tibia pilon fracture

ok, bett here. all hardware removed feb 25. feels better but now waiting for the two,or three incisions (one small one in center of ankle) to fully heal, as if anything rubs against it, the pain is not good.
the weather in ny has been cruddy which affects my pain level a lot.
going to gym/pt 5 days a week, but pt which is all done according to medicare, only once every two weeks. don't need it. dr thrilled with everything, pt thrilled with everything, and i would be thrilled if i could find shoes that didn't rub the incisions. so far, i keep them covered with gauze when out, unless the weather warms up and i put on sandals with little support but no rubbing on the incision.
still do my 2-3 hours at the gym, they told me to slow down the treadmill (was doing a mile in 22 minutes, not trying to win a race but that's how i walked) so now doing a mile in half an hour and holding on with one hand . if they think I'm ever letting go…..yeah,not happening.
press 70 lbs with leg press, then the same with toes, and then the last one, with the right leg only (only ten times for that one). doing all the other ankle things they want, i may pull the thing i don't know the name of where they put a belt like thing around my waist and i walk straight ahead, first front, then backwards, then drop it to my back of knee and bend.
i am for sure, at 18 months the VP of the pt place.

getting kind of tired of the pain, but now i think it's mostly weather related, probably arthritis, (swell) and the incisions healing. almost done.
glad the dr and pt are so happy because I'm not always smiling.
just checking in and letting everyone know where I'm at.
pilon ankle fractures with a dislocation are not for 67 yr old women.
grrrr

Hi all, I'm so glad to find this forum. I'm about 9 weeks post-op a pilon fracture of left tib/fib with plate and screws. I've been NWB up until about a week ago and now PT has me doing short walking with boot and walker. It's been gnarly, that's for sure. And I'm NOT an athlete but a 57 y/o woman who fell off an improperly installed handicap ramp! Seriously. Healing has been slow but steady. I also have common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) (crappy immune system) so risk of infection after surgery was big concern. So far so good although one incision is still a bit pinkish. I also had pre-existing peripheral neuropathy (from previous chemo many years ago) and the numbness in the fractured foot is severe, and affects my balance. My current mobility is wheelchair 90%, walker 10% with boot only. It is good to know that so many others have healed from this injury and that recovery is slow for most of us - not just me.

The CVID is probably why my surgeon said it's not necessary to remove the hardware if it isn't problematic. Anyone still have hardware past a year? I'm curious as to how long it can stay in.

Probably most of you had to have the "cage" or external fixation. I only had the cage for a week but my dr said he's had patients that were in the cage for months - he said they develop "cage rage."

First I feel very lucky to find this post which has lots of information about what to expect.

My wife unfortunately failed off during bouldering (around 10 feet height) and right now has a external fixation installed. The diagnoses was "Closed Displaced Pilon Fracture of Left Tibia", we are looking for another surgery of ORIF in a week. It looks like not an easy task to get recovered to the new norm and keeping her positive is another challenge down the road in addition to the PT.

I'm very glad to see lots of you recovered very well and able to do sports again. My biggest concern is that would my wife be able to walk normally. By normal I mean if she can walk several miles a day so she can travel like before, and will she be looking normal instead of crippled cause her work requires attend lots of public activity and public exposure.

Right now I'm trying to let her not thinking too much about the consequences but focused on recover and getting ready for the ORIF surgery (can't do before swelling gets better). But for long term we need to adjust the expectation so she won't get frustrated.

Thanks for your advise. I hope you all a speedy recovery and best of luck.

I'm coming around to 19 months post accident. dr thinks I'm awesome, pt thinks I'm awesome.
and I'm still crying 5 days out of 7 from pain. shoes? sneakers or very limited. incision freshest-19 screws and 2 plates removed (that the hospital won't allow me to have) feb 25th.
i wonder if i ever will be semi normal again.
sorry for the bummer but I'm not in my 30's and i guess i really did a beauty of a job (one freaking step, while taking care of my husband who had an ankle fusion. you cant make this up)
i go to therapy/gym/pt now 5 days a week as my dr thought i was becoming obsessed. walk great on the treadmill that i hate, let the pt do what ever it is he's doing now (some thing on my foot and then attaches weights, i think, at the toe area). great great great.
but i don't feel great.

