I want to say to everyone who had this surgery or similar you got this! I had a plate and 13 screws put in 1 and a half years ago. After 4 months of PT, 4 months with a trainer, and now a year at the gym working out. I'm now sprinting 17.8+mph, jumping, and moving like normal. You guys got this :)
Really praying on it. It's been 5 months, off crutches and started therapy a month ago. Been super depressed as I use to go to the gym everyday. Thank you for these words of encouragement & giving me some hope!
I needed to here this only 5 weeks past my surgery and starting PT tomorrow. It is hot and the various kinds of pain is exhausting. I want to believe it will get better but I’m getting worn out. No more ballet I don’t even get out much. I have to elevate and ice all the time. I don’t want to take narcotics. Tylenol doesn’t do much. I sleep on the couch my poor husband needs a good nights sleep and I am moving around too much from pain. I dream I’m dancing again 👯 I was hit by a car.
I also suffered a trimalleolar fracture and dislocation in November hiking in Hawaii. I still can’t get my foot completely flat to the floor no matter how much I stretch. My dorsiflex is limited trying to pull my foot upwards.
Broke both of mine. I had surgery 2 days ago. Being bedridden is awful. Btw: if you’re reading this then it is written for you. You’re awesome and you’re never alone because I care about you. Here; take this big, tight hug 🤗
Deborah, to break one may be regarded as misfortune, but TWO!!! What were you up to? Something mischievious and fun that was worth the price I hope. Coping with one is bad enough, so here's hoping your recovery is truely a swift one and you're up and about in extra quick order.
Well, thank you Ms. Haley. You’re awesome as well. I can’t wait to finally start walking again in the near future. I never want to have a procedure on my foot or anywhere in my body, ever again lol but thank you for your kind words. 77 days & counting with being home😑 can’t wait to be active again. Cheers
H H Don’t feel lonely. You have a friend in me. Both of mine were in casts at the same time. It will be difficult but you’ve already experienced difficult. You’ve got this! Email me anytime!
Thank you! From the bottom of my heart to this video and the comments. I got my ankle fractured last Friday. Surgery is scheduled for Wednesday. I am depressed and worried if my life would ever be the same again. But the comments here have given me hope. And somewhere I have come to terms with the situation that life might not be precisely the same, but one has to accept, be positive, keep the spirits high and move on. I am nearing 50 and have few more golden years to live life at the fullest. It’s just an ankle, life doesn’t end. That’s what I am telling myself. Hoping for best. Need lots of support in form of prayers. That’s all I am asking for. Prayers, Doctor’s expertise to perform the surgery correctly, and grace of God to show his mercy to get me healthy.
OMG. Thank you for bringing me back to this post. Some memories came back and few tears came out too. 😂. Anyway, surgery was successful, recovery has been great. Started to walk and very light jogging. Have settled in at 11K - 15K steps a day and yoga. So back to normal. Ofcourse I do feel there is something there in my ankle. Flexibility is few degrees lesser than left foot. But can do everything I did before. Wishing you the very best. You will do great. Final piece of very very important advice if I may - DO NOT compromise on physical therapy. Because doctors will do their part but physical therapy is our part that we need to adhere to 100% and more. That’s what will determine your long term impact going back to normalcy. Good Luck. Would love to hear from you when this is behind you. ❤
I suffered a trimalleolar fracture to my right ankle 8 days ago (Sept 9) followed by surgery three days later. I have a fibular plate and 13 screws in total. Doc said no weight for 6-8 weeks. Oh... And i gave birth on Father's Day so there's that sweet little one to juggle with everything else. She is bringing the light into my days though and will make recovery so much better, mentally!
this was posted a long time ago but i just wanna say thank you again for posting your recovery process. it’s really giving me hope as I had broken my ankle and gone through the same surgery. it’s my 2nd week after surgery and i am glad to see that many things i am going through and was heavily worrying about are but a normal step of the process! thank you🙏🏻
I fell out of our motorhome on the way to dinner on July 6, 2024. Yep, this is my outcome too; triple break to the ankle.. I’m not even quite 2 weeks after surgery and waiting to go on Monday to get the stitches out. So far recovery has been going good. This is my first ever bone break. I’m 66 years old. This gives me hope that I won’t be limited in my mobility forever. Love my knee rover for the meanwhile.
I just had surgery for this EXACT type of brake, including the dislocation. I had to have two plates and screws. Your video shows me what I am in for going forward. Thank you!!!
You have helped so many frightened people by posting these videos of your ankle recovery! I am just watching this fifteen and a half weeks post trauma. My fracture was not as severe as yours ( fibula) but I managed to fracture both ankles at the same time. Not fun, at all, but I can certainly relate to what you have experienced. I was six weeks in a cast and then allowed to weight bear. I have been doing the physio exercises and gradually went from using the crutches , two and then one, and then a cane and now I have been able to walk outside without any support for about a week. The first time I walked the couple of blocks to the physio clinic took me over half an hour, yesterday I did it in about ten minutes, so it is basically slow but steady progress. The therapist and my family doctor have both concurred with what you have been told - it will take about six months to a year to feel "normal" again and that progress slows down but keeps going on that journey. I chart my progress week over week instead of day by day, as every day I feel different sensations - some days are just better than others. Best advice is to listen to your body and don't try to do too much too soon!
CS - Thank you. Two fractured ankles!!! One is bad enough, but TWO!!! I'm now eight months on and most days everything feels completely normal, but occasionally my ankle feels really stiff - especially in the colder weather we've now got here. Good luck with your recovery. Even though it can be a bit of a slog at times it sounds as if you're making good progress. Keep up the good work and you'll get there.
@@aalmangleye6502 Thanks for your encouraging words- I need them. This last month ( January) has been an up and down one in terms of my recovery , My ankles have been telling me that I am going to need a a couple of more months before they feel "normal," at least. I think that the ligaments are still healing and I never know from day to day whether I will feel that significant progress has been made. I am still doing all the rehab exercises and now can walk down stairs quite easily but ankles are still aching.
