Nerve damage in foot

[Loril]

I broke my fibula an inch from the bottom early Dec. Had the surgery Dec. 30th putting in the plate and 6 screws, and my dr. says everything is looking good. Feb. 6th, he took me out of the ace bandage wrappings and told me to try bearing weight in the boot. Take it easy, but start bearing some weight in it.

I've told him how numb the top of my foot is, it is the hardest thing for me to stand right now, feels like such pressure is built up in it. I'm getting up on my crutches and putting weight on my foot, hoping it will get blood circulating in there. I thought maybe being wrapped up so tightly had something to do with the numbness, it isn't in my toes or the bottom of my foot, that is all good, feeling like a normal foot. Big toe and top of foot, arch, is so terribly numb, I feel like someone has strapped a block of heavy wood on top of my foot. It never goes away, and it hasn't gotten any better. Did anyone else experience this? I'm worried about nerve damage. Since, it's pretty much been like this before surgery too, right away I felt it. Was hoping it would lessen with time, but so far is exactly as awful feeling as the day of my fall. I can hardly touch it, altho I try to massage it, it just hurts. It hurts whether i'm just relaxing it or standing on it, makes no difference, all the time.
Such pressure.

Am really curious if it's as normal as my dr. is telling me it is.
Thank you for answering my post.

[Jethro]

In 1989, I had a bad break of my right tib and fib. I broke the fib at the boot top, and the break spiraled down to just above my ankle bone. I had a complication called a compartment syndrome which required one large incision on each side of the leg to reduce pressure so my circulation would not be compromised. This is what probably resulted in foot numbness for me. I had a rod installed instead of plates or casting. I did not focus on my foot originally since there was so much pain. After I healed, I noticed a numbness on the inside of my arch, across my toes, and over my arch, but is was just topical numbness and there was no feeling of pressure or pain. I was so happy to have full motor control and no complications such as a drop foot that I did not even address it other than just mentioning it to the doc. After about a year, all feeling returned for me. I think I was lucky in that nerves are not supposed to heal and function very well. Good luck with your foot and I hope you heal up fully.

[Loril]

Thank you for your response, Jethro. After looking up compartment syndrome, it seems alot different than what I'm experiencing. I'm glad all feeling returned to you. I hope for the same. It's so hard even wearing the airboot, I can't take any pressure on the top of my foot, I wear two large slipper socks to help cushion it. Been that way since the fall, I'm not sure how I'm going to wear a shoe with this pressure.
Will talk to my dr. more about it this time, I'm sure maybe he thought it was normal at the time, but I fear I'm not going to be able to wear a shoe without a lot of pain, and my day job is quite active, I am on my feet for a good 6 of the 8 hours I work.
Thank you for your reply, again. See I'm not getting any other replies, so I'm beginning to think this hasn't happened to many people here.
What a good feeling I bet it was to have that feeling back, I sure hope that happens to me. Am just now putting weight on it, did pretty good yesterday, probably overdid it, was sore later. But, it felt good to walk, even as clumsy as it was and with the help of crutches. It's a start, right?

[ace..]

I broke my ankles riding motocross 5 years ago, 20 now. Worst damn pain ever. Broke my right so it was all crooked and had to walk on my left to the bed of the truck to get wheeled to the hosbidal. Anyway, after re-setting (no surgery thank god) i could not feel the bottom of my right foot to save my life, it worried me and it was fairly painful, but more of an annoyance. Once i was home from hosbidal a few days later I had extreme pain in my feet. Nerves must have been firing and hitting something wrong because i had pins and fucking needles throughout my foot and ankle. literally felt like they were being pushed deep into my foot.

Anyway, numbness pain didn't put me in pain, but it did eventually go away, right when the needles began to prick. wouldn't be surprised if you end up feeling this

[Loril]

I am, Ace. lots of pins and needles now that I'm starting to put weight on it. It's like fourth of July in my foot. btw, thank you for responding to my post. How long before the numbness left you, do you think? I've been numb on the top since I fell. I'm going back to my orthopedic next week, and will defiitely be asking him more on this. I've brought it up at almost every appt., and he's always said it's normal. You are right, I don't know if it's fair to call it pain, it's an annoyance, and it hurts like pressure in it, can't lay that side of my foot down, as long as nothing is on my foot, or I lie it up against something or have the airboot on, it is off my mind. Just wish it felt even a little more normal again. Where I had my surgery doesn't even bother me much at all, and of course, I'm not walking yet, still having trouble controlling my foot when I try to put weight on it. So much tingling going on. Sure that's normal, it's this numbness that is really worrying me. A shoe cuts right into that area, from the ankle all the way to the big toe, on top and right side of foot. Just seems to make it even harder wearing the airboot. I'm trying to get use to it, cuz I am so tired of being down. But, wondering if it's a pinched nerve or something maybe.