i am now about 5 months PO. went in for my 16 weeks and surgeon said the hdwe has done what it is going to do, the bone is healed so it is up to me now, cleared for whatever i am able to do. doing pt at a place 2x/week and on my own at least 3x- it does steadily get better, limited what you can do when you are NWB or PWB. i lost a lot of strength even though i started pt 2 weeks PO, not sure why especially in my foot. i have 3 plates and 14 screws and my surgeon says to only take them out if they really become a bummer, not sure on that yet. started running again, not far- up to 1.5 miles + stairs for like 10 minutes. if you can do it, and have a delicate midfoot impact (no limp, no bounding), there is nothing like it- my mobility is best when i get back. not sure i will ever be able to run close to i used to but maybe slowly i can get there. its a serious injury but there are degrees of it also- i had a bad break but no complications, healed well and did not (i dont think, unconfirmed) screw up my cartilage. i also had medical leave so i could really focus on the PT.

Came across this forum and this specific thread while trying to do some research on pilon fractures. Ended up with a tib/fib pilon fracture on my left leg from a dirt bike crash where another rider tried to force a pass on the outside while coming into a tight, slow corner, falling into me and my bike (which I was already supporting a slide from with my leg). Leg lost. Accident was Dec 3. I went to the ER, they splinted it and sent me home to see my local ortho on Monday.

My first surgery was December 14th, where he plated the fibula (which had split off a butterfly fragment which is still just floating around in there) and installed an external fixator due to a fracture blister on the tibia side that he couldn't cut through.

Second surgery was December 30th where the tibia was plated and screwed and ex-fix removed.

On January 11th I followed up with the ortho, and on the 13th my stitches were removed and they put me into an aircast boot, even though my foot could barely get into it and even then they had to undo most of it. The sore that was left from the blister was still a major concern, and treating that was priority #1.

Once I started treating the sore more aggressively, it's been healing and is actually looking like a healthy, healing wound now, and is noticeably shrinking every couple days. Since that started to look better, I've been doing non-weight bearing PT on my own, at the suggestion of my ortho, but my next follow up with him isn't until Feb 8th.

I'm going through basic ROM exercises at least 2X a day, and then also practicing shifting my street bike (off on the side stand) just to have a good idea of where it's at once a day - plus, it offers a bit of strength training without any weight bearing. The ankle is stiff but I'm seeing improvements, but the ball joint from the ex-fix pin is actually more painful and stiff than the ankle! I'm doubtful, but hopeful until all the chicks are hatched, about being able to make the start of our race season near the end of March - but not counting on that happening at this point.

Otherwise mostly in a holding pattern until the 8th when I can see if everything I've been doing to support healing has worked or not. Last night decided to try sleeping without the boot partway through the night as it was driving me bonkers. Foot seemed fine in the morning, so will probably try it all night tonight.

Either way, was just glad to find this thread and see that other people have been able to return to their activities in reasonable times (depending on the break of course)!

Im 21 and on 12/3/16 I slid into the boards playing hockey and suffered a pretty good pilot fracture. I broke my fibula clean in half and busted my tibia into about 5 pieces. As I was playing in Maine and live outside of Boston I ended up being transferred the evening of 12/4/16 and having my fibula repaired (1 plate, 6 screws) along with getting an external fixation device on 12/5/16. I had that for three weeks then had 3 more plates and another hand full of screws inserted to repair my tibia. After having a splint for two weeks I am now in a removable aircast. I take it off if im sitting around and to sleep. I have been doing a series of ROM exercises and am scheduled to see my doctor again 2/14/17. I hope ill be cleared to start PT then as he suggested. He said I would be non weight bearing for 10 weeks from my final surgery which would be until 3/10/16.

I can move my foot a bit without any discomfort but when i go to extend it i feel as if it hits a wall and wont go any further down. Has anyone experienced this? I still have some numbness in my foot and toes but feel it is improving. I can move my toes a bit but not anywhere close to full ROM. Is this normal?

As an active outdoors man and athlete i hope to get back on my feet sooner than later. I'd really like to be back on my skates for my senior year of college in the fall. I managed to not break the joint surface some how so i hope thatll help. I also am curious when ill be able to drive again as its been quite the hassle getting around without that freedom.