@hanselxy Didn't have much choice but to drag myself using the crutches to the bathroom . I did have an Aircast on my left foot for the first ten days which was replaced by a fiberglass cast for two weeks and then I was put back in the Aircast until the doctor gave me the okay to start walking. I actually used the shell of the Aircast and strapped that over the fiberglass cast when I needed to get up and go to the bathroom or the kitchen and used both crutches. I definitely had to put weight on my feet as I couldn't hop but had no choice otherwise. Luckily, I didn't do any damage but was worried all the time. My main complaint from this fracture event was the complete lack of information or support received from the hospital on how I was to cope and what to expect as I healed. I found that RU-vid videos were the most helpful in getting me through this and now I am at 21 weeks post the trauma and realize that it is going to take another month or two, at least, until my ankles feel normal again. I now know that is in line with the doctors expectations so can bear with it and keep doing the rehab exercises. Good luck to you and know that this miserable time in your life will soon pass!
@hanselxy I was very lucky that I had a neighbour who is a friend look after me in the first critical month. She had a key to my place so would bring me breakfast, shop for me and generally check up on me in the evening. I also had close friends who brought dinners and kept me company as well as drive me to the Fracture Clinic at the hospital. I definitely couldn't have survived this without my friends! Ha, as I had to ask for a wheelchair just to get from the doctor's examination room back to the waiting room when I got the fibreglass cast on, ( I couldn't even get off of the examination table without help) you would think that the hospital would have enquired how I was going to cope at home- they didn't ask if I lived in a house or in an apartment or if I lived alone- crazy. I think that there are so many fracture cases they just don't have the time or the resources to support patients between visits. Can't blame NHS in particular on this matter.
@@chryseass.5143 CS - I never appreciated how long it can take for ligaments to heal. It's a long, long job, but they do get better in the end. I'm now able to do everything I could before my accident (I'm just back from a 4 mile power walk around the seafront!!!), but I still have days when I my ankle aches. Just keep going, you're going to get there.
Had the same kinda break on June 28, 2022 from roller skating!! I had 2 plates & 7 screws put in my ankle. I’ve been stuck in bed for over 100 days (talk about stir crazy!! I was just released to start therapy & it’s so hard! But so satisfying to know I’ll be fully back to being independent!! Good luck to everyone with this injury & take it easy on yourself! We will get through this!!! Thanks for this video
It does get better as I'm.6 months out from surgery on the right ankle still a little swollen but are now back in normal shows and back to work and ankle feels stronger than before I broke it .
Thank you for this video. I had the same fracture and had two surgeries on both sides of the ankle. The last one was executed on February 27 2023. I now have a cast and can not put weight on my ankle. it still hurts, is very swollen and purple. I still have a long way to go. I am quite traumatized after two surgeries and am glad I came across your video. This gives me courage again and I hope to recover as soon as possible.
I had 2 plates, 24 screws, 9" incisions on the inside and outside of my ankle. The consultant discharged me after 6 weeks without offering physio. Your videos have helped to get me moving a bit.
You are a legend for this video as I’ve had the same thing I’m a very active young man and as you may know from 1st hand experience the stress and fear of being able to walk again
Hello Ashley, thank you for your kind comments. It's a long haul, but just remember that you will get through it, and you will return to walking and doing all of the things you used to. Hope that's not too far off for you. Best regards
Of all the videos I have watched (I fractured my ankle 5 weeks ago ) yours is the best I have seen!It has given me the reassurance that I need to see! Thank you.
My dad broke mine in a domestic violence incident 18 days ago. I got surgery right after and started studying the xray's and reading/watching stuff about the surgery online in the weeks after. The articulate surface wasn't even which threw me off so I went to get a second opinion 15 days after the surgery. 2 days later I got surgery again because it turns out the first one wasn't good, all the metal was removed, the bone fragments had to be re-positioned but this was made more difficult because of new bone growth in between the fragments and this time a whole bunch more metal was inserted. I don't have a full cast this time, instead all the fragments are secured internally. This time I was given exercises to do which I wasn't the first time. It's amazing how much muscle I've lost from just half a month of laying in bed. My advice, after you get surgery, use your scans to get a second opinion from the most highly qualified person you can find ASAP. If I hadn't gotten this done, I'm quite certain I would have had many long term problems. At least now there's a chance of recovering to the point of being able to go jogging again etc. Also, if you have a CT scan, look through it layer by layer and look out for cracks and fractures that aren't properly secured and out of place. Even if you think it's a good surgery, ask an expert anyway because it's complicated and no matter how much you read it won't equate to the expertise of someone who spent 7 years in universities and another 20 in the field.
Thanks so much for your videos. Very helpful. I had exactly the same injury as you. I’m 7 months post surgery now where I had 2 plates a number of screws and a large pin put in to hold all the bones together. I’ve done a lot of Physio at home and I’ve been back at Aquarobics for 5 months and Lane swimming for two months. I can walk a couple of miles or more, but do suffer with swelling and stiffness of the ankle afterwards, it’s also quite sore at these times similar feeling to a sprained ankle. I’ve been told it will take 12 months to fully heal, so I’m really pleased to see his well you’ve done a year after your accident. I’m an active 73 year old female and will continue to keep up the exercises to ensure I get the best outcome. Thank again.
I just had surgery 2/6/23. Broke my ankle on 1/30/23. I’m already going stir crazy. I’m so glad I found this video and other’s stories so I know what I’m looking forward to. Crutches and I don’t get along too well so I got myself a knee scooter. Thank you for posting.
On Jan 30 missed last step coming down railway station. I had trimalleolar surgery with plates, wires n screws on Jan 31 2023 while on holidays in India. Back to Canada on March 9. Awaiting appointment with orthopaedic for onward treatment.
Very detailed video of your experience to help others. Just had the surgery on my left ankle and this gives me a true idea of what lies ahead! Thanks much appreciated.
I had my right ankle surgery a month ago was just instructed two weeks ago to start putting weight on it with a walking boot. It’s good to know that there are others on the same journey!
Here in Germany they had me putting weight on it the day after surgery. It's hard but there is already a bid improvement in flexibility 4 days post op.
Thank you for this! I fractured my tib+fib 9 weeks ago, and am hoping to be able to put weight on it again in 4 weeks. I'm anxious to be all better, but your video helps me to know what to expect going forward. I appreciate it!
