Hi! New here! Back in 1998 I broke my ankle in 2 places playing softball... I ended up with a plate and 5 screws. Somewhere between then and now I had the plate and 4 screws taken out, however I still have one screw left for stability. In October I noticed that my ankle has been hurting, it swells, and I roll it alot. I fell carrying my 4 yr old an decided it was time to go back to the dr. He said that I have torn my ligament and it was instable. He recommened therapy and then surgery in March. My insurance will only cover so much therapy so we decided to do surgery now and therapy after. They are going to reconstruct the ligament, something about wrapping it back around the bone and attatching it to the tendon and removing the screw. I was wondering if anyone has been through this who would like to share info as to what to expect, how much time on crutches, what the pain is like (Im a wuss), how much PT, etc. I dont have my preop appt until Thursday and surgery is on Monday so I would like to prepare as much as possible. Thanks!

I had a similar procedure 8 weeks ago today (modified Brostrom). No tendon used to reconstruct, instead the ligaments were cut and then reconnected. I was in a cast for six weeks (three of them NWB) and then am in an aircast for four weeks. The pain wasn't too bad for me so long as I kept it elevated most of the day for the first two weeks and so long as I stayed ahead of the pain with the pain meds. I was on two vicodin every three hours. I tapered to one every four hours at about a week and went to OTC pain meds at about 12 - 14 days.

A few bits of advice, which you probably know from your prior surgery:

1. If given the option of staying over night in the hospital, do it.
2. When you get home, set an alarm to wake yourself up at night to give yourself pain meds. Waking up at 2am in agony isn't fun.
3. Take a laxative from the git go.
4. If you don't have an iPod, get one, and quick. Listening to my iPod on the couch and late at night when I couldn't sleep were actually great moments.
5. Go on the net and buy a cast shower cover by "Drycast" and also buy the itch spray called "Castblast"
6. If you haven't seen "Garden State" - I'd recommend it (this has nothing to do with your impending surgery.

I didnt get alot of info from my dr about the surgery b/c he said we would talk about it after PT... but b/c we changed our course and are going to do surgery first, he referred me to s Sports Medicine Specialist in our area who is very good at this type of surgery. All he mentioned to me was graphting it with the tendon, and wrapping the liagement around the bone or something. I go in tomorrow at noon to my preop and get all my info.

I have a 4 yr old and a 2 yr old, so this will be interesting... Wish me luck!

Lisa:

I am kind of obsessive and did a lot of reading and researching prior to my surgery. There are a number of different surgical techniques to repair ankle ligaments. They surgeries fall into two camps: repairative and reconstructive.

I had a repairative surgery (Modified Brostrom). WIth this surgery the ATFL and CFL (two main lateral ligaments) are cut then reattached shorter to the fibula. The extensor recalcanium (sp?) which is ligament like tissue that holds the ligaments tight to the foot is moved up into the ankle joint and attached to the fibula. This gives greater support. No tendons are used to reconstruct the ankle. With a repair surgery the anatomy basically stays the same - its just tighter. Near full range of motion is acheived in the future and you can go back to an almost normal ankle. Long-term studies show 85% -90% of patients report "excellent" outcomes. In a small number of cases instability and sprains continue and another repair surgery is necessary or often a reconstructive surgery will be done. The Brostrom procedure has a quicker recovery time.

Reconstructive surgery involves harvesting a tendon to tighten the ankle ligaments. The most common is Christman-Snook which harvests (usually) part of the peroneus brevis tendon and wraps it around the fibula and attaches it. No repair of the ligaments is made. The tendon will provide the support. Reconstructive surgery is more invasive - the incision is bigger. Recovery is a bit longer (a few more weeks non-weight bearing, move from a cast/boot is a few weeks longer) and likely is more painful. After recovery the ankle is tighter and a full range of motion cannot be achieved again. There is less chance of further instability or sprains (in return for less range of motion). From what I read and what my OS told me, Christman-Snook is usually used only if (a) the ligaments are too damaged to do a Brostrom, or (b) the patient is in a profession where increased tightness or stability is needed (e.g. football linemen), (c) the patient is heavy, (d) a prior Brostrom failed.

