nondisplaced distal fibula fracture

Foot care
1

Day 0 (04/28/2016), Fell on a very steep concrete slope when fishing. Very intense and severe pain, but managed to walk 

to my car (using my toe) and drove home in pain. Wife drove me to ER and diagnozed as nondisplaced distal fibula 

fracture (~ half an each above the ankle). Went home with a walking boot and crutches. 

(between day 0, I stayed in bed mostly)

Day 4: saw a bone doctor. He reviewed X-ray from the ER and said the fracture was stable. He also said I could put 

weight on it immediately. Went home with the same walking boot. Also told that I could take the boot off when sleep.

(between day 5 and 12, no weight bearing at all. Swelling got better, but bruises everywhere on my right foot and quite 

a lot of pain on the foot and ankle) 

Day 11: I went to the doctor's office in a wheelchair. He was surprised... X-rayed again and no displacement observed. 

Went home with the same boot and crutches. Next appointment 06/06/2016.

Day 14: started to bear weight and felt much better. 

Day 20: could walk a few steps with limp but without crutches. However, most of the time, I did walk with both crutches. 

Pain has been gone. 

Day 28: didn't show much progress compared to previous week. when I walked 2 steps without crutches in the both room, I 

felt a little bit pain around the injured ankle when limped. Immediately stopped walking. laid in bed for a few hours 

and experienced 3-4 times of short, slight pain (each time, the pain lasted ~10-20 second). This really got me concern. 

I drove to the doctor's office. He was on vacation. 

Day 29 (now): laid in bed mostly and in great fear. similar to yesterday, I experienced several times of short and 

slight pain. tried to feel the injured ankle with my hand and the bony place felt a little warm (not sure whether the warm has been there all of the time). 

My next appointment is 06/06/2016. Right now, I am really concerned. I don't know whether or not the fracture was 

displaced.... (I have been on unpaid leave and have mortgage and bills to pay. I am anxious to go back to work. I don't know whether this would put my recovery back a few weeks). 

Any comments are welcome.  

2

Hi- I get darting muscle spasms throughout the day, but they are quick (a fraction of a second in length). Not sure what this could be. Bummer about your doctor bring on vacation! He doesn't have any backup?

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Hello geniusni. So sorry to hear of your ordeal. Sounds like the injury is evoking so many concerns, both practically and medically let alone what the worry is doing to you emotionally. Rather than wait another week, is there anywhere you could seek immediate medical support and evaluation at your surgery from your GP's Locum or your local A & E. Good luck with it

4

Find a new Dr quick smart. Have you seen your xrays? Take a photo of Dr computer screen. Ask if there are signs of healing.

If it shows its healing, find a Physio.

I had a displaced snapped fibula. Never healed. 100% non union. 4 months later I had bone graft , plate and screws. 4 months later that leg seems to be healing. Never was I told to weight bare at start. You know your body. Knee scooter helpful. I HAD cast at the start. Back slab First. 9 casts and 4 moon boots later, its my other leg with bakers cyst crippled by 8 months of supporting broken leg.

Write down All your concerns ready to get answers.

Good luck.

@(*+*)@

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Get a second opinion on all of it. I would not have any faith in someone telling me to weight bear just after accident it needs time to heal. Is he an ORTHOPEDIC MD?

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Hi geniusni, if I were you I would not wait for my Dr to return from holiday, get a second opinion. I broke my tibia and fibula in February also had surgery, plates and screws. The heat you feel could be from swelling and inflammation, and the bruising is normal. I had bruising from my toes all the way up to my knee, and it takes a long time to fade, in fact I still have slight bruising around the surgical incisions. Try not to put weight on the bad leg at all and don't take the boot off at night when you sleep until you have seen a Dr. You can take the front piece of the boot off when you go to bed and keep the straps looser, this will help support the ankle while you sleep. Also try keep it elevated as much as possible if you still have swelling. Hopefully you are also taking some type of pain meds. I take K-Fenak it is cheap and helps with pain, swelling and inflammation. Hope you recover soon. When you see a doctor please let us know the results.

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Hi Patti, how to you doing, I am definitely doing so much better. I walk a lot further and longer now with no crutches and only use one now if I go somewhere and have a lot of walking to do. Today I could pick my 18 month old grandson up and walk with him, not far but it felt like another step forward in my recovery. Also the swelling is minimal even during the day when I sit or walk a lot, my ankle is starting to look like the other one and only if I put them next to one another can I see the difference. Keep well and hope you doing great.

