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ankle pain after fractured foot and ankle

Hi all.

Question... Back in early June I took a stumble down a couple of stairs chasing my dog and son and rolled my foot up onto the inside of my shin and "fracturing" a bone in my foot and the ankle bone it's self. It was treated just by immobilization with 2 short leg casts for a total of 8 weeks. I then proceeded to have PT for 3 more weeks before I returned to work. I have been back about 3 weeks now and I still have pain in the ankle joint it's self on the inside of the leg in the joint just below and in front of that little knob that juts out. If my foot is twisted or torqued towards the outside it's like someone is sticking a fork inot the joint and from time to time I have a burning sensation there as wel and that spot if pressed on is "tender"l. I know ther had to be some sort of ligament issue in there as well an MRI was performed and I wasn't told of any thing else wrong other than just a bone issue. I have been doing some of the exercises the PT guy gave me but the pain at times has me worried. Other times it feels pretty good and I would say that 95% of my limp has gone as well. Has anyone else had this kind of an issue? I'm sure if it's persistant than some sort of surgery would be in line?? I know these things take time but I'm 4 months inot this right now.
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Avatar universal
Hi, I fell last week and hurt my ankle, I went to hosp and they x rayed it and said I had a fractured ankle, so I was put in a full leg cast. I had the cast on for 6 days and I developed a severe ache in my calf along with bruising so I went back to hosp and they removed the cast and checked for a blood clot, there was no clot. The doctor then said that he thinks the fracture on my x ray was an old injury and asked if I had had a previous ankle injury (which I haven't). They then decided not to put another cast on and gave me a removable bandage instead. I am very confused now as my ankle is still swollen, sore and ice cold to the touch plus I still have the pain in my calf.  I am slightly concerned that if my ankle is broken that I don't have enough support now without the cast. Also is it possible I may have broken a bone in my leg as well which is where the calf pain is coming from? the doc wasn't very helpful as he said he did not know if the fracture on my x ray is an old injury or a new 1! Any advice appreciated Thank you!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I feel on the ice at work on May 3 and rolled my ankle and fractured my lateral malleolus. I was back to work after 10 days on light duty desk work. I was never put in a cast only a black heavy walking boot. It has been almost 8 weeks now and have been told to walk on it. I have been trying to walk on it for 1 week now and have severe pain with every step but the doctor says pain is a given and it will get better with time. I keep trying but the pain is terrible and I can't walk right. I am not sure what I should do because I feel like the doctor is not listening to me. Is this pain normal at first or should I have less pain. Is something else going on with my injury. Any advice would be helpful. Thank you
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I actually broke my ankle  a year and a half ago. Every once in a while it flips outward and I fall onto my side. I also get really bad shooting pain from time to time. It doesn't burn like everyone elese is claiming, it just hurts. Most of the time it feels good, but like other peoples post that I've seen, it would be about 5% of the time that this happens.
Does anyone know what would cause this. Falling in public is just not cool.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I had an accident and broke my leg just above the ankle. It was severe and they inserted pins in the leg to help the healing. That was 35 years ago. It healed fine and I have had no problem with it aside from a little numbness.
About a month ago I began to have pain in the ankle and foot when sitting with my legs raise in a recliner. I could get up and walk it off and it would feel fine until I sat down for any period of time. With time it has worsened. Now it wakes me at 3am and I have to get up and walk it off. I saw my primary care physician, he did xrays and an ultrasound and blood work. All turned out fine except for the old fracture and leg trauma that was not acute. I am scheduled to see an orthopedics doctor next week. What can I do for the pain meanwhile? Aspirin and Advil or aleve helped for the first twoo weeks but they no longer help. I can not get a full nights sleep?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi, I broke my ankle, and both the leg bones where it goes into the ankle joint which was broke as well, dropped 12 feet onto concrete, my ankle/leg has been very painful in the past few years, at times to the point i have to crawl, it's been 7 years since the break, but it seems to only get worse. Surgery was no an option because of other medical at the time.
Any suggestion, and i now have no insurance to cover this.
OH NO.
Helpful - 0
1202053 tn?1265462879
Hello fellow ankle benders, what a nasty injury huh? I broke my ankle shredding my mini ramp, pulled a perfect back 5-0 with a little lien to it and came in all wrong, stepped off to bail & stepped on my foot sideways & POP!

This happened Dec. 17th 2009, surgery Dec. 29th & currently doing a month stretch in a boot & trying to put some weight on & stretching out the tendons.

Has anyone had any experience using one of those bone healing systems? My friend let me borrow his but I haven't tried it yet.

What are the best stretches to do?

If I start to feel pain, isn't that good & mean that I am stretching the tendons out?

My doc said "as tolerable" so that's my mind frame until I can walk again but I don't want to over do it....

Thanks

Chris
33 yrs old @ 185 lbs...
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I  fractured  my  ankle  7years  ago  and  
from  time  to  time  it  starts  to  hurt  is  that  normal
Helpful - 0
637498 tn?1223190984
Just a thought but the 'hot spot' you've mentioned may be the inferior/superior extensor retinaculum ligament.  It's that ligament group that holds the extensor tendons in (to dorsiflex/lift your toes/foot).  

Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I do not have a swelling issue per say. Like I stated before that area on the ankle and foot looks different then my right leg but not really swolen. Being on it all day doesn't appear to change the  way it looks and feels when it acts up it doesn't matter if it's in the AM or PM. the compression thing doesn't work because the area is pretty much tender to the touch and pressing on it with an ace bandage  is not a good feeling. One thin that really makes it not feel good is while sleeping if my foot is flexed downward like sleeping on your stomache it will wake my up out of a sound sleep. I don't appear to have any loss of mobility or range of motion compaierd to my right it's just when it at the evry end of the travel  wher it hurts the most.
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Avatar universal
Hi,
I feel physiotherapy is must and also are pain medicines.
An imaging study would help decide further course of action and would also let us know whether the fracture has healed or if there is any Malunion.
I think passive range of motion around the joint is fine.
You need to take adequate rest after you are back from work.
You should be following rice protocol in evening or whenever at rest.
I know it is meant for initial management, but you can continue to follow.
Rice protocol is as follows:
Rest: Less weight-bearing activities as much as possible.
Ice: apply ice packs to the area that is painful or the focal point of the injury. Apply ice intermittently.
Compression: apply an ACE bandage or other elastic wrap to help prevent swelling.
Elevation: elevate the leg to reduce swelling.
Hope this helps.
Keep me informed.
Bye.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I did have a set of X-rays between casts I really don't know what he was looking at he never saw the issue the first time a round. after the second cast was removed he told me that I should progress at a rate that my body told me was safe and he didn't feel that I needed PT  after a week of walking around like apeg legged pirate I contacted my primary DR. and he wrote me a script for PT. I basically was released from the OS I saw after 8 weeks in a cast  and three 1/2 weeks of PT. No further x-rays or imaging was done has been done since early August. I take Advill from time to time when it really flairs up. I have days when it feels okay but other days it really bothers me. I had to chase my Son down in a parking lot last week and it really flaired up and has taken a week for it to subside. like I sated before if the foot is twisted on my leg is when it hurts just straight line walking is okay but that "hot spot" in front or on top of the Talus is still tender 7 months after the fall.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi Todd,
How are you feeling now?
I think the pain is persisting as ankle joint is a weight bearing joint, plus your work involves you to stand for 10 hours and you had bone bruising of cuboids and talus.
Have you done any imaging after cast and physiotherapy?
What pain meds are you on?
Keep me informed?
Bye.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
My name is Todd I'm 38 in good health and pretty good condition as well I keep active.  Let me back up The original injury was in mid june and I was initially told just a moderate sprian I wound up walking on it for a month before an MRI was ordered. At that point it was determined that I had bone bruising to the cuboid and talus bones and it was bad enough to treat it as a stress fracture. Thus the cast's for 8 week total. They told me tha tthey was no ligamnet damage that showed up but I have to belive that ther was some maybe a streached nerve?  I still have pain in the inside of my ankle side to side movemnet is okay but any twisting of the leg on the ankle joint is painful. The area where the issue was is tender to the touch and really no swelling but compaired to my righ tankle that area looks a bit deformed it's sort of puffy but not really swolen. I did 3 1/2 weeks of PT before I returned to work. I'm on my feet for 10 hours a day in work boots.  If I'm out in the cold for any length of time when i return back indoors it tightens up and It's hard to walk and it's quite painful.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi,
What is your name? How old are you?
I think there is some inflammation happening at the site of injury which is making you feel sore and pain whenever you move around.
You should be doing an imaging study to see the regrowth of bone after fracture.
An imaging study would tell us had the bone grown properly or whether there is malunion?
Is there any tissue overgrowth present which is causing the symptoms?
Whether there is ligament injury or not, either an orthopaedician after examination or an imaging study can tell?
I would like to know what has happened.
What treatment modalities you have employed or are the symptoms still same?
Bye.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I keep putting off the obvious that i have to go back to see another OS or podiatrist about my ankle pain it hasn't gottn any better the past 2 weeks or really any worse I'm just stuck at the same spot. I did however try accupuncture A DR. friend of mine is licensed in NY for this. It didn't help. For those of you that may have considered it you should. My friend has told me he has helpt countless people with leg injuries and that is has to just be the right circomstancees for it to work properly but it does work so he says just not in my case. One different thing to my issue is it's finally cold here and we had our first snow of the season that was maeasurable. I went out that night to shovel the driveway so in the AM I wouldn't slip on the ie and break a leg or ankle. after being outside for about 20 minutes i went back in and almost instantly when i hit the warm air my anle felt like someone was driving a gutter spike inot the spot where the issue has been. I haven't had that kind of pain since the original injury! I'm a bit freaked out by it. It was the first time I had been out in the cold since this happend, Does this indicate my fear that there is some sort of tissue damage and the cold just affected it?????
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