Extremely swollen ankle after cast removal

[mrbeansmom]

My son broke a small bone in his foot around Thanksgiving. There was minimal swelling right on the outer side of his foot, right at the spot that he fractured. He was in a cast to his knee for four weeks. An x-ray revealed that things weren't knitting properly so he had to wear the cast another 4 weeks. He has now been out of the cats for nearly 3 weeks and his ankle is so swollen that there is no definition to his ankle bones at all. It's like a balloon. He never had any swelling around his ankle with the injury so this is confusing to me. Also, he has developed some redness on the top of his foot, just below his big toe and it's not going away though it causes him no pain. I called the ortho doc's office once about it and they said it's normal, but it looks to me like the swelling is increasing daily. He is not limping anymore and he is active. How long can we expect this swelling to last?

[Grandma_51]

I had my cast on for 5 months they finally took it off 4 days ago it's the whole foot is swollen I have no angles and I can barely walk the pain is unbelievable

[specialmom]

Wow!  Is that a long time to have on a cast?  What had happened and what are they doing now?  Are you going to work with a physical therapist?  

[hphillips3]

I fell dow the stairs 6 weeks ago and broke my fibula in three places.  I also have a small break at the bottom on my tibia (which is healing without screws slowly) and torn all of the ligaments in my ankle.  The cast was taken off yesterday and now I am like a cry baby... The foot aches and I try to move it but it is so stiff.  I start therapy tomorrow but I am so scared...And when I say scared I mean scared to death... I cant even look at the foot without crying like a baby... The parting words from my ortho dr were...Some people walk out of the office once the cast is off... Thanks dr for making me feel even more of a loser.  My son tells me its all in my mind, which I think he is right (but dont tell him that, he's only 16:)  I never would have thought the mental toll this would have taken on me.  I thought the worst part was the surgery ( 1 plate, 8 screws in the fibula and one pin in the ankle) and the cast... I was not prepared for this...Any suggestions?

[TAlopez]

I broke the same bone in three places as u my doctor said when im ready they will let me take therapy slowly entell i feel right about it let them know what u think u can do. I didnt do the sergery can u tell me how bad the sergry was and did it hurt taking the pin out im very nervous for that im a big baby

[gayemarie]

Dr Veena,  had the same advice as mrbeansmom. The doctor pushed the ankle and sole of foot.  I was told I did not need a walking stick or any means of support.  I am a 56 year old lady and had broken my ankle.  The ankle is very red and swollen, I find there is quite painful on the sole of my foot when I try and stand on it.  Do you think I should consult my Doctor?

Kind regards


Gaye

[mrbeansmom]

Thank you so much for your comment. I did think it strange that they just took off the cast and sent us on our way. Nothing was said regarding any therapy. When I called about the swelling, they just said "it's normal".

Thank you!

[Dr_Veena]

Hi,
     How are you? There will be some amount of swelling present after removal of the cast, that could be due to the fracture or sprain, also due to not putting weight and doing normal amount of work with that limb. After being in the cast for 4 weeks, the body has absorbed much of the fluid part of the swelling and now what remains is the solid parts, blood cells, scar tissue, etc.
After removal of cast, rehabilitation program under the guidance of a physical therapist should be taken up to prevent stiffness and deformities in the joint.
Consult your doctor and discuss about the above mentioned possibilities and follow his advise.
Best