In my case I had an MRI and an arthrscopic debridement prior to my ligament surgery so the OS knew that the ligaments could be repaired. Its difficult to tell from just an examination. My OS said that I had one of the looser ankles he has seen, yet was able to repair the ligaments rather than do a reconstructive procedure. Without an MRI or prior look often the Dr. won't know which type of surgery until they see the ligaments. My OS (who is a foot and ankle specialist) said that he is able to do a Brostrom in the vast majority of cases.

So far (8 weeks after surgery) I am really happy with my surgery. Prior to the surgery it felt as if my ankle just didn't fit together right. It feels much better now. PT is going great. My limp is getting less and less each day. I am swimming, doing light yoga and using the exercise bike. My range of motion is getting close to my left ankle. I am getting pretty excited about returning to normal life. Realize though, especially on top of your prior fracture, that your injured ankle will never be like the other one.

Good luck. Keep us informed.

Good information... I wrote down alot of what you all have said to take with me tomorrow. Anything is better than what I have now. I roll my ankle 1-2x a week, I always been unbalanced, and at night it just throbs. I know it is going to take alot to get to the point that I feel good, but knowing its coming makes it alot easier. Thanks for your info... Ill be around!

Lisa,
Hi, I have not had ankle surgery but have had many aother foot surgeries and I just wanted to wish you luck.I hope your husband is going to take time out to help you. I'm a single mom of 3 kids, 2 of which are living with me(15&10)and it is hard even with the older ones.
Sue

Lisa - I was in a similar boat. My was experiencing "subluxation" multiple times a week - that's where the talus slips out of place and was twisting it about once a month. I was in chronic pain and could not sleep through the night. I was worried that the surgery would not fix the pain. But, it seems that it has. It was totally worth it (so far) and I assume that it will be for you as well.

Bigdog-That is great to hear... I hope for similar results.
Susie- My husband is taking a couple of days off and then will drive me to/from work when I am able to return.

*** Good question, how long did everyone stay off work?

I had my surgery on a Tuesday and went back to work on the following Monday. It was probably a bit too soon - not due to pain but because of the vicodin. I was somewhat loopy, couldn't really focus and spent much of my first two days playing on the internet and forwarding cartoons from explodingdog.com around to my co-workers. They found me entertaining and thought that it was worthwhile that I came to work. I tried to avoid dealing with clients for those few days. I probably should have stayed out of the office until about the 10 day point.

My wife drove me to work everyday (after we dropped my kids off at school) and co-workers gave me a ride home everyday (I work a 1/2 mile from home).

I love to drive and love my car but found that for six weeks it was kinda nice not jumping in the car and running off to various places like the dry cleaners and grocery store etc.

Prior to the surgery I was pretty freaked out - not about the procedure, but about the recovery. Being in a cast for six weeks - not being able to drive or go to the gym - crutches, etc. It felt like someone saying "you will break your leg in 2 weeks" (or whatever). It turned out not to be that bad. Life moved at a slower pace. I spent more time laying around (which I like), reading and listening to my iPod. I really tried to absolutely enjoy each and every day that I basically had "forced relaxation." It will be tough for you with kids, especially being mommy, but hopefully your husband will be able to step up a lot.

I go to my appt today... any thing specifically I should ask him about? This is all new to me, when I had my surgery done before it was on an emergency basis soI didnt have time to think about it.

Questions I found helpful or wished I had asked:

1. What type of anethesia?
2. Will I stay overnight (BTW I would recommend this)?
3. When will I have my follow up appointments? And walk me through the timeline after surgery till recovery is done. How long non-weight bearing; how long in the post surgical cast, how long in other cast(s), how long in a boot, how long in an aircast, how long on prescription pain meds?
4. When will I get stitches out?
5. How bad will the pain be?
6. Can I drive? Can I get a handicap parking permit?
7. How many of these procedures do you do a year?
8. What percentage of the time are there problems/complications? What are those problems? In your experience, are your patients pleased with this procedure?
9. How certain are you that this will fix my problem? What is the long-term prognosis?
10. What exactly are you going to do (describe exactly the procedure)?
11. How long until I can return to running/sports/whatever? How long until I am fully healed?
12. When will I start PT? How often and for how long will I go to PT?
13. Will you give me a pain prescription now so I don't have to fill it after the surgery?
14. What is the largest prime number you can think of off the top of your head?