I finally have found a helpful set of videos for exercises to help me recover from my ORIF surgery of ankle 4 months ago. I did not receive any physical therapy post surgery despite requesting it. The doctor , or rather his assistant, (as I never once even saw the doctor except for 1 minute pre surgery), gave me a pamphlet with a few exercises and said "just do these". There was no demonstrations or explanations whatsoever. I was and am most disappointed in the level of care (or lack thereof) that I received. I actually have 5 plates and 40 plus screws put in my leg beneath the knee, resulting in 2 scars approximately 5 inches long, on both sides of right ankle. I have never experienced such excruciating pain in my life! It sicked and still does. Thanks to you and your grandson, however, I have faith that I can really start healing and hopefully experience less pain and more mobility. God bless and keep you. Gotta go and do my physical therapy now, and again, and again and again.
Hello Teresa, thank you for your kind comments. It is a struggle and a long road to recovery, but you will get there in the end. I hope the exercises help and you find some benefit.. Good luck!
Hi Teresa how is yours going now? I’m in a similar place, trimalleolar and a couple of weeks into my cast off and boot wearing phase after my op. I had 3 plates fitted, and wasn’t really told exactly what to do physio wise, just that I need to keep moving it. Videos are great but as all injuries are different it’s hard to know if I should be doing the same thing. 1 plate might need different treatment to 3 plates so I’m at a loss really. I’m trying to slowly move it but moving my big toe is impossible, it’s like it’s not connected at the ankle, I can move it manually with my hands only.
How are you now? I was injured the 24th of January, had surgery February 1 and am using a cane to walk for short amounts of time before foot swells and ankle hurts to the point I need to stop. Hope I am able to do more later and walk without a limp.
I had a tri-malleaolar fracture too, almost 5 months ago. Not dislocated but the joint was displaced. I was recovering well and about a month ago I got a stress fracture in my foot from walking a little too much.. so it’s been a setback but I’m getting through it. Thanks for sharing, helps me feel less alone
Hello Emily, please accept my apologies for not replying to you sooner. It sounds as if you're having a tough time. I hope the stress fracture doesn't impede your trip-malleolar recovery and it's not too long before you're striding out again. Best wishes.
I've just had the same happened to me on my first cast at the moment only slipped in kitchen dislocated ankle and 2 bones broken was very painful waiting for another cast to be fitted this week and wear for 4 weeks glad you got your self better thanks for the video
Thank you for sharing this! I had a bimalleolar fracture 3 months ago and I'm working on getting my full range of motion back with physiotherapy sessions. Wishing you a speedy full recovery!
Thank you, and I hope your physio goes as well as mine did. Although it can be a long road to a full recovery, I think the physio exercises are the key to getting there in the shortest time!
Once you have the hard cast on, do you feel any movement in the cast? I’m on week 2 post op and every time I walk to the restroom in my crutches I feel like everything moves. Like my bones are wiggling inside my cast. Maybe I’m just being paranoid.
I'm sitting here with leg elevated, week 2 from the surgery. Right leg, too. Can't do much of anything, except watch RU-vid videos and an occasional episode of Breaking Bad. Thank you for sharing. For the benefit of other viewers, I've determined that a knee walker is preferred over crutches. Should you use one, I recommend putting an extra layer of bubble wrap on the knee cushion.
@@abbiecraigen7008 I'm now 5 months down the path. I walk several miles each day and experience very little pain. There is still some stiffness and I'm not fully confident with my bad ankle just yet. But, I am here to let you know, as much as things are probably really unsettling for you right now, you will be back to normal in a few months. Ice, elevate, repeat!
I have a trimalleolar too. Happened six days ago and OP was four days ago. Bones were not displaced and it looked like nothing. Took 3 hours+ to pin the fracture back together. I was run over by a car and I knew something awful had happened, but ankle looked OK from the outside. They've done a scan since the OP. Physios working me hard, and I have to put weight on it now - straight after OP and get foot flat on the ground. Feels very weird - as if my ankle is held together with clamps. Doing it as best I can. Will keep you posted on the impact of this strategy of post-op weight-bearing. In Germany.
I hurt my ankle 11/3/22, I tore just about everything, and ruptured the syndesmotic membeane. After bouncing around im on my third surgeon and we finally have a surgery date of 2/20/23 to reconstruct my ankle ligaments, and tie my tibia and fibula back together. It’s been a long 3 months but I still have another 3-6 months post op before they say it’ll finally feel good again. At this point I don’t even remember what my ankle is supposed to look like or feel. Counting down the days to surgery and officially getting on the road to recovery
Had a trimalleolar fractures in 4 different places plus dislocation while I was traveling in the UK (I'm from canada) on September 17 2022. It was hell. No ambulance were available since it was the queen funeral 😔, waited 2h30 to 3h on the ground in Borough's market. Couldn't put any weight on my leg (obviously 😬). I finally ask a security guard for a trolley to wheel me out of the market, grab an XL uber, thank God, on place there was a firefighter on holiday that help me to stabilize my ankle while my boyfriend was putting me in the car on the floor. Got good care at st-thomas hospital, they had to keep me overnight because of the type of injuries. I was supposed to flight back home the next day, couldn't, had to wait minimum 48h. I had the option to have my ankle fix there or back home, guess wich one I chose 🙈... Home😬 Took 2 weeks to have my surgery, every bump, step I could feel my bones touching each other.... finally, it took about 2 weeks total to have my surgery(sept 28 2022) with the appointment, referral and the lack of hospital employee. Next day, I had problem breathing, my hole leg was numb, tought it was because of the nerve block I took, and the intubation. 2 weeks later had my post opp appointment with the orthopedic, result, DVT. Today November 19, I still have those symptoms and my toes still turns purples. Starting physio on November 29 🤞 hopefully I will be able to walk soon. If the thrombosis can go away
Hello Melissa, souds like you've had a terrible time. Hopefully things are on the up and fingers crossed you're up and about soon. Good luck with the physio.
you are still swollen! I in my 5th week and the pain is brutal. I started PT and the next day I cried for two nights. Thank you for sharing I feel a bit encouraged
Hello Jeanne, it's tough and it's a long road, but keep at it and you will get there in the end. My swelling took many months before it finally disappeared. It really is a nasty injury. I think the soft tissue damage takes much longer to recover than the broken bones. Good luck.