Any info or insight is appreciated!

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Originally Posted by mabcd9

I can move my foot a bit without any discomfort but when i go to extend it i feel as if it hits a wall and wont go any further down. Has anyone experienced this? I still have some numbness in my foot and toes but feel it is improving. I can move my toes a bit but not anywhere close to full ROM. Is this normal?

As an active outdoors man and athlete i hope to get back on my feet sooner than later. I'd really like to be back on my skates for my senior year of college in the fall. I managed to not break the joint surface some how so i hope thatll help. I also am curious when ill be able to drive again as its been quite the hassle getting around without that freedom.

Any info or insight is appreciated!

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Sounds like we're in about the same position - my toes/foot have really benefited from regular massage to loosen up the tendons in there - doesn't always feel good, but it's really helped. I do my ROM routine 2x a day (min) and then once a day I go down and get on my street bike (motorcycle) and just work on getting into position and shifting (bike is off and on the kickstand).

Gently stretching the ankle ROM up and down, yes, feels like it hits a wall....doesn't hurt, just doesn't want to go further. I gently stretch it out with my other foot (for extension) and on the floor (for pulling it "up"). The "towel bunch" has helped with the toes and foot (along with regular stretching and massage). My foot is still tingly a lot, which is really annoying, but the feeling is coming back along with the tingling.

Your tibia sounds a little more messed up than mine (which had one big break and a couple cracks) but my fibula broke a hunk off. Between the two, 2 plates and 18 screws later....

My next follow up is the 8th, hoping for good news. My race season is SUPPOSED to start towards the end of March - making round 1 isn't looking too good, but I really, really want to be ready no later than round 2 which is the end of April. This winter was supposed to be hard core off-season training - the last two months all I could do was do some upper body/core strength, and so much for any other kinds of training :/

So just got back from my 6 week post-op (technically more like 5 1/2) ortho follow-up. News is as follows:


Another 3 weeks of only toe-touch weight bearing, BUT, that being said, my ortho is of the opinion "wait until it's healed completely, then go full weight bearing (boot then wean off the boot)." He seems to be under the impression that after the next appointment (March 1) there's a really good chance I'll be weight bearing, but until then, 3 more weeks of crutching around.
X-rays looked good, everything was where is should be, and the ankle joint looked pretty smooth.


Range of Motion was looking good, he said overall I was doing great. Still dealing with the last bit of what remains from that fracture blister, but other than that, things were looking good. He saw no reasons at this point that i wouldn't return to full normal activities, although I'll probably always be aware of the ankle, other people probably won't.


Got cleared to get on a stationary bike with no extra resistance, so will start doing that a little bit in addition to what I've already been doing.


So, basically, I'm no miracle child, but things aren't looking bad, either....and come March, there's a good chance I'll be walking (well, or attempting to).

keep working!

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Originally Posted by wyeaster

keep working!

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Oh, I am, if I'm allowed to go weight bearing after March 1st there's a really good chance I'm going to attempt to make the first race round of the year later that month - I'll probably be slow as f*&$, but at least I'll be out there and getting on my new bike!

Update- I'm now at 20 months post op and life is getting back to my "new normal". I started mountain biking heavily about 14 months and riding motocross again at 17 months. After the accident I swore I wouldn't hit any more triples but been hitting everything the past month and ankle is feeling pretty good (thanks to my kickass Racetech suspension). I use 1-2 rolls of athletic tape before I ride both for support and to keep down swelling and so far so good but I also feel like I'm playing a little Russian roulette. I started skiing 2 months ago and that definitely hurts some but a lot of that is the boot pressing into the 17 screws on my tib and fib. I still feel the ankle every step I take even walking but the pain is bareable. Dr says no to taking out any hardware as he thinks it will cause more harm than good plus I'm not sure I want to go back to no weight bearing for another 2-3 months to let the holes heal up.

