Non-Union Fibula

[cherrooh]

Hello,   I broke my ankle in Feb 2008 by slipping in the ice.  The OS stated it was a clean break which would not require surgery.  I had my ankle in a cast for five weeks non-weight and then still in a walking cast for almost four more weeks.  Once the cast was removed I went to regular physio and used a cane while walking, at first it did not seem too bad.  There was swelling and site pain but as time went on the swelling and pain got worse.  My physio therapist sent me back to the OS and he discovered the break was still not healing.  I was then put in to a removeable cast for five more weeks, but on reture to the OS the fracture still had not healed.  Shortly after that appointment I had surgery to put in a plate and screws, I was told not to put weight on it for 5 more weeks.  No cast was placed on but I was to be using the removable one.

My concern is that even though I have a plate on the bone what happens if it never heals?  Will I always be dealing with pain and swelling or is there a next step for non-union breaks?

Thanks for your time!

[hillre]

Hi,   I too broke my ankle ( distal fibula ) in February of this year. The break required surgical repair with plate and screws. I had a cast for eight weeks, and when it was removed, the foot and ankle color was horrible. The ortho doc sent me to a neurologist for management of what he called RSD. While wearing a removeable cast the neuro doc did four nerve blocks in my lower spine. The color and swelling went down. I was sent to physical therapy for eight weeks, during which I had continued swelling following each PT session and pain. The ortho doc then decided to xray it and a complete non union was discovered. I again had a hard cast placed. I am injecting a new bone growth drug subq in my belly daily for 56 days and wearing a magnetic bone growth stimulator 10 hours a day. The doc said if the cast, drug and magnetic doesn't work, he plans surgery to place a bone graft and an exchange of the hardware. Believe me, I feel your frustration. I feel he didn't believe me when I continually told him about the pain and swelling, and now I am hesitating letting him do the second surgery because I'm not sure I trust him....

[dr_simran]

Hello dear,
Distal fibula nonunion appears to be a relatively common cause of persistent lateral ankle symptoms in patients who do not enjoy a satisfactory recovery after appropriate conservative treatment
Surgical stabilization of fibular nonunion seems to be a reliable means of resolving these symptoms when conservative measures fail.You should hope for the best and go for good rehabilitation .
Refer http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=15948400
Best