Hope this is helpful. Make this OS spend the time to answer your questions. They often seem very busy but you deserve to have him/her take an extra five or 10 minutes and make sure you know what to expect.

Speaking of ligament reconstruction...does anyone have any advice for taking care of your incision so that it heals quickly and beautifully? I had a Brostrom on 12/28; I am still NWB (until 2/4) but I am fortunate enough to have a boot that I can take off for showering, which allows me to keep the incision nice and clean. Any advice would be fantastic!

I am back from the dr... he said that he isnt going to remove the screw... he feels that the other OS didnt b/c the head was stripped and if he was to remove it, it would be a seperate insicision and just not a good choice. He said the screw isnt hurting anything so not worth it. He is going to go with the Brostrom (sp) procedure. He isnt going to put a cast on it, but a splint for 10 days and then a walking boot after that. He isnt expecting crutches for more than about 2 wks... but said he will see how I am doing at my postop appt.

Things are rough right now..I have the stomach flu. So running fevers and getting sick when its hard to get around already (crutches) is not fun at all...wonderful.....[/QUOTE]

I know the feeling. I have the flu also... I feel crappy. I am glad to have it now before crutches... sorry you arent feeling well ::hugs::

Where are your incisions/scars at? I already have one up the side and he said that he is going to leave that one alone.. that he does it below the ball part on the outside. I have been doing some research online and have seen a couple of pictures, but nothing that specifically is my surgery so Iw as just curious.

My scar is sort of L or J shaped... about three inches vertically above the ankle bone on the outside of the ankle, then it curves around right behind the ankle bone and continues horizontally for another 2 or 3 inches. I had the brostrom and Evans procedures in march (Evans is one of the ones where they use the tendon to reconstruct the ligaments).

It's a frustrating recovery because you have to wait for thing to heal before you can start walking or doing PT, but it's well worth it!

KRBAILEY: Regarding scars, I hear rubbing vitamin E works well. Mine are too recent to really shed insight.

Lisa: I had the Brostrom and it is a curved (moon shaped) scar about 3 or so inches long that starts above the lateral mallelolus and ends below the lateral mallelous. My scar isn't too bad. My OS used imbedded stitches that leave less of a scar. I bet if you ask your doctor to do his best to limit scarring he can take a bit more care and time and sew you up in a way that limits scarring. Being a guy, I don't care a whole lot about scarring as my footwear rarely will show it off (I have a huge scar on the inside of my ankle where some of my tibia was removed and two arthroscopic scars from my prior surgery this summer).

THe Brostom, in retrospect, isn't that bad of a deal. Its been 8 weeks and 2 days. Today I rode the exercise bike for 45 minutes and walk with a very small limp. Its great. I was in a cast for six weeks. NWB for three weeks. Interesting how each Dr. does it different.

Lauren:

It is indeed a small world. Do you go to SLU?

There was a fire (small) in the building that I work in yesterday afternoon. I work on the 11th floor and had to go down the steps. With each flight of steps I was increasingly thankful that I was not on crutches or in a cast. While the whole crutches/cast thing was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be, its great being "free."

I am not too worried about the scar... however I have a tattoo on my ankle that the surgeon made a point not to cut through last time, I was just wondering where it would be this time around, for the sake of the frog on my ankle :)

Lisa:

I have a fraternity tattoo on the inside of my ankle where I had a chunk of bone removed. The OS originally thought he would have to cut through it (not that I really cared) but was able to cut up higher and come in at a different angle. Which was nice of him.

[ please carefully review the posting rules - no emails ]

I have both incisions. The brostrom runs in front (anterior) of the lateral malleolus and is shorter. My Chrisman-Snook which is the same incision as the evans from what my doc told me runs the length of the peroneus brevis tendon (posterior- or behind) the lateral malleolus. It is longer and goes to the base of the 5th MT and about 2 inches up past the malleolus, about 6 inches in length. Wow, now that i think about it, it looks kinda funny with both.

Is the scar on the inside or outside? My tattoo is on the outside and my fracture scar runs right along side of it. My email is [ please carefully review the posting rules - no emails ] <<is that ok to post on here??>>

{removed}

The incision starts about 2-3 cm above the lateral malleolus and runs in front of it. It ends about 2 cm below the lateral malleolus. The incision is a perfect half-moon.

