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Ongoing complications from a Broken Ankle.....?

I broke my ankle in February after missing a step on the stairs and rolling over on it. It was an undisplaced fibula fracture. I was in a plaster cast for 3 weeks and then a further 4 weeks in an aircast boot.

After that time, I was still in a lot of pain, couldn't move my ankle around or my foot up and down fully.

I was sent for an MRI scan and yesterday was told that I have a complete tear of the anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) and also a tear in a tendon, peroneal brevis.

I still have bruising on the ankle and also it swells when I have been walking around a lot (even though I'm using a crutch).

My consultant has said he is going to do an exploratory operation, put me to sleep, do some sort of injection (?) and manipulate the ankle under anesthetic.

I don't yet know when this operation will be.

Has anyone else had a similar experience and this same op? Did the consultant end up opening up the ankle and repairing the ligaments? What was the outcome?

I'm 28 and otherwise fit and well and I'm desperate to get back to normality again. I have been to physio but its not helping which is why the consultant has suggested this op.

Any help or advice much appreciated, thank you.

5 Answers

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  • ?
    Lv 6
    9 years ago
    Favourite answer

    It sounds like a surgery is needed to stitch the ligaments back together as if it's completely torn it won't heal until reattached. Physio can only help if there are structures there to strengthen and from the sound of it thats not the case. The manipulation will be to test how stable your ankle is and it can be painful as the surgeon pulls and twists your ankle round in a way which is not nice if you can feel it (but it's necessary to assess your ankle's stablity). He will probably make the decision about doing surgery based on that maniuplation.

    I broke and dislocated both my ankles really badly with complete tears of all the ligaments down the outside of my ankle which were all stitched back together within a week of the injury. I did this over 4 years ago and still get swelling when I do too much - I did have a lot more damage than it sounds like you've done and I have ongoing issues due to the severity but I wouldn't be suprised if your ankle retains a tendancy to swell up if you do a lot for several months at least.

    Outcome wise I would expect a better long term outcome with a proper repair of the ligament, it may mean another period in a cast on crutches but long term you'll have fewer problems with the ankle if dealt with properly now. I would expect that ankle to always be a bit weaker and easier to sprain than if you hadn't done this but it shouldn't prevent you doing anything.

    I know it's frustrating at the moment but be aware that tendons and ligaments take at least 6 months to heal so although you may be off crutches within a couple of months of any surgery (depending on what they do, it may be a couple of weeks) you will be restricted in what you can do for a good few months after - it is worth taking the time and being patient and allowing it to heal as you'll get a better outcome and once you're on the other side of the healing it doesn't seem as long.

    I would recommend that you start taking a joint supplement now as the instability and injury mean you are more likely to develop arthritis in the ankle when you're older and using a joint supplement will reduce the chance of arthritis and delay any developement of it.

  • ?
    Lv 4
    5 years ago

    Broken Ankle Complications

  • Anonymous
    5 years ago

    I badly sprained my ankle about 3 weeks ago. I was in a hurry going down the stairs, lost my balance and landed on a bad side of my left foot, causing my left ankle to be stretched going on the inside. The first 48 hours were excruciating and the pain was un-believable. I've never had a serious ankle injury before.

    So I immediately treated it using the RICE method. The following day, the bruising and swelling were so horrible. I found out that I got a second degree sprain and immediately panicked after that. I had a football game on that week and it been looking forward to it because I've been training for rt. I had teammates that had similar injuries and it took them months to fully recover, some of them stopped playing altogether. So I kinda had a short-term depression because I can't imagine myself not being able to run and play sports anymore.

    Because I was so desperate to recover again, I contacted a lot of people that I know who do sports and asked them if they had similar injuries. One friend of mine, from the boy's football team in my university, told me about H.E.M. Ankle Rehab. I got a copy 4 days after I got injured. I immediately read and followed what was instructed and felt improvement on the first day. I was able to walk a bit, but I was in pain.

    A couple of days after that, the swelling and bruising were subsid-ing significantly and on the fourth day, I was walking comfortably again. Although I've had felt a bit of stiffness, I continued doing what was instructed. My sister was surprised that I have recovered this fast. I told her about this book and was shocked on how effective the procedures were. I'm just so happy that this book was shared to me and how effective it is.

    Heal your ankle fully & fast?

  • Anonymous
    9 years ago

    There is a great website that can answer all your health questions. It's cheap and all questions are answered by registered nurses. The link is askanurse.info Try it! It is only like 5 bucks and that's a lot cheaper than the price of going in to an office to see someone!

    Hope this helps!

  • 4 years ago

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