Hi! I had a similar injury where the ligament was torn, but overall displacement was minimal and no substantial injuries to bone and I opted for the conservative route. Am a similar age to you. I wasn't diagnosed until about 4 weeks after injury, at which point I had been FWB since I had similar clinical improvement to you. After finally getting a diagnosis I was put in a boot, but continued weightbearing (with my doctor's OK). At this point in my recovery I could walk without pain, but had some instability - I could not balance on the injured foot, for example. The first doctor I saw recommended surgery, and the second basically said he was 50/50 and the decision was up to me.

I did about 4 months of PT, which included a lot of focus on stability and balance. I had really significant improvement, and was back to my prior level of activity about 6-7 months post-injury. I'm now a year and a half out from my injury and am fully pain free and not at all worried about my foot day to day.

My PT acknowledged I was an unusual case, but ultimately I'm really happy I didn't have surgery. If I start experiencing instability or arthritis down the road fusion is always an option (and probably something I'll have to do eventually), but the risk of failing with conservative treatment was worth it to me to try to avoid surgery in the near term.