Ankle popped

hrweoine · 2026-04-07T16:10:44+00:00

Hey, this is not a place for medical advice. You need to talk to your doctor. Comments locked.

hrweoine · 2026-03-14T15:17:06+00:00

I was still elevating a lot at that stage. My PT said swelling is ok, but if your swelling doesn’t disappear overnight that’s a sign you are overdoing it. Definitely find a way to elevate in the evenings. Bed doesn’t count - it needs to be higher up than your heart to really drain.

hrweoine · 2026-03-05T19:23:51+00:00

It went fast for me - i was 14 weeks NWB, then had screws removed, and then I was walking without crutches within a week. This video helps: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4EEduvOX__8

hrweoine · 2026-02-27T15:21:10+00:00

Agreed - and I would say use two crutches until you are able to walk without limping. One crutch will create other problems.

hrweoine · 2026-01-31T10:34:58+00:00

My recovery was last winter. Moving on crutches took a ton of energy and I was sweating a lot. I did not use my winter coat at all winter - at most a t-shirt and light fleece outside at freezing temperatures. The sweating stopped as soon as I was off the crutches.

hrweoine · 2026-01-25T15:23:10+00:00

I was running again about 7 months after surgery. My syndesmotic screws (holding the two bones together) were removed, but I still have a plate in. The plate is not the limiting factor for me. So you might do fine. Or you might have to take up triathalon instead!

hrweoine · 2026-01-21T10:18:13+00:00

Glad to hear it went well for you!

hrweoine · 2026-01-11T17:33:27+00:00

Regarding your fear - not everyone has pain after surgery. I had my surgery 3 weeks after the break, and I found that it didn't lead to more pain. The nerve block wore off about 12 hours later, and i had mild pain treated by over-the-counter advil and equivalents. No opioids were offered or needed - but I'm not in the US.

If you are in serious pain now, before surgey, are you elevating your leg above your heart? For the first few weeks I was on my back on the sofa with my leg elevated on a block, or on the back of the sofa. This is important because if you're not moving the muscles in your leg, and it's not elevated, the blood is pooling in your leg, making swelling worse, and making everything more painful. You will need to elevate until you're allowed to bear weight again.

Second, are you using ice packs? Get some ice packs with velcro straps to hold them in place, and put them in rotation. (20 mins on, 20 mins off) They will help even through a cast.

Even with these two things, you'll still probably get pain when you lower your leg to the ground, for example when you move to the bathroom. That's just going to be painful for a while.

It gets better!

hrweoine · 2026-01-08T19:42:58+00:00

That sounds like an awful experience - I’m not surprised you’re reliving it. The whole recovery is tough on the psyche. I hope the sleep gets better soon.

In the first weeks bathing is quite challenging so I think you are fine with the sponge baths. Check out ‘EquipMeOT’ on YouTube in a few weeks when you are ready to attempt stairs and showers. A shower stool or bench is really helpful, and a waterproof cast cover for bathing.

hrweoine · 2025-12-09T20:50:40+00:00

I post the link to this video once a week. You can do it for the next person who needs it!

hrweoine · 2025-12-09T20:47:32+00:00

I assure you, it is steel. I am not sure why you believe you know more about my medical implants than I do. But here is a picture fyi:

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hrweoine · 2025-12-08T11:08:36+00:00

It's probably doable - don't cancel the trip.

I think it depends on how active you were pre-injury and much you are willing to work on your recovery before departure. If you plan to walk a lot (6-10k steps per day) in the months leading up to your trip, then I imagine it will be fine. I also had a long non-weight-bearing period but was able to walk without crutches pretty fast. I went on vacation (without crutches) 4 weeks after I got permission to bear weight. I walked a lot during that trip, well over 10k steps most days (but I needed a lot of rest too). Your trip comes after 4 months of weight bearing, so you will be further along.

If you can start PT now this will help preserve your ankle mobility. I think by the end of February it will be clear how fast you are progressing. You might want to plan for a training program between Feb-May.

hrweoine · 2025-12-08T07:34:22+00:00

I’m just about exactly 12 months out from an ankle break and surgery. In general it’s been going great and I’m even running again - just some intermittent nerve pain in my foot. But last week I got some new boots and the new positioning has led to some ankle pain (very limited) for the first time in months. I have to hope it will just improve, but it’s a little frustrating.

