My doctor said that my broken ankle should have surgery but I choose not am i able to walk? i have a minimally displaced transverse fracture with comminution involving the distal 3rd of fibula. Im 24 years old.
You have to be non weight bearing for 5-8 weeks. You shouldn't bear weight until you've had an xray showing the bone has knitted. They you would go into an airboot for a month. This in the average IMO. Walking on a bone not healed may prevent it from healing. Since, you're young it will probably heal faster, but u need xrays to know for sure. Good luck to you.
Albert,
From my experience, if the doctor says "we need to operate", you need to take action. Get a second opinion and proceed from there. You don't want to risk your mobility for the rest of your life. Hobbling around on a stiff and painful ankle really sucks.
Jim
hiya,having a fusion is normally a lasy resort at your age,i was 35 when i had to have it done and even then the doctor didnt want to,the operation is more common in older people who arent going to be as mobile,my advice is to try every other option before,having a fusion is a long haul,i had keyhole twice,open surgery once and a cortisone injection before my fusion,it really depends on how your body deals with each step,i got a good year out of the first lot of keyhole,you have the advantage of youth on your side,if your doctor is pushing for a fusion GET A SECOND OPINION,this is a very important decision,you see when an ankle is fused you will not feel pain at all,because there is no ankle.
the problem is the strain on the rest of the bones in your foot,they accomodate the loss of motion in your ankle and can wear a bit quicker,yes you will walk normally and have an amazing amount of motion (you wont be wandering around shouting ESMERELDA )it will be almost perfect,you just cant sprint or stand on tiptoe thats about it,but for the sake of the rest of your foot try other options first,
like i say you wont limp or look out of place,people dont believe i even had a fusion so dont worry at all on that front,
a damaged ankle is an awfull thing to have,people will never know the amount of pain it can cause,i feel for you pal,and i think youll find so does everyone else who writes in on this,your not alone,good luck and i hope this has helped
sorry "last resort" that looked awfull
Good evening Albert. I broke my ankle at the end of Sept last year, and had surgery as recommended by the consultant. He advised that it would be better both short and long term. I took his advice and had surgery, over 3 months later my ankle is still swollen, walk like a penguin, it stresses me out at times, I wished that I had never had the operation. I was 5 weeks before I could partially weight bear. I would not attempt to walk until your bones have healed properly and the only way is to have your ankle X rayed each hospital appointment, which is what should be happening. The advantage with you compared with most of other patients on this forum is that you are only 24 years old and your bones will naturally heal a lot quicker. I hope it isn't necessary for you to have the operation and hope you make a quick recovery. The best therapy is swimming, that is once your bones have healed, it will strengthen your ankle and get the mobility back sooner.
Keep us all updated on your progress
Hi Everyone
Thanks for all your comments and concerns, Yes I had a second opinion the doctor told me that its okay not to surgery if my fibula is the only fracture I had. But the doctor found out that I also broke my medial malleolus and dislocated the talus so the doctor advise to have an immediate operation due to my bone is amost healed and it will hard for him and more expenses to me if we will do it later.
I will have my operation this week.
Is your foot is swollen until now?, the doctor told me that I will be in full recover in 6-8 weeks.
My foot has been swollen since the operation, but have been told that it could take up to 12 months to reduce, not what I wanted to hear as I'm back at work doing 10 hours a day on my feet most of that. I'm limping badly and is mega swollen when I get home which has forced me to elevate it by going to bed and is starting to control my life. I don't want to appear negative but think the timeframe given by your doctor is optimistic. My doctor questioned why, after 3 months I was still on a crutch! My physio says otherwise.
I appreciate everybody has varying degrees of injuries and age plays a big part on recovery times. All I would say is that if you definitely need the operation as your doctor suggests, then have it.
I hope everything goes to plan