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I was wondering if anyone has had problems with their other leg, the one not fractured. I ask because 18 months following the initial break and surgery and a 2 months post hardware removal, I now have circulation issues with the other leg, my good leg. I also wonder if anyone has the feeling in there fractured leg of having a sock on when your not wearing socks?? I know this sounds crazy but ....
Mine feels like I have something too tight around the ankle - like a too small sock or a rubber band. Nothing's there, but I hate the feeling. Nerves, maybe?
I have a question...I broke my tibia and fibula on June 26, 2010. I had surgery on July 1st, he put in 7 screws, 1 plate, and 1 pin. I had my first full cast put on friday July 9th and then today (July 21st) he put a new cast on because the swelling had gone down so much that the cast was loose and just hanging there. He gave me a walking boot and told me to start putting some pressure on it and within the next two weeks start doing a little bit of walking. I am very nervous and unsure of how to start. I thought it would be too soon judging by other message boards I've read, but he feels it's ok. He just says to be careful. If anyone can give me some advice on how to go about this,I'm having a hard time even putting pressure on, I would appreciate it. Thanks!
An exercise bike works good. Stay seated and gradually build up resistance. It stimulates blood flow and speeds up healing. Also walk gently with crutches and slowly increase weight.
i keep putting ice packs around my ankle but it doesn't seem to take the swelling down. also i noticed that even when i lay down some of my toes on the broken leg are still dark purple. does that mean there's a blood clot in that area? i'm still able to move them, just concerned if this is something i should consult the doc about. i put a warm sock on the foot just to see if it goes away because for the past few days i had AC on and it was really cold in the room and maybe that's what kept the toes dark purple.
For the swelling, you may ask your doc about wearing a compression sock -- I should have been wearing one much earlier. I don't wear it anymore but daily I take an anti-inflammatory BUT I don't want to take pills forever! I didn't mind the sock (knee high w/toes out) -- it actually felt pretty good over time!
Mine feels like I have something too tight around the ankle - like a too small sock or a rubber band. Nothing's there, but I hate the feeling. Nerves, maybe?
My tib/fib broke 1 year 4 mos. ago (compound fracture). Today my ankle area still feels like it has rubber bands around it and a "fuzzy" feeling on top of my foot also!
My tib/fib broke 1 year 4 mos. ago (compound fracture). Today my ankle area still feels like it has rubber bands around it and a "fuzzy" feeling on top of my foot also!
I get the fuzzy feeling on my foot, too, and tingling in my toes as well. I also can't stand anything touching my leg - the covers when I'm sleeping, the feeling of long pants, even if the dog rubs against me. Definitely nerve damage according to my doc. He's sending me for physical therapy to see if we can overcome it. I broke my leg in Nov 08, but just had surgery #4 in June of this year.
I get the fuzzy feeling on my foot, too, and tingling in my toes as well. I also can't stand anything touching my leg - the covers when I'm sleeping, the feeling of long pants, even if the dog rubs against me. Definitely nerve damage according to my doc. He's sending me for physical therapy to see if we can overcome it. I broke my leg in Nov 08, but just had surgery #4 in June of this year.
Because of this fuzzy feeling/tingling toes/rubberband around ankle and ankle swelling, my OS put me on anti-inflammatories. They seem to work pretty good and lesson all of my issues BUT, about a week ago I decided to quit taking them to see status of my issues AND they are coming back - DARN! I was hoping that all would stay with the better senario. So, I guess I have go get back on them. I just don't want to take pills the rest of my life -- I don't want to die of liver issues!! I do agree that my foot feels uncomfortable if I'm sleeping on my back with toes pointed upward under tight sheets - bugs me but I don't feel this way with long pants. Sometimes I beg my husband to rub back and forth on top of my foot to past my ankles (back and forth) to help relieve the strange sensations. I was told by the couple OS's I had that my situation will pretty much be what it will be at about 18 months post surgery -- I'm glad I can walk but am also scared of getting bad arthritis in my ankle -- break a leg and it messes up your ankle for life -- weird huh?!
