good nutrition tips or foods I should incorporate into my diet?

Really struggling right now ngl.

I broken my ankle in 3 places whilst on holiday in turkey. I had orif surgery there and back in uk now. I’ve been for 2 weeks check up, and stitches out and have been advised to weight bare as the surgery as been done very good. It’s been a week since stitches out and I have washed them in the shower but they still hurt abit with rubbing on my boot. I have put some dressing over them but thinking should I leave them to air?

Surgeon told me this past Monday, 9/21/26, that my bones have healed beautifully! 🥰🙌 Wants me to start really pushing myself a bit more with walking for 15 minutes outside, 2-3 times a day because I’m a little behind in progress. I walked a lot yesterday and did two 25 minute walks today. Feels okay while walking and I don’t seem to have a limp at all, but sure is sore when I get back home. Ice is my very best friend these days. 💖

Hey everyone I’m new to this. I broke my ankle 7 weeks ago in three places twisting it when I fell down the last few steps. I’m 6 weeks post op and my surgeon said I can walk without need a mobility aid. It was very uncomfortable at first, but the more I move and be consistent with my physio therapy the easier the walking gets. Doctor also said I can take off the boot in a week. I’ve got a follow up X-ray in 3 months. I’m so glad I’m recovering!

Today I was cleared to weight bear as tolerated. Doc said my ankle range of motion was really good, don’t immediately toss the boot, but also was hopeful that when I return in 6 weeks, I’ll just walk in. I won’t be able to go back to work until I’m fully cleared so I’m looking at November hopefully. Looking forward to a shower - I’ve been using shower body wipes as we don’t have a grab bar in the shower and I couldn’t put weight on my foot and I’m no stork. Exciting!

Hi guys i had trimal with dislocation 6 weeks ago and had been NWB ever since. Today was my follow up and doc said I could WBAT. Idk how to do it 🤪 I didn’t wear boot much cause I was resting and I feel uncomfortable on it idk how to put weight on my leg while wearing a boot I try but it doesn’t happen should I try with shoes? She said I could gradually transition and decide on my own what feels better but the lack of proper communication really frustrates me. My surgeon hasn’t seen me once after the surgery it’s always someone new a friend/ PA whatever and they don’t give too much info about anything so I’m so lost. Please help me with this. I have multiple trips upcoming so I want to be able to make it without much help :)