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I also have fibula fracture (10 weeks). Was nwb for 6 weeks then sent for PT.  As stated in previous message the second Dr I saw at 8 weeks would have had me walking in a boot from the beginning.  He wanted me to stop PT bc I wasn't healed. My point is that different Dr have different ways to treat.  

Dr 3 and 4 ( went to 4th on the advice of my primary dr) have me at PT even though X-ray still shows fracture.  I was told that the X-ray doesn't show the healing going on until 10 or 12 week.  I can walk w/o pain but my foot and leg are stiff from being immobile.  

I also felt warmth near my ankle.  It is probably inflamed.  Ice and elevate.  

Get a 2,3 or 4th opinion if you can or want.  But I have learned that the healing process can't be rushed no matter how many dr I see. Only time will tell if I heal completely but for now I am walking a little more each day.  I think you should continue to rest in between short periods of walking.  You will get better.

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thanks for all of the replies. they are helpful. The doctor is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. I guess he is a orthopaedic doctor. when I visited him, he seemed  confidient that the fracture was stable.  I will try to see another orthopaedic to get a 2nd opinion. The problem is that I am in a small town. These orthopaedic doctord share the same, small hospital...this is the only place I could go to. 

I have the X-ray from the ER. 3 images: one didn't show fracture ([probably overlapping), the other two showed a very blurry oblique fracture that is not all the way through the distal fibula. For the X-ray taken at Day 11, I didn't see them. After seeing them, the doctor literally told me that he was surprised to see me ina wheelchair.... and he seemed a little angry. He told me that fracture was stable, no widening around the ankle joint. When I had him fill out the Fitness-for-Duty form from my employer, he seemed confidient that I would be crutches free and be working without limination after 6 weeks. 

Update: today is my 30th day of injury. I have been in bed 90% of the time since my injury. The ankle has been only slightly swollen since 3rd week. It does not matter much that I keep it elevated when I am in bed. It only swells slightly when I stand (with crutches) for >20 min. However, the foot did get very red when I stand. The redness would go away in seconds if I lay in bed. I only took 4 days of pain-killer when I first injured. Right now, there's obsolutely no pain at all. The ankle may feel very slightly warm. 

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Yup. As you are immobile, you have lost the normal pumping action of your foot and calf that would provide drainage. That means that when you do stand all the fluid rushes for your foot. The situation usually maintains until you become more active again. Once I did, at around 10 to 12 weeks, I wore a compression bandage tube, rolled up from my toes to my knee and back down to my toes again. This really eased the swelling and, the more mobile I became and the more my calf started to rebuild, the less I needed it. I used RICE Protocols throughout. REST. ICE. COMPRESSION AND REST. Someone else commented, there are no shortcuts and everybody's recovery is an individual and challenging journey. I knew there was something wrong with my foot at 13 weeks and despite letters to and appointments with my surgeon, he was always dismissed me by taking x-rays, saying all was ok and telling me to take extra painkillers and do more physio. At 18 weeks, I can still. It walk unaided for more than 10 minutes. I finally got wise to this arrogant individual and sought a second opinion. The doctor immediately ordered a CT scan and an ultrasound and I have been diagnosed with Synovitis and will be admitted to hospital on Tuesday for guided steroid injections under sedation. He also found damage to the base of the tibia that may require arthroscopy. So, listen to your body and instincts. Saying that, I was so worn out with worry and pain and immobility and dependency, I couldn't think straight. So, if you are not happy with your doc or your progress, fight for a second opinion. Good luck

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Foot back is hard to get going. Swollen sole, foot going red and purple. Get 2nd opinion 4sure. But hey, I could put my foot down on ground- not standing, and flex it as per orthopedic surgeons instructions with a snapped leg 4 weeks before my op. He said it I didn't it would be stiff and hard to rehabilitate.

It was hard. I was grumpy, I was sore.

You need a Physio therapists input.

As well as another Dr.

Like me , you might need a Social Worker.

Raises toilet seat, bed lifter - to help you out of bed. Kneescooter- get out in fresh air safely. Get body fit, lungs working.

After the above, get a chair raised and try to find a hobby. Ps4? Ukelele? Reading? Movies?

Was always told

*fresh air

*exercise- even if good leg and arms

*water

*sunshine

Good luck.