Lauren:

Did you find out what procedure you had?

Two weeks is not very long. You need to set very realistic expectations for recovery or you will be disappointed. You will get better, but it takes a long time. You cannot always see the progress, though. It will probably be six months till you are fully healed.

I am at two days short of nine weeks and after walking a bit more than usual yesterday my ankle swelled so much that I could hardly put it in a shoe. And if you had the Christman-Snook, your procedure was more invasive and will take a bit longer to heal.

Hi! New here! Back in 1998 I broke my ankle in 2 places playing softball... I ended up with a plate and 5 screws. Somewhere between then and now I had the plate and 4 screws taken out, however I still have one screw left for stability. In October I noticed that my ankle has been hurting, it swells, and I roll it alot. I fell carrying my 4 yr old an decided it was time to go back to the dr. He said that I have torn my ligament and it was instable. He recommened therapy and then surgery in March. My insurance will only cover so much therapy so we decided to do surgery now and therapy after. They are going to reconstruct the ligament, something about wrapping it back around the bone and attatching it to the tendon and removing the screw. I was wondering if anyone has been through this who would like to share info as to what to expect, how much time on crutches, what the pain is like (Im a wuss), how much PT, etc. I dont have my preop appt until Thursday and surgery is on Monday so I would like to prepare as much as possible. Thanks!
Good luck with your surgery tomorrow :angel: Let us know how you make out.

Sue

Lisa - how did surgery go? How are you doing?

I went to PT yesterday for only the third time since getting my cast off three weeks ago. My PT said that she thinks I'm done seeing her because I am progressing so quickly and so well. I'm pretty excited about that.

Update- I had my surgery a week ago. Went in at 1230, got home about 6pm. Thing went well. He said he definatly understood my instability once he got inside. He feels I will have a good outcome. I haven't had alot of pain. Alot of swelling, but not alot of pain. I maybe had taken 5 pain pills all week. I am in a half cast with ace wrap. I get my stitches out tomorrow and I think into a walking boot. He said I will probably get another week on crutches and then be in the boot for 6 wks, weight-bearing. Not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I got out of the house on Friday for the first time, of all places to go to Walmart- but anything was good for me!

Lisa:

I am glad it went well. It will totally be worth it.

My surgery was 10 weeks ago today. I went for my final post-op checkup yesterday. My OS examined me and said "wow, I did a good job." I am glad. I don't have to go to PT anymore (still have to do exercises on my own for 6 more weeks) and have been cleared to run, pain permitting. I ran 1/4 mile today. First time running since early June. Not very far, but liberating nontheless. I still get a lot of swelling by the end of the day and I still have some pain, but things are progressing.

I went to get my stitches out yesterday and I have an infection. I am allergic to the stitches. I have to take antibiotics for 10 days, 4x a day to clear it up. Its pretty bruised up but doesnt hurt alot. I can but a little weight on it, I am permitted to walk on it as tolerated. I think I will be on crutches for another week or so. I go back in 2 wks for an xray and another visit... I will go back to work on the 16th.

Wow, you get to do weightbearing at 10 days? I had to wait 3 weeks. It took me about 4 days to go 100% weightbearing.

Did your tattoo survive?

That's nice that you get time off work. I work at a desk so I went back to work six days later.

Why is he going to take x-rays?

YIKES! Take care of the infection, mine all started from an allergic reaction to the sutures inside.. Glad it went well.. And congrats on the weight bearing!!!

I can hobble to the bathroom on my own, but need the crutches for about everything else. He didnt want to push me into PT but said if I can tolerate the weightbearing, then go for it. My tattoo did survive!!! Yippee! My husband was joking around for him to cut it off. Not sure why the XRay, there was a cyst he removed, so not sure if he is looking for that or what. Ill let ya know in a couple of weeks. I have a desk job also, but b/c of the infection he wanted me out longer. I am going to return next Tuesday.

When I got my plate and screws out, I found I was allergic to the dissolveable ones. They couldn't figure out why it kept getting infected so they would cut the tissue and redo the sitches and then a while later I got this zit-like thing on my leg and I pushed it and out came the dissovable all in tact. After that I was good... I have had a few surgeries since and had to tell them about it so they would use a different brand, but I guess its the regular kind too...