I noticed the numbness decreases as the size of the ankle gets smaller, maybe it is the scar tissue forming a thick layer that blocks the nerve endings. A year ago my ankle was much larger than now at two years, so it is a slow process. I found a machine at the gym that can really push down on the joint and stretch the muscles, it feels good and I am noticing more range of motion.
Did you ever take anti-inflammatories for the swelling or did it just naturally go down over time? They seem to work good on me but I just tried getting off and swelling and other sensations coming back -- is there hope that I can get off these pills and swelling goes away in SOME YEAR?
I broke my tibia and fibula completely in half and had fixation surgery exactly 2 weeks ago when I was run over by an MHU-83 bomb lift truck that had a live AGM-65 maverick missile on it. The doctor is telling me to put weight on it already, and it just feels very unstable. I still have extreme pain and my foot is purple when I wake up in the morning. The muscles up the back of my leg are VERY tight - preventing me from moving my ankle very much. Is this normal? Is my doctor wrong? He keeps telling me everything is ok and frankly, I don't believe him....I hate military hospitals. Any advice would be useful. Thanks.
After one week, doctor told me to start range of motion exercises several times a day -take the removeable cast off. That helps a lot with the tightness. But even two years later there still some tightness. At four weeks, 50% weight in walking boot. Taper up to 100% weight at 5 weeks. After 4 weeks I was riding my mountainbike in a walking boot and walking with a shoe. Keep in mind with fixation, the bones are supposed to stay in place before the bone heals. The puple color and foot pain could be from the device they clamp your foot in during surgery.
I broke my tibia and fibula completely in half and had fixation surgery exactly 2 weeks ago when I was run over by an MHU-83 bomb lift truck that had a live AGM-65 maverick missile on it. The doctor is telling me to put weight on it already, and it just feels very unstable. I still have extreme pain and my foot is purple when I wake up in the morning. The muscles up the back of my leg are VERY tight - preventing me from moving my ankle very much. Is this normal? Is my doctor wrong? He keeps telling me everything is ok and frankly, I don't believe him....I hate military hospitals. Any advice would be useful. Thanks.
Each individual case is different, and various Dr's give different directions. But, having said that, 2 weeks does seem very early to weight bear. I had fixation surgery for my broken ankle/tib/fib w/ 2 plates, 16 screws and was not allowed to weight bear for 8-9 weeks. When I did start, it was in an air boot and w/PT help. If you have a rod in your tib, some Dr's allow WB earlier than w/ plates and screws. Hardware can fail if too much is done too soon. If at all possible , I would get a 2nd opinion and make sure you go to physical therapy. The purple foot is normal at this point when your foot is down. It should go away when elevated above your heart. At this point, you should be elevating your leg as much as possible. And wow.......sounds like you are very lucky to be alive!!
Good luck and best wishes for a complete recovery,
Nanny
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For the swelling, you may ask your doc about wearing a compression sock -- I should have been wearing one much earlier. I don't wear it anymore but daily I take an anti-inflammatory BUT I don't want to take pills forever! I didn't mind the sock (knee high w/toes out) -- it actually felt pretty good over time!
Because of this fuzzy feeling/tingling toes/rubberband around ankle and ankle swelling, my OS put me on anti-inflammatories. They seem to work pretty good and lesson all of my issues BUT, about a week ago I decided to quit taking them to see status of my issues AND they are coming back - DARN! I was hoping that all would stay with the better senario. So, I guess I have go get back on them. I just don't want to take pills the rest of my life -- I don't want to die of liver issues!! 
I do agree that my foot feels uncomfortable if I'm sleeping on my back with toes pointed upward under tight sheets - bugs me but I don't feel this way with long pants. Sometimes I beg my husband to rub back and forth on top of my foot to past my ankles (back and forth) to help relieve the strange sensations. I was told by the couple OS's I had that my situation will pretty much be what it will be at about 18 months post surgery -- I'm glad I can walk but am also scared of getting bad arthritis in my ankle -- break a leg and it messes up your ankle for life -- weird huh?!