©{•∆•}©

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Hi Daphne! Thank you for your post. Amazingly, I am pretty much right where you are in advancement. I am now 14-1/2 weeks along ORIF (I think you are around that point too if I recall correctly). I was given a lace up soft shoe insert (brace) from my doctor this week, and told to switch to just wearing tennis shoes in two weeks, with the brace, and until then to wear the boot primarily when I walk. Still, I try walking outside of the boot from time to time, around the house, to gain further foot strength, because I feel able to do it. I can walk around barefooted (without crutches) or with special ortho sandals several hours a day (on and off), but I still move pretty slowly (and try to do proper heal/toe walking form vs. doing any limping which I know can cause problems later for the hip and knee). I am trying some exercises where I rock back and forth (for 10 seconds each foot) on the good and bad foot standing in front of a table, chair, or bed (you can hold onto something in front of you, if it is difficult to balance). I think this is helping to strengthen my injured foot a lot. My PT just gave this exercise to me this past week. I also do all the other stretching exercises as well several times a day. My friends and family say each week they see remarkable advancement at this point (but we all know to get here feels like it takes forever, and things still move so much slower than we ever imagined they would). I most of all have tried to be an example to my family and friends, of how things can go wrong in our lives, but we need to keep a smile on our face, get up and out as much as possible, and I try to not complain too much (because I figure who wants to hang out with someone who complains). This website is a place where we can all tell it like it is, complain, and get solice. You only really understand if you have walked down this path. 

How amazing to pick up your grandson finally! I have two granddaughters (2-1/2 and 7 months) that I could finally pick up and walk with in the last week or two also, and it really changes things incredibly to be able to do this! I also have a daughter due with a baby boy in just two weeks. I plan to walk into the hospital in regular shoes to meet him. It's been a long term goal for me through this process, which I will fulfill. So, believe me, I totally share your excitement about this development! I keep hearing week 16 will be even better for us! Do you take anti-inflammatories each day to get through all the exercises and walking? I try to push the envelope every day, and feel I need to take two Motrins (morning and night) to get through without throbbing (all pain is gone with the Motrins). I still sleep with my leg elevated, do you? I pretty much only use the crutches at night to get to the bathroom, when I am sleepy.  I use the boot when I am going out where I need to walk really fast, or need to protect my ankle a bit more. My swelling is primarily around the middle of the ankle itself, and it's only noticeable when the feet are next to each other also. My ankle bones have popped a little, but are still not totally defined. Ice is still my friend several times a day. So glad we are both experiencing these positive changes in our lives!  I hope everyone here finds something positive (even if small) each week in their advancement too. It is a long road and we are walking/hobbling along it together! 

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You have been through so much Tituscanby1. It's incredible! Keep up the great healing!

 

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So glad you figured that out Patientholland. I wonder how long before our foot pumping should work on it's own and all the swelling will be finally all gone...I have heard maybe as long as 12 months? (At 14-1/2 weeks now). 

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I am fair and tend ot protect a lot against the sun, but now really agree with you that some sunshine is really beneficial for bone healing and overall happiness with our injuries. I also agree that fresh air and swimming make you feel so much better too! Basically, moving around as much as possible, as early as possible, as long as you follow the WB guidelines from your doctor, seems to help a lot. What about arm workouts...those are great to pump the blood through the body. Staying in bed gets very boring! Great advice Tituscanby1!

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I am at 18 weeks and dont really have too much of a swelling problem.  I do get some swelling if i have been standing for a while.  My swelling however, i think, is more in response to my synovitis and, therefore, is more localised to both ankles rather than an overall swelling due to lack of good drainage.  

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Hi Patti, so happy you are also doing so well. When I read some of the posts on this forum my heart goes out to those who really are having a very bad and difficult recovery and even though it's been a long road to where we are now it has actually gone well for us. It is a exciting time for you with the new grandchild on the way. I have four grandchildren. My daughter had a little boy on 25th February, and I have not seen him yet . I was going to go to her and be there for the birth of the little one, but the I slipped and fell on the 18th February so that put a end to those plans. She has two other children, the eldest is I school so she also has not been able to visit me. She lives about 660 km from me. I also do still take anyi

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That's great to know! Thanks. Hope the synovitis gets rectified soon...what a pain!

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Oops...I think the end of your note got cut off. How far away is your daughter and grandson? I bet you could make the trip soon!

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Arm workouts are great. I lost my hand weights to my husband for his broken scaphoid. We are both immobile in our areas.