Recovery update:

On Tuesday I'll be 11 weeks post surgery.

Yesterday I ran 1 mile (then did the exercise bike for 45 minutes). I was pretty swollen and stiff last night and limp a bit more than usual today. But overall I am really pleased.

Given the problems I have had with my ankle for years and the constant pain and problems from my injury in June I was a bit concerned that the ankle ligament reconstruction surgery wouldn't fix it and I would be in pain for the rest of my life. The fact that I am improving every week and that I can run (even if its only a mile) is so exciting!

One of my goals for this year is to do a triathlon. We'll see . . .
Its fun to get better.

I am back to work today... so far so good. My husband had to drive me. My LOA was messed up about my returning today, but other than that- I am doing well!

Work for the first few days really wore me out (I went back after six days).
Its nice to get back to more of a normal life isn't it?
What's an LOA? Leave of Absence?

Yeah, Leave of Absence... its all taken care of now. I am hoping to resume driving next week- we will see whta the dr says on Tuesday. Things were good, I was throbbing by the end of the day but its ok... today I am more achy but nothing horrible.

Update! I am feeling so good... little swelling around the incision, but not alot of pain. I hope to be fully off crutches tomorrow or so, but we will see. I go back on Tuesday for my appt and hope to get the ok to drive. I can press up and down easily, its the side to side that is really stiff... we will see! Wish me luck!

Lisa: That is great! I am glad things are progressing well.
Are you in a boot? How would you drive?
I am somewhat jealous. I was in a cast for six weeks. But, I guess I can't complain too much, as things are going really well.
My OS cleared me to drive with my left foot which I did a little bit, but it didn't seem that safe so I only did it a few times. Also, my car is a stick shift so it involved borrowing my wife's car. Of course, I could have traded with her, but we have kids and the thought of my kids eating food and having all their stuff in my BMW wasn't a pleasant thought.

LisaUT,
Sounds like you are doing well. The up-down motion was much easier then the side to side motion. I had a tendon repair and did not realize how hard it would be to get the side to side back. Had the surgery done Nov. 5th, have been doing physical therapy for about six weeks, although for the first four I was not allowed to turn my foot in more then 10 degrees. Now can turn it in almost all the way and hopefully will start heavier strength training next week. Therapist says to have patience.

Ok, on one hand I know I am doing really well. Its 12 weeks post-op from my ligament reconstruction surgery, peroneal tendon repair and bone removal. I am biking, swimming, doing yoga and some running (up to 1.5 miles a few times a week).

On the other hand - when does the pain completely go away? And the swelling? It doesn't hurt as bad as pre-surgery and not nearly as bad as before the previous arthroscopic procedure I had for impingement. But, sometimes I am just impatient!!! I am going snow skiing in two and a half weeks. I am training for a triathlon. I need this ankle to get back up to speed!

Big Dog Two,
Sounds like you are doing very well. I am starting to work on strength training on the left ankle, rom is good, swelling stays for awhile I guess, depending upon the day, some days are better then others. I am trying to get the left ankle well, at the same time the right ankle is having problems with the peroneal tendon! Doctor told me that I would be totally healed at 6 months, so till then take it somewhat easy - use ice for swelling. etc.

Are you in a boot? How would you drive?
I am somewhat jealous. I was in a cast for six weeks. But, I guess I can't complain too much, as things are going really well.


I am in a boot... I can push up and down really well, its side to side that hurts- but driving, I can pick up my foot to reach the brake, so I think I would be ok. We will see.

Lisa UT
I was in a boot for about four weeks after the intial splint came off. Then a lace up brace for six weeks. Didn't start physical therapy till the boot was off so it was about 7 weeks after the surgery. Side to side motion is still hard, but getting there, up and down is not as bad. I have almost my full range of motion back, although I can feel a pretty good stretch when I do side to side.

I am in an air cast for the right ankle and it doesn't seem to be helping much - or maybe I am just frustrated at this point! Driving is painful as you move your foot up and down when you press the pedals. I go back to the doctor on Tuesday for the right ankle - I have no idea what he is going to do next.

Go slow and have patience, the motion does come back, I know just not as fast as we want it to!