Great video. Attention for anyone using this OSSUR walker boot. The leg-foot angle is adjustable. So therefore the angle of your leg and foot. My leg was set too far back causing major discomfort/pain in my ankle joint when load bearing on the heel. If unsure question the boot/PT. I adjusted and helped majorly.
Adjustable how? Are you referring to the exact boot in this video? Mine is the same as his and it's not adjustable in terms of the leg-foot angle I don't think 🤔
I had orif surgery Nov1, 2021 for a trimaleolar fracture of left ankle! My wounded skin would not heal over the 7th screw holding hardware on tibia side. I went to wound care for five months. Finally in May3 , 2022 , Surgeon removed the infected hardware, & screws going along tibia bone. She had to cut damaged skin and insert artificial skin under the cut away skin to begin healing. It looks very bad and I'm hoping it heals. Its been going on for 6 months. Bones are strong and healed. The other longer screws on inner ankle bone were left in as the incision healed. It will heal and hope I don't have to have more surgery!!!!
Hello Rob - you've had a rough time and some rotten luck. It's a nasty injury without all of that extra stuff. I hope things go well with your recovery from now on. Good luck!
Thanks Jessica. I'm back for more x-rays and a vist to my consultant tomorrow, and then the physio next week. You're right though, it's a long slog. Best wishes and I hope all goes well with your recovery and normal service is resumed asap.
Thanks for the suggestion about the knee scooter Jessica, I couldn't get one to try, so gave up on the idea. I'm glad you've had more success though and it's working - it sounds really good. All went well with my consultant who said that the breaks have healed well and he doesn't need to see me any more - it's all down to physio now to make a full recovery. One unexpected downside was that he said the swelling I still get around my ankle could take up to 12 months to disappear fully.
Great video! I know how depressing it can be to be immobile for so long. It took me around 4-6 months fully recover. I broke mine right around when COVID was happening and the doctors refused to operate on my ankle for the ORIF for 3 weeks after the initial same break. It had already started healing with calcium around the breaks, luckily when I broke it, my first instinct was to look at it and snap it back into place myself. I don’t remember doing that (shock) I suppose. 8 screws in total and 1 plate. Physical therapy was pretty rough, mine was locked up like a rusty bolt from the 1800s. Good luck to anyone who ever encounters this. 4 years later and I still experience minor pain and ache here and there, slight limp on occasion; but otherwise. Not life ending
I fell down 10 stairs two years ago, my ankle hit the drywall, breaking the drywall, with my foot coming against the banister. When I landed on the landing, my foot was hanging at a very unnatural angle. After getting to the hospital, the staff told me it was a trimalleolar break with dislocation, they put it back together and said they would do surgery the next day. The disc just would nit stay together, So I ended up having an external fixture with two bars bolted in my shin bones, one bar under my heel and another bar from my shin to the top of my foot to hold it on. It was similar to a halo for a fractured neck. I wore it for 4 weeks then back to have it off, then adjust the ankle because it had started healing improperly, then put hardware. It changes your life!
Thank you for sharing your journey. I have ankle fracture right now due to fall, luckily mine is just a crack so I'm not gonna under go any surgery. I got my split cast last Friday, it's itchy. The doctor will replace my cast next Wed (3/9).
Thank you so much for these videos. I have had orif surgery 3 days ago for 4 fractures in the ankle. Your journey has given me hope and encouragement after a very stressful and unhappy few days. Thank you
Hello Suzanne, thank you for your kind words. Good luck with your recovery - it’s a long slog, but you will get there. Just remember that when the time comes to do the physio, do the physio, do the physio, and do the physio!
Not to draw any attention from this most excellent video. However, there is a very active group on Facebook on this topic. Just search the name of this injury and you shall find the group. It has been very helpful through the recovery.
Thanks for posting this. Same injury same foot, but also damaged a tendon. I'm 5 weeks in after surgery, still non weight bearing and painful. I'm diabetic so have to accept slower healing. But this gives me hope. Thank you
I slipped and fell on ice 12/23/22 while at work. I spiral broke my tibia and broke my fibia and several bones in my ankle. I spent the holidays in the hospital. Then they transferred me to a rehabilitation hospital for another 12 days. I've been home for 3 weeks have one more week til I go back to see the surgeon again. He'll decide then if I can put weight on it and start physical therapy. I had a rod put in my tibia that goes from my kneecap to my ankle. Then I've got a plate and screws in my ankle. My leg and foot looks similar to yours. I have more places where they did incisions to put rods, plates and screws. I believe I counted 33 stitches as they were coming out. I'm terrified to start walking again as I'm still in a lot of pain and the bottom of my foot is very tender. I look forward to next Christmas to see how far I've come along. I've been alone during this whole process so it's nice to come across this video and all the comments. I know I'll be ok after hearing everyone's stories! Best of luck to everyone and happy healing! 💜💜💜
It's a really nasty injury Shawn. But you'll be out of the boot in no time and you'll make swift progress after the physio's kicked in for a couple of weeks.
Thanks for the video it really helped. I'm only 4 days post surgery for the exact same injury and I'm feeling so so deflated at the prospect of not walking for months. I thought it was gonna be 6 weeks then just walk properly but I think I've been a bit naiive 😔also a single mother of 4. Really struggling right now. Crap with the crutches too lol. You've given me hope thank you
Wow Leanna, it’s a bad enough injury without having four children to look after too! But don’t get down, just keep focused on the day you get your cast removed. You’ll be back on your feet before you know it. Just do exactly what your doctors and physios tell you. For me, the exercises I was given when the cast came off was the thing that helped speed my recovery the most. You’ve just got to let nature take its course while the breaks mend, but I was advised to keep my foot elevated as much as I could to help things along. Good luck and a speedy recovery.
@@aalmangleye6502 thank you! I am 3 weeks in now so I'm starting to see the end. Counting the days till my boot is on because then I can actually be doing something productive and attempting to weight bear. This part is just plain boring and I am absolutely terrible on crutches so I haven't been out much.
This injury SUCKS! I’m one of the very lucky ones and did not need surgery even though I got the trimalleolar fracture which is weird but I’m just a lucky but unlucky person. I’m also just out of the cast after 6 weeks and I’m in a boot now for another week and 2 days since I got my cast off 5 days ago and I’m practicing using a cane to walk around with my boot.