When I push it my ankle gets angry and reminds me that an ankle fusion is likely unavoidable but I'm going to hold off as long as possible so that I don't have to quit skiing. It's been great being able to teach my kids to ski this year and we are going to take the winter off and move out to Colorado for 10 weeks so we can ski almost daily. It's funny how priorities change after something like this and I'm now very motivated to enjoy as much life as possible while my ankle is doing ok. My youngest is 8 so my goal is to hold off the fusion for at least 10 years so that we can recreate as much as possible while he's still at home. I'm very blessed to be doing as well as I am and I never thought my ankle would get this good (I'd say I'm about 66% of what it was) so those of you who are early on and going through the slow, painful, frustrating stage, it will get much better than where you are. The key for me was getting out and really pushing it. My biggest mistake was being non-weight bearing for almost 5 months. My PT said my Ortho was too conservative which really slowed my healing progress. It's a fine line but all I know is that every gain I got came after me pushing it beyond what my Dr suggested. If I could do it all over again I would have started putting light pressure on it at 8-10 weeks just to start introducing a little weight.

My last follow up (not quite 9 weeks post-op) didn't go so well. Doc says not enough callous there, so continued NWB status. We'll look again in another 2 weeks, but he didn't sound too optimistic.

I was beyond disappointed to say the least. While I knew that would have been on the fast end of things, it still was a hard thing to hear after things had looked so good at my 6 week. Plus, the longer this goes on, the more problematic things like transportation places becomes. I can't perma-borrow an automatic, as it is I was scrambling after this last visit to find a vehicle to get me through until I can drive my manual (which may happen after this next visit whether or not I'm "released" for it). Getting too and from work is getting more and more expensive, mostly because there's no good reason for me not to be at the office other than costs of trying to get there!

So, I'm trying to play the balance game between what my doc is telling me in his conservative way versus what my body and leg are happy with. I've started putting a little weight on it when I'm standing around, around 25-30ish pounds, and my leg seems just fine with it. I'm not doing PWB technically, as I'm not using it to bear weight while moving, but on the flip side it seems happier and seems to actually LIKE being used a little bit. Plus, while the conservative approach may be the safer one, it also tends to drag out some recoveries...so I'm hoping to keep things moving in a positive direction.

In the meantime, trying to figure out some options assuming things don't look way better. Probably will end up picking up a light weight bike (I can manage a 300 with one leg) to commute on with my annual bonus which I'll hopefully see this month. That would at least levitate the stress of getting to and from work.

hang in there, man. stay patient, work hard and you will be in a better spot before long.

My 11 week post-op went better, and he released me for weight bearing. Of course, I'm still using a crutch, cane, or both crutches, but I can start using it as my leg allows. PT starts next week. He also released me for riding as long as I'm comfortable holding the bike up, so will try some small bikes over the weekend while I'm watching all my friends race :frown: and will try my street bike on Monday if the weekend goes good.

Will be back at the track on April 9, so have a few weeks to get some strength back in the leg before I'm trying to muscle the new race bike around a track. Definitely going to be painful getting these muscles going again, but at least it's forward progress instead of playing the waiting game.

Hey everyone, really happy to have found this forum being that i have recently suffered the same horrible injury. As of 2/15/2017 i took a bad fall on my snowboard off a kicker at snowbasin which resulted in two broken ankles. After ski patrol rescued me, I immediately went to the emergency room and the following day booked a flight from utah back home to new jersey for insurance purposes. Once home, doctors said my right ankle suffered a pilon tibia fracture that would result in surgery and my left ankle had a small fracture that thankfully didn't need surgery but just a boot for 4 weeks (left ankle was only for touch and go purposes, not full weight baring). After 8 days of waiting for the swelling to reduce i went under the knife and had 1 plate and 10 screws inserted. The pain for the following 24 hours was the worst i have ever felt; I previously had a spinal fusion of my L3,L4,L5, S1 which also resulted in hardware and would say I have a high tolerance for pain. 3/13 I saw the surgeon again; he removed the air boot on my left foot, my hard cast on my right, as well as stitches, put my right foot in an air boot which I was still non weight baring, and wrote me a script for physical therapy 3 days a week. After this appointment they gave me crutches and i was out of the wheel chair and full weight baring on my left foot. 4/10/2017 was my most recent appointment with the surgeon in which he said the bone is healing very well, the hardware is all in place, my incisions look great and my ROM is much greater anticipated this early in the healing process. I had a series of questions for the doctor, majority of them were denied, such as driving, but i am allowed to wash but not fully submerse the right ankle in the shower so thats a plus. My next appointment is 5/1 so ill definitely post my follow up. From what the surgeon said at my last appointment, he believes theres a good chance ill be full weight baring as well as driving. Aside from my injuries, im a full time union electrician, (out on disability for 6 months) active body builder weighing anywhere between 220-240lbs with a barbell squat of 585lbs and deadlift of 585lbs. One day i hope to be able to squat just as heavy and workout just as hard prior my recent injury. On the plus side, I follow a healthy and regimented diet, drink plently of water to help flush any fluids, and take a variety of highly recommended, organic vitamins.