I have been wearing regular shoes for a couple of days now and it is feeling great. I just got on the bike for a little while. I have more range of motion... its going well! I hope you all are feeling just as good!

Lisa:

That is great. Its fun to start getting back into the swing of things isn't it?

I have found that the more activity the better. If my ankle is super swollen and painful at the end of the day I'll back off for a day or two, but, in general, I keep going and progressing. My PT told me that with respect to running and other physical activities to move up the mileage gradually and push thru the pain. That didn't seem to be getting me anywhere for awhile, but last week (13 wks post op) was this breakthrough week for me where I could run at a pretty normal gait and my pain at the end of the day was minimal (still a lot of swelling).

We'll see how the new and improved ankle likes snow skiing this weekend (my OS has cleared me for skiing).

Hey everyone must be all healed and gone, But I'll be here now, I go in for reconstruction thursday morning. My Dr couldnt tell me If I would be put under or nerve block, But he did say since I had a lower back surgery they will likely stay away from my back, Thats ok I would rather be knocked out anyway. After reading all these post I feel like I know everything thats going to be . If anyone can tell me did they put you under for this ? Hope to meet some people here, I'll be around for a while.

Thanks in advance. :wave:

Shawley:

I was put completely out. Which was fine. They also kept me overnight, which was nice in retrospect (demerol every 3 hours).

I had my surgery Nov. 23rd. I just went snow skiing this past weekend with no problems other than I couldn't ski moguls without pain. I am up to running 4 miles a few times a week. I still have some swelling and some pain, but it gets better every week. I am so glad I had the surgery done. Prior to the surgery I was in constant pain and it felt like everything didn't fit together right.

A few bits of advice:
1. set an alarm to give yourself pain meds the first few nights at home. I didn't do that and woke up at 2:30 in the morning in unbearable pain.
2. If you take a lot of pain meds (which you will) also take a lot of laxatives (before you think you need to)
3. elevate, elevate, elevate
4. take it easy and really try to really enjoy the down time. I did a pretty good job of this, but in retrospect I wish I had done a bit less and taken more time off from work and spent more time lounging around. It is so rare to get a break.

I was completely out too. Definitely the way to go, in my opinion... didn't have to listen to what was going on! I made the mistake of going home after the surgery, and had to beg to be readmitted because the pills weren't working for the pain that first day. Once I got back into the hospital with the demerol IV I was happy as a clam. One thing that you should think about doing is getting a temporary handicapped permit from the DMV before your surgery. You can go pick up the form, have the doctor sign it, and take it back to get the permit before you have your surgery. This really helped me out. Try not to worry too much. The first week is pretty painful, then it gets frustrating because you are just sitting there in a cast waiting for it to heal, but when you look back on it it really doesn't seem like it was that long at all.

Thanks for the Info. I just got the call 5:30am to be at the hospital. Yeah Big dog I wrote your things to do in a old post of yours, Thanks alot. Im sure I'll see you all in a week or shorter..Take care

:rolleyes:

It's good that you're going in early.... Less time to be nervous in the morning. Just try to relax, and it will be over before you know it.

kehorner:

No kidding! My surgery was at 2:30pm. I had a breakfast meeting (couldn't eat) and then two other work meetings. I was freaking out during my meetings. Then I went and swam just to calm down and then went straight to the hospital. Early morning surgeries are much better.

Hey ya'll Im back,,WOW ! That hurt pretty bad, I told my wife that was worse than my back surgery. Its been 4 days since I had it done, The Doc said my ligaments were really bad but he fixed em, Said he also pulled tissue over them and hooked them in place by hook screws ?? I crawled up the steps after my wife went to work, Here I am. I was taking Oxycodonne for pain, But I stopped them and went to tylonal, Its hard sleeping at night but its gettin better. I have to wear a cast for 6 weeks, The first one 10 days then stiches come out and a new cast.I dont know why, But when I stand on my crutch my foot turns purple?? Hurts to. Does it hurt getting the cast off after 10 days ? Hows it done ? Thanks alot .. :)

Shawley
The blood goes to your foot when you stand up, that is why it turns such pretty colors and why it hurts. TAking the cast off ususally doesn't hurt. Good Luck and take it slow, remember patience is the name of the game.