Since moonboot and massive pain reduction, slacked on icing. After watching your videos think will start doing daily again as foot still rather swollen. I am lucky enough to have a Bregg polar cube. So interesting the differences in time progression along with the different medical aids and PT exercises used.
I fall down on the streets on 10 June...had to give my final exam from 11 June to 22 june...I got trimalleoler fracture in right ankle...had a temporary plaster for 13 days...got operated on 23 June ...and currently lying on my bed most of the time...hoping for a speedy recovery 😒
Hello - sorry to hear about your accident. Hope your recovery goes well and you are up and about before too long - and good luck for your exam results!
Had a similar injury. Jumped from a tree, the branch broke, uncontrolled landing and broke my fibula's ending, deltoid ligaments (4 of them), and some others that I don't even know the name of. Timeline: 0 day - 6h after injury got operated, got external fixation, and they moved the dislocation in place 8th day - ORIF surgery, 9 screws, 2 plates 9th day - total disaster, cannot sleep, morphine usage, big swelling, removing my Moon boot for a few days helped :) ... 50th day - stopped using Moon boot 51st day - started physio, 2 times per week, 25 min visits 58th day - got one bolt removed joining tibia and fibula 65th day - tried to pull my total weight on my leg, starting to walk with only one crutch 66th day - my EMS device arrived to stimulate muscles on the leg .... and my timeline stops here :) If I find this comment again in some time, I will edit it. Cheers to every injured person. Hold still. After 2 weeks after ORIF, it's a logarithmic improvement.
Thank you for sharing your recovery journey. I got into my accident on 10/15/21, had surgery 10/25/21. It's been a long and taxing recovery. I was on crutches for 4 months. I was put in the boot 12/22. I still needed my crutches to walk in the boot up until about a week before my appointment on 1/22 when my Ortho told me that I can walk without it. I was definitely scared to walk without the protection of the boot, it took me about another week to actually walk without it. I have a limp (my doctor told me to not give into the limp but it is definitely hard most days to walk with my regular stride. It's Winter here in NJ and today it is raining so I'm particularly having a rough day. I just found a different physical therapist that focuses on sports and athletes, I can not wait to start with them as the therapist I am going to now I don't really like or agree with her half the time. I am not getting the results I want. I'm hoping it comes along more quickly going to the sports physical therapy place and they can get me back into the gym and doing my squats and lunges. My dorsiflexion is definitely an issue, I can't do a single calf raise with my injured leg. It's frustrating and soooo depressing. I'm just praying to get back to myself, because I haven't been feeling like the person I was at all, like I lost myself, my youth and all....
Hello Britt. It is a nast injury and takes a long time to get back to normal, but I'm sure you will. It took me about 15-18 months to make a full recovery (I can hear you saying ARGHHH). I still have a limp, but only for about 3 or 4 strides after I've been sitting for a while but once my ankle frees up it's as if the accident never happened. I think this is how I'm going to be forever now, but I can live with that. Stick with the physio advice and I'm sure you'll see progress. Remember, it's never too late to regain your youth, you CAN do it!!! (I try to regain mine every chance I get, much to the annoyance of my wife - but it's great fun. I'm 70 now but coming up 20). Good luck.
Thank you so much for sharing & I pray all is well after 3 years. I just underwent a 6 hour surgery for a trimalleolar fracture & I cannot wait for some healing relief. 🙏🏼✨✨✨
Hello AsmrtistFox - apologies for not replying sooner. Thank you, all is good at my end and I hope the videos are of some use. You will be a couple of weeks in by now and I hope your surgery was successful and your recovery is going well. From my experience I can't stress enough how important it is to do the physio work when the time comes. It was a long road to full recovery - the bones were the easy bit, it was the soft tissue damage that took the time. Good luck!!!
Hi Angela…I’m so sorry you’ve had to endure this. How are you now? Have you been able to have your cast removed and apply any weight load yet? I hope you’ve been able to make some progress. My heart goes out to you 🙏
I did wore 3 different casts when I broken my left ankle in a car accident almost 11 years ago. I was off my ankle for a little bit over 2 months. My ankle was still swollen till 4 days after the fiberglass cast was off. I was glad to take off the boot one. I wore the boot one for the longest time. During the month of July that I weened off the boot off of my leg. During my recovery that I was a good mood. I don’t know why that I was liked that. I was staying at my parents,too. When I had the splint cast on. Only 3 people saw me. They were friends of my parents. I wanted to see more people but, my mother said that it will over well me or something liked that. When I was in the fiberglass cast that I saw my grandmother for the first time on Easter in a wheelchair inside of the house. My left leg was in that cast for 4 weeks. Even my grandmother wanted me to drive her back home towards her room at the nursery home.My mother picked her up and even dropped her home. My grandmother was used to me in driving her towards my parents home and back. On that Easter that I can’t. I could drive a car. It would be hard for helping her. Even wearing the fiberglass cast for the very last week that I did stood up from the bed w/o using a walker. When I saw my leg with the lost of the muscle in it. It looked so flabby under the skin. I think of now that leg is a little bit weaker than the right leg. I was working out at the Y for a little bit over a year doing classes and even using the weight room for my workouts. I even liked riding a bike for over a hour,too on certain days. When I was doing PT on that ankle and on some days it felt liked a good workout. Even my mother fixed me delicious meals for breakfast,lunch,and dinner. Even getting a meal from a restaurant to go for me that I enjoyed. I did lost 23 pounds during that time. I even noticed my belly was smaller by looking in the mirror. It was not going to fast food restaurants. To me it was a real treat back then.
Thanks for sharing. I'm amazed how comfortable you are moving your ankle right after getting the cast removed. I'm at that stage and its so stiff and painful to move.
Hello, I guess everyone's progress is different. I do know though that once I was doing the physio, I felt my recovery came on in leaps and bounds. I did sets of all of the exercises three times a day, kept my leg elevated for periods and used compression to reduce the swelling. Hope all goes well and you're moving freely before too long.