merscamuch, sounds like you're doing quite well, keep working at it all and it'll pay off.

As for my status, welp, I was just in surgery this morning again - this time to flush, clean and get some cultures on an infection that tried to manifest over my tibia plate last week. Seems we caught it fast and he was able to leave the hardware in, so I'm still allowed full weight bearing - which is a relief with a race weekend coming up in 10 days!

Other than this complication though, things seem to have been coming along pretty well once I was moved to weight bearing status. Slow, but very steady progress.

Mentally I'm doing a million times better, and it's rather nice to sort of have life returning to normal-ish. FINALLY got to break in the new bike that I had bought (the day before breaking my leg)...
Maiden Voyage last Monday April 10th, 2017:
https://www.tetongravity.com/imgcach...psquxqbcit.jpg
Graphics done, only other thing I want to do is powdercoat the rims white:
https://www.tetongravity.com/imgcach...psp3hyqirk.jpg

thats a badass picture! glad to see the injury isnt preventing you from doing what you love. how did the doctor determine the need to perform another surgery? was there more pain during this time as well? i definitely got a laugh out of "it's rather nice to sort of have life returning to normal-ish." i cant wait to have that feeling again too

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Originally Posted by marescamuch

thats a badass picture! glad to see the injury isnt preventing you from doing what you love. how did the doctor determine the need to perform another surgery? was there more pain during this time as well? i definitely got a laugh out of "it's rather nice to sort of have life returning to normal-ish." i cant wait to have that feeling again too

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Thanks :)

The pain with this one was pretty minor - the surgery was to flush the area, debribe any dead tissue, and if the infection location was getting under the plate, then he would have to remove the hardware as well. Thankfully the hardware was able to stay in, so pain right now is pretty minimal, pretty much just where he was working (although I haven't seen is since there's a pretty bulky bandage over it right now).

so yesterday was 9.5 weeks from when i had surgery as well as the day the doctor cleared me to start walking. he recommended i use a boot until my physical therapist sees more strength developed but i for one know that using the boot prohibits any ROM in the ankle and strengthening of the calves so i will only be wearing it when im at the gym or go out in crowded places. today i washed my car and even drove it. its a six speed with big brakes so i have no issues stopping or clutching either. going down stairs or anything related to such movements is by far extremely difficult. im walking with a limp but once i start moving it gets better but its still noticable. lets see how i progress over the next 2 weeks in physical therapy. its hard to imagine at first but it really does get better !!!!

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Originally Posted by marescamuch

so yesterday was 9.5 weeks from when i had surgery as well as the day the doctor cleared me to start walking. he recommended i use a boot until my physical therapist sees more strength developed but i for one know that using the boot prohibits any ROM in the ankle and strengthening of the calves so i will only be wearing it when im at the gym or go out in crowded places. today i washed my car and even drove it. its a six speed with big brakes so i have no issues stopping or clutching either. going down stairs or anything related to such movements is by far extremely difficult. im walking with a limp but once i start moving it gets better but its still noticable. lets see how i progress over the next 2 weeks in physical therapy. its hard to imagine at first but it really does get better !!!!

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Nice that you're able to get moving already, that's a pretty quick recovery from everything I keep hearing!

At this point, it seems like the infection is getting better/gone, but time will tell more on that one. In the meantime, I'm doing as much as possible to not let that slow me down too much. Stitches should come out later this week, right now that skin is still pretty sensitive to any stretching, so doing ROM stuff kind of hurts, but is what it is.

