Fractured Tibia-Cast Came Off. What Should I Expect Now? (ankle, skin, swelling)

[TMascaro]

Hi. I fractured my left tibia two weeks ago and got my cast off yesterday. I also had 20 staples removed from where they put in a titanium rod. I am now in a walking boot that has an air pump. I was told to only where it when I'm walking around with my crutches (still not allowed to put weight on it) otherwise I can sleep without it and shower. Whenever I take the boot off, my ankle and toes are so swollen and itchy. What is the best way to help the itchiness? Also, is there anything else I should expect over the next month before I go back to the doctor? And anything I can do to speed recovery? Thanks for all of your help.

[Schrodinger's Kittens]

Hi--

I've been in your situation but broke both tib and fib--titanium rod and screws, crutches, aircast, the works. The swelling will be there for a while. Gentle exercise, like rotating your ankle and moving your toes, may help some. For the itching, since you are able to wash your leg in the shower now, scrub as hard as you can stand (not super-vigorous, but enough so you can feel it) with a loofah or shower pouf to get rid of the dead skin and stuff.

As far as speeding your recovery, there's really not much. It just kind of takes time. Get plenty of rest, eat nutritious food, and most important, wait until your doctor clears you before putting weight on it or discarding your crutches or whatever. Trying to push your progress can set you back. Good luck, hope you're back to normal soon.

[AnonChick]

Don't scrub hard directly over the incision site. The rest of the advice by the above poster sounds dead-on. For the incision site itself, keep it simple. If the doctor doesn't have you using an antibiotic cream (some do, some don't), then just a drop or two of normal mundane olive oil from the kitchen cabinet, massaged GENTLY over the scar, will help promote healing and reduce the itch.