You sound like a geordie too! Lol like me. I am post surgery week 7. I am now on a moon boot instead of plaster. I am finding it difficult with physio. I am a 33yr old mother with two young children and I was studying to be a nurse in my first year of nursing. I had an accident and dislocated my ankle and broke it in three places, they said tibia, fibia and trimelleour I have had a plate in the side and screws and another plate, across and and something else. I have had to postpone my studies and will continue at a later date. To anyone reading this you've got got this. It's bloody hard work and it's not easy, am 7 weeks in and my skin has dried up and I'm still swollen and lost alot of muscle too. I am still very sore and I still have some bruising. I am worse mornings and evenings. I elevate my leg and I also do physio from home.
Hello Kelly -you're right! Bad luck having to postpone the studies but I hope you can resume them soon, we need nurses! My daughter is in nursing on the children's oncology team at the RVI. You're also right about it being hard work. It's a long slog and progress can seem slow, just don't give up on the physio and do it, do it, do it. You'll get there. Good luck.
@@aalmangleye6502ah I thought I recognised your accent. This video has helped me so so much and has given me hope. I am slowly on the mend. Some days seem harder than others but thank you for posting this. This is literally me. Oh wow yes the RVI is a fantastic hospital I however had my surgery at Durham as its closer to home for me and I had my accident at Beamish Museum I only fell on a bit wet grass on bit of a slope and slipped instead of ending up on my arse I landed on my left ankle. I won't give up thank you again and thanks for sharing your journey. Hopefully you've fully recovered now.
Thank you for sharing. I also have this problem. It's 10 weeks already but still I cannot walk well even using crutches. I feel nervous to walk coz I'm scared it will broken again. I have 1 sterl and 9 screws. With this video I will follow your exercises and I hope it goes well soon so that I can go back to work. Thank you so much for your videos👍🏼🙏
I am in my 12 weeks starting to Walk a little it still hurts when I walk hopefully it will get better I have been using a walker I tried crutches they were unstable almost fell stiff real stiff I need advice what will help
I thank you very much for posting your journey. I’m in my second week of weight bearing and wondering when I will start full weight bearing and how is that transition made!
Hi Josie…my heart goes out to you and I’m so sorry you’ve had to endure this. How are you now? And I’m wondering where your pain levels went since post surgery until now? I hope you’re making some great progress. God bless you 🙏
I am in six month recovery from a trimalloer fracture with dislocation. My big recovery advice is PLEASE seek private physio. I did NHS physio for a while and didn't see much progress, so out of interest I went to a private consultation. My Physio Ian, who I'm still seeing, was absolutely raging at the bad advice/poor treatment post op I'd been given. I know it's expensive, but even a one off visit to get some real advice, trust me it's worth it.
Good video. Broke my ankle 5 weeks ago, pain has been awful! Now I’m trying to heal around the hardware, weird, painful & nerve wracking! Trying not to use the oxi, but Motrin no longer works. Do not see much discussion on the pain level of others. Anyone else feel their hardware feel like it’s moving about?! 😮😢
I just saw this and it gives me hope. I had a trimalleor fracture to my left ankle. Underwent ORIF a few days ago but I'm non weight bearing for 6 weeks. NO cast though, just moonboot that cant come off.
Thank you for making this video. I am sitting here 3 1/2 weeks post surgery from an ORIF trimalleolar fracture. I had surgery the following day of breaking my right ankle after a slip & fall on ice hidden by snow. Like you my ankle was fractured on both sides & at the back and the tibia and fibia were dislodged at the joint. Your video is helping me to understand the journey I will be facing ahead...I have a 2nd cast and will be visiting the hospital again in 4 weeks.
Hello Elka. Good luck with your recovery, you should be well on the way by summer. The best advice I was given was to do the exercises my physio gave me, and then do them again!!! Once you get the cast off for good, you'll see progress. Good luck once again.
@@aalmangleye6502 , thank you so much for taking the time to write to me. Thank you for your advice regarding the importance of doing the exercises. Your videos have inspired me to see the silver lining in recovering from this traumatic injury. Thank you for your good wishes! God bless you.
@@peachyclean93 , I am hoping to 'get the boot' in 11 days. It's been 5 weeks since my surgery. It is frustrating living with a cast. Looking forward to physiotherapy.
As soon as my skin was closed over at week 5 and now im post op week 6. I put Vaseline on my foot, its soft smooth scabs all off. It actually helps scaring as well and moisturizing as well. This week, im also starting silicone tape for scaring as well. Im going to be a little behind on pt i won't start until week 8 so im just doing basics from home for now. It's all booked up until after these holidays im in the US. This has been so difficult
Hi I’m glad I’ve come across this as I broke my ankle three weeks ago and have a plate and syndemodis screws put in. I’m a dog walker by occupation and am worried how long I will be away from the job I love.
Had same surgery Nov 16th,same process as well,in a boot no weight bearing until Jan 16th appointment and i hope to start weight bearing and PT,funny how different countries do same process lol,thanks for vid,btw this is such a pain but gotta pull thru Cheers USA 🇺🇸
Thanks for posting this. I’m day 10 since my accident and day 4 post op. Had the same fractures as you describe. So painful and still a little sickening to look at my injury pre op. Determined to get better and stronger so found this helpful and reassuring.
Just had my unstable trimalleolar break on February 13..surgery two days later..sutures out at three weeks and waiting for load bearing go ahead on April 2..some cool stuff to help have been my knee scooter and my Iwalk 2.0 both keeping me off the crutches and very mobile. Cant wait to start walking without aids! Gonna keep an eye on your channel as much of my time like others here is being spent on RU-vid..thanks for what you are doing!
I’ve just done my ankle, 3 plates in and on the 1st week with a soft cast, happy to see you guys on the other side and back to normal, I’m quite active and this has really worried me for the future capabilities of what I’ll be able to do, so thankyou as this has made me feel better ❤️🩹
I’ll try and not be too graphic but, I had the same injury along with 27 other breaks to both legs back in 2016. With my trimalleolar fracture I didn’t have no pain and I was putting full weight on it, seconds after the accident. however, once I start to take a step it would just buckle. My right leg was a lot worse. Which required tibial nailing, screws, plate for my fibula, lots of knee damage. My ankle on the left leg has 4 screws and some wires lost a lot of range of motion with it and went up two sizes in one shoe. Had to leave Law enforcement but, hey working at a Pharmacy is somewhat peaceful.