Still made it out for my races this past weekend - WAY off my pace (like 6-7 seconds slower than I was on my old bike), but, still had fun and my logic-brain is happy with everything I did (racer-brain is rather disappointed LOL). I can tell in the pics though that I was stiff on the bike - probably not trusting the leg and/or compensating for it....

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b8...psvjcupmsk.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b8...psflpaxbg8.jpg

my surgeon said i was very ahead of schedule even for being a young man and doing nearly everything possible. being that youre full weight baring, how difficult is it for you to walk, perform daily tasks, etc...are you in PT? i also assume youre taking anti biotics to assure the infection doesnt come back?

I can walk with a limp - at a slow pace it's hardly noticeable, if I try to walk my "normal" pace (which is pretty fast) it becomes pretty noticeable. Daily tasks are fine, sometimes need to "warm up" the leg/foot before moving, things are always more mobile after being active for a bit.

Still a long ways from running or anything along that line though :(

And yes, on antibiotics for 6 weeks to see if that clears it up....

thats exactly how i feel. when im stationary for an extended period of time and start to walk i have a major limp regardless of pace, but once i get the blood flowing i can walk somewhat normal but still far from normal pace

Is anyone here diagnosed with pre arthritic changes in the joint because of degradation of the cartilage? I was, 2 years post my pilon fracture, hoping for some advice if anyone has experience with this...

unfortunately i dont have any advice on such being that im still new to the injury

i am 16 months post-injury. once my surgeon heard about my physical plans (getting back to running, skiing, etc) he said i should get all the hardware taken out (14 screws, 3 plates). i delayed because it was fall and i did not want to be recovering too much when the ski season started so kept everything in until mid-April. got everything out, sutures were taken out now 3 weeks ago and i can say- it is way better without hardware. the removal surgery was not fun- hurt a lot but i can already see better ROM and it just feels better, when i stand on that one foot, it does not build up into a dull pain anymore etc etc. there has been some debate on this thread if one should keep it in or take it out and i think surgeons have different opinions about this and i am sure it depends on specifics but given the option- get it out.

this is excellent news. i see my surgeon again in almost another week and im definitely way ahead of schedule as far as progress goes but i have a feeling that this hardware is going to limit my range of motion as long as its in my foot. i absolutely want it removed one day. after your hardware was taken out, how long before you were full weight baring again? what is your activity level as well?

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Originally Posted by chandni

Is anyone here diagnosed with pre arthritic changes in the joint because of degradation of the cartilage? I was, 2 years post my pilon fracture, hoping for some advice if anyone has experience with this...

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Sorry to hear this. It's unfortunately a somewhat common outcome after pilon fractures, especially with more severe ones. Unlike the hip or knee, the majority of arthritis we see in the ankle is post-traumatic (i.e., due to an injury or a series of injuries such as repeated sprains). Happy to answer any questions you may have to the extent possible on a forum.