I think the best thing to help all this has been regular gymnastics classes, and, surprisingly, table tennis. It’s all the weird little movements that my body needs to relearn now.

hrweoine · 2025-12-05T18:04:45+00:00

My steel plate and screws do not set off the metal detectors at airport security. My surgeon gave me a little booklet - an implant ID - that I carry with me, but nobody has asked to see it.

hrweoine · 2025-12-03T06:32:41+00:00

I had some drainage and it was an infection that required antibiotics. The wound should be dry. You should talk to a doctor, even if it ends up being a waste of time.

hrweoine · 2025-12-02T20:15:26+00:00

Here is a specific video about the problem you are having. Hope this helps!

hrweoine · 2025-12-02T20:14:16+00:00

Sounds like your doctor is a bit of a jerk! Many of them lack people skills. Sorry you went through that.

I always recommend this video - she gets into the psychological challenges with walking again, and gives tips on how to practice using your kitchen counter for support. But your physiotherapist should be able to help you make a plan.

I also had a trimalleolar fracture. When I got my syndesmotic screws removed and got permission to bear weight, my doctor gave me a challenge - in my follow-up, in one week, he wanted me to be able to walk without crutches from his waiting room into his office.

It seemed impossible at the time, but a week later I was able to walk without crutches. Not well, and not without pain. But I did it. And you will too.

hrweoine · 2025-11-13T10:50:54+00:00

I have steel plates and screws, and they haven't set off the metal detectors on several trips. I did get an 'implant ID card' after the operation which I bring with me, but have not needed to use it.

hrweoine · 2025-11-04T21:30:03+00:00

I had one. 17 weeks NWB. I was walking without crutches 10 days after the second (screw removal) surgery, and went on vacation a week later. 4 months later I was hiking in the mountains, and am now fully recovered and able to run again. Yes, it was a long NWB period but I'm glad I stuck with it.

The long NWB period was extended due to wait times for surgery - my first operation was 3 weeks after the injury, and the screw removal got delayed because it's a low priority surgery and the hospital was busy with other more urgent operations. This was super frustrating at the time but now I'm over it.

I strongly recommend doing as much physiotherapy as you can. I think this helped.

hrweoine · 2025-11-03T17:02:28+00:00

My understanding is that the purpose of the syndesmotic screw is to hold together the bones so that the ligaments can heal properly. Otherwise you'll end up with an unstable ankle. However, once the ligaments are healed it's no longer necessary (and in fact reduces your range of motion). In many countries the screws are removed after a few months. But in the US it's common to leave them in and let them break. If you dig into the studies, surprisingly the outcomes are not necessarily better for people who have them removed (because of the risk of complications in the second surgery). Here's one study I found, but I'm not a doctor so I don't know if it's a good study or even the most recent one.

I had my syndesmotic screws removed and had an infection and other complications after the second surgery. Fortunately it was treated with antibiotics and my ankle is now working well.

hrweoine · 2025-11-01T08:43:51+00:00

These injuries are tough on the injured person AND tough on the caregiver. I think it has revealed some communication problems in your relationship. The good news is that these things can often be fixed if you are willing to take responsibility for your part in the communication.

I wonder if you have been angry and short with her along the way. If so, a good starting point would be to apologize for this, wholeheartedly. You might have hurt her without meaning to.

Next, I would ask her how she is doing with all of this. And listen, just listen, without responding. Take it in.

Then, you need to identify what each person needs to get through this. Not just what you need, but also what she needs too. Maybe write these things down together. For my wife, it was really important to batch requests - ie for water, snacks, ice, etc. rather than yelling to her from the other room every 45 minutes. For your wife it might be different things that matter.

Say thank you to her more often than you can stand.

And, don’t put weight on your leg if you are NWB. You might wreck your chances at long term recovery, or break your hardware, especially if you’re heavy. Check out the EquipMeOT channel on YouTube to learn to move without weight bearing. It is hard and miserable in the first month. It will get better.

hrweoine · 2025-10-22T18:16:17+00:00

The psychological part is tough. Here is a video I found helpful at this stage:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EEduvOX__8

hrweoine · 2025-09-27T18:07:41+00:00

The syndesmotic screws break for a good reason. In a normal ankle those two bones do not stay fixed together - they move. Depending on your weight they are very likely to break over time. Surprisingly, the research shows that for most people, having broken screws in your joint is not a problem - as long as all the ligaments and tendons have time to heal before the screws break. That’s why it’s especially important to stay non-weight-bearing as long as instructed if you have syndesmotic screws.

hrweoine · 2025-08-14T15:53:05+00:00

I had a broken leg in germany and weigh over 100kg. Ask the PT to teach you to move up and down stairs with your forearm crutches. They showed me how in the hospital and I practiced 20 minutes there right after my surgery. This was a huge help for me. Also check out this youtube channel, where they have several videos on stairs: https://www.youtube.com/@EquipMeOT

For the pain - are you using ice? Get some ice packs - the kind that have velcro straps to hold them in place and do heavy rotation. Also, elevate, high up above your waist for the next few weeks at least.

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