I broke my ankle/leg, a trimalleolar fracture, in like 5 places, whereof the back part of the tibia into 9 pieces. The accident was on May 9, 2021. It has gone 5 months. The foot is still not bending correctly. I go to physiotherapy, do my exercises, try to stretch, stretch, stretch, press, press, press. Those of you here that have gone through this: Have you been able to, first stand in front of a wall, make your toes touch the wall, and the crouch down so that your knee touches the wall? How far out from the wall can your toes be, and still have the knee touch the wall? My knee can barely touch it. My other normal foot can stand like 10-12cm away, and I can bend and touch the wall with my knee without any problem. So, how are you, my fellow trimalleolar guys doing with that? And how long ago was your injury? 💕
I had a Trimalleolar ankle fracture last year and had the ORIF surgery on the 1st August 2022 it was quite hard at first but as time went on my walking was getting better and limping less i was getting pain on the fibula side of my ankle due to my plate rubbing against a tendon or something so I've had that plate removed last week 21st July 2023 and i was surprised i was allowed to weight bare straight after surgery there's only very minor pain it doesnt come close to the orif pain i had im due to have stitches out 8th August and should be back to work in 6 weeks when the holes in my fibula bone have healed. 😃
Thank you for posting this. I'm 6 weeks after the same surgery, have a referral for physio and have to start partial weight bearing now in moonboot. They want me off the moonboot in 6 weeks. Scared stiff.
Hey lady, it is scary but go slowly and most importantly, do the physical consistently, daily if possible, and eventually you'll find yourself doing the things you were doing pre-injury. Hopefully, with little to no pain. I'm almost back at 100 percent 2 years out, after doing self-prescruoted PT for 18 monts-daily for 1 year then every other day for 6 months. I honestly didnt think I'd ever get better. There are a couple things I still cant do real good, running (which was my passion) and sport high heels for any length of time. I'm sending heaing energy to you now! Take care and be well!
My 2 week follow up they removed stitches but no x-rays and no weight bearing allowed yet. Not allowed to go to music festival had tickets for. Never had cast from beginning, TAFO boot instead.
My bionic ankle recovery started 01/29 after break was 01/28. I had the Tri break with dislocation. Plates screws and pins. Currently three weeks bedrest.
I’m doing well after two cast& then a Air Boot and I’m walking ‘ slowly and still very sore & swollen to some point in the foot and ankle.Just have to be careful and not to overdue it.Going on four months now’ but everyday walking farther and doing much better. No Running LOL
Hey buddy, I just had four operations and nine months to repair my ankle. I had a 9000 pound beam flip off a trailer land right on my ankle crushing it they called a cotton fracture in the bones are out of your skin next month I go for an ankle fusion. I’m so concerned, I hope you’re doing OK. Thanks for your blog.
I'm at week 7. Just starting physical therapy. Bones are pretty well healed. I didn't have dislocation, but the bones were badly shattered. I was a runner so I'm very concerned about healing time
Today is day 30 for me post trimalleolar fracture with full dislocation- had to have 2 surgeries- first one for external fixation, second one for internal fixation. ORIF was 2 weeks ago today but I am so hopeful that the recovery will go smoothly like we see in this video. Im anxious to get into my moon boot- with the 2 weeks of external fixation I should hopefully be getting it on next week but time shall tell.
I suffered one of these fractures and dislocations about 4 weeks ago, the hospital told me to let the swelling go down and come back for the operation in a few weeks, i had the op a few days ago. I was no prepared for the level of pain id be in post op, all the painkillers provided by the hospital did virtually nothing to ease the pain, probably the worst 18 hours of pain i’ve ever experienced, it seemed to ease off suddenly the next day and i was discharged from tve hospital a few hours later. Now at home recovering
Hello - apologies for the delay in replying. I hope things have settled down a bit now and the pain is greatly diminished and your recovery is progressing well!
My main pain problems with are not with foot at this point. Fell on tailbone day of discharge and after 3 weeks that is no longer so painful. Used crutches in attemp to get downstairs to gather things and take care of turtles etc last week and since then serious pain in right chest pecs area where hurts to laugh or cough even. Had surgery on left ankle and having issues with soreness now in right shoulder and knees from walker, crutch use, pushing to get up and down as non weight bearing.
I’m 50 yrs old and I have Marfan Syndrome. My hip failed on me as I was taking about an 18” step down and I went down hard and fast. My leg and foot was twisted all crazy behind my back and I broke my ankle on 3 side and tore all of the internal ligaments and tendons. Today is the 4th day since my surgery and it took 12 days before I could have the operation because the swelling was too great. I’m really scared because my disease complicates this a great deal and I was already struggling with health issues before my accident. I also live sub poverty in a tent camper and the only person I have to help me is my mother and she’s old and barely able to get around herself. The pain has been excruciating. My surgeon only prescribed me (3) 5mg oxycodone per every 24 hrs until my follow up appointment in 2 weeks. If I take more than 3 per day I will run out of pain medicine. 5mg does nothing to give me any relief at all and it’s like wasting them if you don’t take more, so I’ve been having to take one dose of 3 pills only once per day. I’m really upset about this. Apparently when they push all of the papers in front of you to sign prior to the surgery, one of them was a “pain contract” stating that if only receive (45) 5mg oxycodone until my 2 week follow up an absolutely no more. I became severely dependent on opioids because of my disease and 11 yrs ago I went to Mexico and did 2 ibogaine sessions. I haven’t done any opioids in 11 yrs. It was an impossible feat to quit. I’ve been in severe pain since then but I’ve always turned down pain medicine and even had it put on my charts to not give it to me. This time the pain was far too severe. There were a cpl of times that I thought I was going to have a heart attack from the pain. My heart rate was through the roof and my chest hurt bad. I don’t know how I made it through. My surgeon never came to see me and I don’t know the details, but the surgeon told my mom that the torn ligaments and tendons were “bad” and that’s what took the most time of the 4 hr surgery. I’m almost positive that one of the nurses told me as I was coming out of the anesthesia that it took (2) plates and (10) screws. They said I tore all of the ligaments and tendons except for the ones on the outside. I’d be interested to know from others who’s had this surgery and type of injury how much pain medicine they were prescribed post surgery? I feel like I’m being made to suffer unnecessarily. My prayers go out to everyone who is going through this and I’d love to correspond and make friends with people to support each other through recovery and share thoughts. Temporalanalogsofparadise at gmail. God bless 🙏
I was given Tylenol 3 and I could only take up to four a day as needed, but two days after surgery I completely stop the Tylenol 3 and only started taking ibuprofen and I have gotten myself down to 400 mg of Ibuprofen before I go to bed at night. I was afraid of addiction to but I was taking as many Tylenol 3 as I could those first few days after surgery because of the pain. My ankle being dislocated on top of the fracture was some of the worst pain I've experienced besides giving birth and I also took Tylenol three leading up to surgery. I was told not to take Ibuprofen before surgery because it can cause more bleeding but it seems to work better for the pain for me because it reduces the inflammation. Everyday hurt but I am trying not to get lost in the pain and feeling sorry for myself, though sometimes I do . I wonder myself if I will ever return to normal. I will let you know my progress. Keep the faith and refuse to defeated by this.