hi, bett here. i know, i stink, havent been around. well, let's see. still going to gym 5x a week, and have pt (thank god for my union) once a week. pt thinks im awesome, dr thinks im awesome, however, the pain, even after having all 17 screws and 2 plates and i did manage to get them, almost gagging into the container- anyway, i've had a procedure with a nerve block in the dr's office, where he sort of wove a very thin and flexible needle in and out of the inner incision, in order to break up scar tissue. i managed to then race to the pt, who worked on it for about an hour and a half. meanwhile, i still have lots of stiffness (i assume that's just the way it's going to be), have difficulty with finding sneakers to wear that are not for the gym but just found a retro nike that's kind of like a stretchy sock and i can get it on myself, it barely touches the bottom of the incision. i feel like all i do is complain. and yes, still on oxy and oxycontin but the pain dr who i dislike lots, wants me in sone stupid (yes, stupid) study- it's a non fda drug at low dose-naltrexone low dose and of course i read just about everything about it. it's used for about 25 different cancers (all of this at a dose of about 50 mgs), MS, (all different kinds) , alcoholism and glory be, opiate addicts. and that's when i flipped out nearly scaring the PA who i see every 4 weeks. i NEVER took the dose prescribed-if they said take 2 long acting, i did, but the oxy -they prescribed 6 and i took 4. ok, about a week before the PA spoke of this drug, i, on my own, carefully, weaned much lower. still took the long acting, 15 mgs which is considered a low dose( someone i know takes 2 30mgs, which sounds enourmous to me, but I'm not a dr) -anyway, i now am taking one oxy, and 2 long acting, seeing the pain dr (who when i met him by accident at my grandson's flag football game, not only didnt he know me, when i pointed to my ankle and said "pilon fracture" he was kind enough to tell me in two years (which it is now) i would either need a fusion or an artificial ankle (they last about 10 years). in a matter of minutes i was hysterical, in my car, on the phone with my shrink friend . this was the conversation -"did he have your records in front of him ?" no. "did he see your X-ray?" no. so basically he just said this and drove me nuts which is why i hate him and when i told my ortho he said "do not listen to him,tho down the road, in 20 years you may need more but you may not". so in essence, im pretty nuts.
so now, i had a discussion with ortho and forgot to ask the name of the procedure but it is gel shots, natural (whatever that means) given 3 weeks in a row, in the office, in the front of the ankle. of course, since i forgot to ask the name of the procedure im now nuts till i call mon to make the appts.
all i know is that it's not covered, pharmacists have the balls (sorry if i offend anyone) to charge $800 but the drs got it in the office and it's all of $70 per shot. i mean, really? that's when i want to hate pharmaceutical companies and scream rape.
so my question is to all of you, have you heard of this? for some reason i dont think it's the stuff they do in the knee (rooster something?) but i will be back, promise , and tell you what it's called and does anyone else have the pain i still have after all this time. oh right, i am a woman, and not in my 30's. it happened when i was 68, which may make some of the difference because i was told, that men in their 30's usually get this type of break not women my age (one god damn step-taking care of my husband who had an ankle fusion, you cant make this up) .
ok, please someone answer and have something that wont make me jump thru the roof until monday. thanks again and i m sorry i havent been on complaining and moaning.
and let me not forget that i can walk on my toes and heels, all around the gym and pt place, thus the "awesome" response about how i walk.
bett

hi guys- bett here. somehow my last long post, sorry, is in the beginning of the thread. can someone read it and give me some info . getting those shots in the ankle, starting this friday so im a tad bit freaked. not fda approved for ankles, only knees-comes from the comb of the rooster. know what i mean? i'll be back to see if you can read the first long one and maybe have some info for me. im coming around to 2 1/2 years and when it's going to rain, oh well, you must know.

chandni

yup, that's why im having the rooster comb shots they give for knees, not fda approved yet for ankles and shoulders, had first shot friday, this coming fri next shot and fri after the third shot.praying it helps.

As previously stated, surgery was 2/23/2017 with a result of 1 plate and 10 screws. Current status of life/ activity level consist of full time industrial electrician in work boots, active body builder working up to 400lb squats and deadlifts on a free bar, swimming and alot of walking. its safe to say im kicking this injuries ass. Still experimenting alot of stiffness and mild discomfort, especially after sitting/laying down for an extended period of time, but the knots and stiffness normal go away after a solid 10 steps. FYI incase anyone was curious...

ok, bett here . had my second shot (rooster comb) and for two days i could have felt better but managed as yesterday was fathers day and of course, in my house. when everyone left i passed out with ice on the ankle. woke up, went back to sleep for a bit, and getting ready for the gym. i sure hope these shots work. last one on fri.
joy.

Bett, certainly hope you start to see some improvements and that the treatments will help.

As for me, I'm in my last week of 6 weeks of IV antibiotics, 3x/day, every day (Picc line). Weekly visits to the ID/infusion center. PT hasn't been happening - some of that is just time available on my part, but the bigger thing being my insurance decided I didn't need anymore. I've got the exercises, so pretty much up to me now.

Overall, the leg is feeling better, I'm guessing that infection was causing more problems than I was aware. Still have some swelling if I push it a lot, but I'm starting to do more, go on longer walks, ride more, etc. Less elevation, and overall it's improving. Pain is usually in areas no where near the break - so more likely to be muscles/tendons. My shitty knee (well, both are bad, but okay if I keep them strong) has actually caused more problems walking than my ankle.

