Broken Ankle at 14 months
It’s been 5 weeks since ankle hardware removal surgery and I can walk/hike 5 miles and balance on one leg just as I could before the hardware removal. The long incision over my fibula, however, is healing and recovering, and I’m still working to get dorsiflexion back. When our cat jumps on my leg, right on the incision, OUCH! One of the primary reasons for this surgery was to reduce the hardware pain I had over fibula. Soon, I hope.
At 2–3 weeks after the ankle hardware removal surgery:
- My foot was having more difficulty than my ankle. It still felt tingly from nerve block and from being wrapped up in a bandage. I used different balls from my “dorsiflexion kit” and stretched my foot a lot. Now at 5 weeks post surgery my foot feels fine again.
- There was a stiff bandage on my foot and ankle that made it difficult to walk.
- I noticed my calf muscle shrank a bit again. It’s coming back now with more exercise. Before this injury and recovery I was never so aware of my calf muscles. This experience has changed how I experience my body.
- I could stand for about 20–30 minutes at a time so I cooked dinner in 20minute sprints and rested and iced my ankle in between sprints.
- I didn’t end up wearing a CAM boot. The boot rubbed on incision which hurt and surgeon said not to wear boot and to be really careful.
- It felt difficult to go 3 weeks without a shower and be back sitting on a stool pouring water over myself to keep clean. That was one of the more difficult things a year ago when I went 3 months without a shower.
- I was so happy and surprised that I could walk again so quickly. I’m allowed to do yoga and stretches and strength exercises and ride an exercise bike.
- I’m not allowed to do any high impact exercises until I have an x-ray that shows bones have filled in where there was hardware. X-ray happens at 7 weeks.
I’m continuing to work on dorsiflexion recovery and here’s how I use the kit I put together (in photo above):
- Triggerpoint grid roller to roll calf muscle and Achilles tendon
- Radroller point release kit to massage top of ankle and bottom of foot
- Red spiky ball to roll on calf muscle and bottom of foot
- Black lacrosse ball for bottom of foot and inside of calf
- Green stretch strap for hamstring stretches
- Foot rocker really helps stretching Achilles tendon, calf, and foot
- Red resistance band for some of these dorsiflexion exercises
- Also:
- Foward fold to get a good stretch
- Knee to wall stretch gradually increasing distance
- Squatting on toes helps stretch my foot
I’m interested in trying band flossing on my ankle to see if that helps teach it to dorsiflex more.
Next: Appointment with surgeon soon (at 7 weeks post-surgery) and x-ray will show whether or not my bones have filled in the hardware spaces.