I broke my tib/fib nearly 2 weeks ago. Originally I didnt need surgery thinking it was just one break from the emergency room x-ray, then it was...oh you need your tibia fixed with surgery! but in the end I ended up having two plates for my tib/fib. I guess after looking at my CT scan they thought i needed it!! Had my surgery on sunday, two days ago. Also been showing signs of infection (bridge of fever and high resting heart rate) but its settling with anti biotics....originally sick note for 8 weeks so we will see when im walking again!!
Hi I'm writing you to say thank you for your video and also to say how motivating your progress was. I also suffered a bilateral fracture on my right ankle on 3 August 2020 and I had my surgery on the 13h of August . I have bilateral fractured and dislocated dislocated ankle so the cartilage was also affected. I fell from the height of 1.5 m onto my ankle that was already twisted I was given a cast for eight weeks 2+6 and then the air cast for a good month but I was not told to try walking on it at all. 3 months after my accident is when I was told to start physiotherapy so when I look at your videos I feel that I am already very behind in my progress. I am currently partial weight-bearing but I still have pain in my cartilage area and my range of motion very limited. I am seeing my physiotherapist on January 5th again to continue with exercises I just hope that I will be able to attend the same range and progress as you even though I feel I'm very behind.
Hello Khaled - hope your visit to the physiotherapist went well. These injuries take a long time to heal as it's not just broken bones, it's also soft tissue damage which can take longer to recover from. The best thing is to follow the advice of your doctor and physic. It took me many months to recover, and if I'm honers I can still feel it now, particularly when it's cold!
same Injury, slipped and fall on my deck while wearing rubber flip flops. Injury July 3rd Surgery July 8th put in splint cast, went strict keto to help with recovery and inflammation Took cast off/stitch July 26th that was day 18 post surgery, try to get your stitches removed by day 14 as they were itchy, super tight at night when leg swelled and had scabbed over so removal was painful, they were in too long. I'm in a boot, removing often for range of motion exercises. non weight bearing for 8 weeks. I'm keeping strict keto for inflammation reduction and fast healing. Also helped loose a few lbs since I've been using crutches and carrying an extra 30lb doesn't help the situation
I'm surprised to see you've only got one surgical site as I was diagnosed with a trimalleolar fracture and had ORIF and have THREE surgical sites; left side of ankle, inside of right side of ankle, and then down the middle front. 😳😱😱😱. I wonder why this was. I was operated on by a Professor of a top orthopaedic/trauma unit UPDATE - since discovered it was actually a pilon fracture.
I am 5 months post op , plate and 5 screws, and a screw down in ankle opposite side, I’m still getting pains , and seems to catch sometimes, sometimes I walk good and others I limp and it hurts, hopefully within a year or so things will get better, does this sound like any body else’s ankle? Wondering if I should call dr and get an x ray
Hello Karen, what you describe is exactly the same as my experience. My doctor and physio both said I would have good days and bad days but within 12-18 months I'd have forgotten all about it. Hope you're fully recovered soon.
I fell and I end up having a temporary gas put on. I had to wait for the orthopedic version I was at home. So I finally got to go outside and sit my rocking chair. I had a walker and everything. So we had a new puppy right before I shattered my ankles and puppy got out the front door and not knowing what I was doing decided to run after the puppy. I got halfway on my porch and my ankle was shattered. it was turn side when is and that’s the last thing I remember. I was taken an ambulance, a really great medical center ended up with keto acidosis. That’s when my sugar glucose went very very high and it put you in a coma so that’s why I didn’t know what I was doing. I spent 12 days in the ICU ended up the bacterial infection then I had six surgery altogether. I am going to have my seventh surgery And probably about a month and I will be out 5 to 6 weeks. Let me tell you I’m hoping surgery. Let me walk a little little normal anyway. All my prayers and thoughts are with all of you that have something like this done, it doesn’t feel good.!❤
Bit of an older video, but I'm in a similar situation. Left leg though and I've been through surgery to repair three fractures and a dislocation. Mine is slightly different in the fact that I have a plate with screws on the outside of my ankle, then a screw and pin on the inside of my ankle with a thread going between them to pull everything together. It's been 7 weeks in total for me and my cast comes off next week. Then I'll find out about physical therapy. I can move my foot in the cast a little since they put it on while it was swollen, and I hate the fact that I can feel the screws when I move. Hopefully you've come a long way past forgetting that you even had surgery since I'm typing this nearly 2 years later. Heard enough about how hard physical therapy is when starting out that I've made sure to save a few of my stronger pain meds for it. I hope you've had a full recovery as I'm hoping for 100% restoration myself eventually.
@@aalmangleye6502 I bet. Really looking forward to being able to use stairs again. I've got 3 flights in my house and I think I've forgotten what the other two floors look like.
Hope you are doing better now, i have the same exact situation as yours, just the time difference, and i wanna ask you if you managed to get full motion of your ankle again, and how long did it take ?
If you're talking to me, unfortunately I have not. I'm maintaining about 70% motion restored, but that's due to how they had to fix my break. Since mine involved a dislocation at high speed, my tendons were stretched and pulled to a point where they had to "tight rope them off" along with the bundle of nerves that runs between the tib and fib. This reduced my range of motion a lot unfortunately. I have near 90% restoration in forward and back movements, but only about 65% in side movement.