Still lacking on ROM, but slow improvements, some days better than others, so inflammation definitely plays a big role in that one.

Hardest part for me at this point is part of me wants and feels like I should be more active than I am - that I should be doing more and back at the gym, etc. The other part of me is just kind of tired of this, knows I'll have another big set back when we remove hardware (not sure when yet, but potentially in a month or so), and I'm kind of in "meh, why bother" mode.

I'm still doing my pt and exercises, slowly adding more activity/longer walks/etc, but definitely not like the "athletic" side of my brain says I should be. Still a daily struggle not to get "depressed" about it - it's now over 6 months since I broke it, and while I can walk fairly quickly again, and even hobble-run a few steps when I need to, there's still the constant pain. It's not bad enough for any meds or stopping me from doing much, but it gets tiring when every. single. time. you get up the first few steps are a total hobble, and the rest there's just enough there that you can't ever completely forget about it.

Just hoping my body can kick the infection once hardware is removed, chronic osteomyelitis is no joke, and something I'll probably have to worry about the rest of my life now :/ Not dealing with that particularly well, either.

it's becoming apparent to me, sadly, that i will need pain management for my life for chronic arthritic pain.perhaps the break i had is so wretched because of my age as well as it was, as the dr said "a very very bad break".
im bordering on being depressed and thankful my very good friend is a shrink.but right now, not thrilled w the pain dr im using-never see him -only see the PA.im weaning down on my own and have done many things to try and make it better.
sorry i sound like such a downer but that's how i feel.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bett

it's becoming apparent to me, sadly, that i will need pain management for my life for chronic arthritic pain.perhaps the break i had is so wretched because of my age as well as it was, as the dr said "a very very bad break".
im bordering on being depressed and thankful my very good friend is a shrink.but right now, not thrilled w the pain dr im using-never see him -only see the PA.im weaning down on my own and have done many things to try and make it better.
sorry i sound like such a downer but that's how i feel.

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I completely understand - as far as I'm concerned, feel free to vent. For some people, these pilon fractures affect the rest of their lives. I have 2 friends who will never run again because of one, and I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to do a sustained run again (thankfully for me I never like running anyways).

hgh could be very beneficial for major injuries like this. it wasnt readily available for me (or i would've used it) but a ton of pro athletes use it for recovery and healing of bones. it can be very expensive, but i know there are doctors that can prescribe it too

Figured I'd post an update. Had my (infected) hardware removed just under 2 weeks ago.
Surgery was really late Tuesday night (Sept 26). Was getting around with a cane or crutches the first day (Wed) by Friday was back in the office with the cane. By the end of the weekend both cane and crutches were parked in the bedroom not to be used since.

Thus far, seems to be healing up pretty well. Pain is minimal - I took some pain meds the first night, one the second night to get to sleep, and just the occasional ibuprofen for a couple days after that. Absolutely nothing since Saturday the 30.

Swelling was minimal compared to previous surgeries, and is basically gone at this point. My biggest concern is obviously kicking the infection for good, since that's what necessitated the removal to begin with.

Overall though I think I'll be happy it's out - have the distinct feeling things will be a lot more comfortable once the million and one staples in my four zippers are out. Honestly the biggest "pain" is from the nerves regrowing - there is a rather large area that is numb in my ankle and foot, but the nerves are trying to regrow, so they're going bonkers. The other night my sheets felt like course grit sandpaper was being scrubbed on my foot :P

I guess I'll give an update as I finally thew in the towel and had my ankle fused last Friday. All of the skiing, MTB and walking over the past 18 months wore my cartiladge completely out and my talus started wearing a notch into my tibia. I dealt with the pain thru this ski year and then had surgery as I could no longer walk without major pain. I'm only a week in but I'm already starting to realize why everyone says, "had I known, I would have gotten it fused sooner". Obviously I can't weight bear for another 5 weeks so I won't know how good it is but when I'm sitting on the couch, I already have less swelling and nerve pain 6 days after surgery than I did before. Kayaking, MTB and motocross should all be pain free after the surgery so I'm not researching some new 3 piece ski boots to so I can start prepping for next season. Heck with this fusion I may even start climbing again as that was one thing I couldn't even attempt after the pilon fracture.