Shawley:

Yeah. Its painful for awhile. I had the exact same treatment. A post-sugical splint for 10 days and then a cast. Total in cast for 6 weeks. I started weightbearing at 3 weeks. How about you?

The pulled tissue is called the extensor recalentium (sp?). Its a rough band of tissue that holds the tendons in place. It runs over the top of your foot. It is moved up and attached to the fibula to add additional stability. I can feel the anchors sticking out of the bone a bit. Interestingly, most of the pain I've had since getting my cast off has been from having the extensor recalentium moved.

Some thoughts on recovery: First and foremost, there is a reason that you will be non-weightbearing for 3 weeks or whatever and then a reason that you are in a cast for 6 weeks. At the 2 week mark I said to my wife "there is no way I can start bearing weight in a week." But when week 3 came I was able to move to full weightbearing in about 4 days. At about 4.5 weeks it still felt like an ice pick was being stuck in the side of my ankle after I walked on it in the cast for a few hours. I thought walking out of the cast was going to totally suck. It actually went fine (there was pain, of course, but got better each week). My Doctor said that I could ski after 3 months. At 10 weeks that seemed crazy. I went skiing at 14 weeks and it was great. It hurt to ski moguls, but groomed slopes were fine. So, you will get better. Not necessarily everyday, but definitely every week. It is 16 weeks since surgery as of today. This morning I ran 4.5 miles. Very little pain.

I found that my pain got a lot better around day 8 or 9. I was popping 2 Vicodins every 3 or 4 hours until then. By day 10 I was down to one vicodin every 6 hours and by day 12 I was only taking OTC meds.

Getting the post-surgical cast off and the new fiberglass one on is fine. Not painful. Fun to see the incisions and move your ankle around a little bit. I thought the fiberglass cast was more comfortable and its smaller and lighter.

Good luck.
Lay around and enjoy the rest a lot.

Glad to hear that the surgery went well. If you are in a soft bandage type cast, they will just cut it off with scissors (bent on the end so they don't cut you!). If you are in a hard cast, they will use a cast saw to remove it. Cast saws vibrate and make a lot of noise, but they only cut through hard stuff. As soon as they hit something soft, they stop, so it is impossible for you to get cut. Also, there is a lot of padding between you and the hard part that they cut through with the saw. After they cut through with the cast saw they use scissors to cut the padding.

Your foot might look really gross, so don't let that freak you out. It will probably be bruised a bit, and yellow from the disinfectant they used before surgery. Getting the stitches out may hurt a bit, depending on how fast you are healing. But the pain only lasts for a few minutes. Then they will probably try to get your ankle bent up to a 90 degree angle (or as far as you can go towards that) and put on the new cast.

Just keep it elevated as much as possible, and that will cut down on the pain from blood going down into the foot.

Thanks for the info, I have no idea when or whats goin on till Monday, ( Cast removed)
I think the cast I have on is fiberglass. Man I would love to Ski . I had a bad back injury in 2003 , So I can't enjoy the kinda crazzy stuff I used to do, I can't even run.Now I just sit around BORED to death, I did buy a 4x4 4 wheeler to go for a mountain ride with my friends and stuff, I probably could do it now,With my foot strapped to rack,..lol. I told my wife, This surgery hurt worse than my back surgery, And I have screws and rods in my spine, Im not taking any pain med's any more, The oxycodonne makes me sick, Just Tylonal . I will keep you posted on my progress, Thanks

I feel like I'm butting into someone else's conversation but I have to say "Thanks" for these questions. They' re exactly what I'm looking for when I talk to my podiatrist on potential surgery.

No problem.
Its not someone else's conversation. That is what these boards are for. I learned a lot from these boards prior to my surgery and after. Its a good resource.

As far as my personal situation is concerned, the surgery has been totally worth it. I guess it depends on how bad it is now and how much it is affecting your daily life. It was to the point for me where I could do yoga, couldn't run, couldn't take my kids for a walk, etc. So, now that I am running again and can go skiing, its a big improvement. The injured ankle still gives me problems, but nothing I can't live with (not that its totally healed yet). My OS said the injured ankle will never be as good as the non-injured one, but I should be able to return to doing all the things I was doing previously, which is great.