Hi everyone, first time here so im unsure wether i have put this in the correct place. I had a biomalleolar fracture, both sides were broke and one was out of place. Had 3 screws on the displaced side and the other was left to heal naturally. I have just started walking without the boot and ive noticed a popping sound coming from the front of my leg at the bottom near the top of the foot
When i put my hand on it i can feel something "popping" in there... it is painless but the feeling of it popping with every step isnt very nice to say the least, has anyone experienced this before? many thanks
Hi. I am 9 weeks post surgery for a tri mal, and in my 4th week of PT. I just started taking steps with crutches this week. Before I started taking steps, my PT did some manipulation that caused a popping sound, which has happened a couple times since. Like yours, it doesn't cause any pain. And my PT says it's fine. Did you have an x ray prior to weight bearing? I'd suggest checking it with your doc. Congrats on walking!
yes i had an x-ray last week and they said it looked good, its just every step i take i can feel this popping and its honestly disgusting to feel haha... i really really hope this isnt for life. Thank you ! i hope yours is going well also
Hopefully, it's just everything healing and the bones getting back to where they need to be for walking. This whole process has been fairly disgusting. Onward and upward. Good luck. Thanks!
Hi, Billy. It should be fine. I had trimalleoar fracture 8/14, surgery 8/25. Starting PT next week. Just got out of boot and transititioning into shoe. My ankle popped even lying in bed sometimes..
I have the same thing and I'm 16 weeks post op. I brought it up with the doctor and he says his ankles pop too! But with every step it's annoying. Has yours gone away or still making noise?
Hi nancy, yes mine has gone away. I was told by a physio that the popping was due to my ankle being stiff so stuff was grinding more than normal, so make sure you stay on top of your exercises and try to get as much flexibility as possible.
The popping went before but i have had the screws removed also which has given me alot more confidence as i could feel the head of the screw poking out lol.
Let me know how you get on and if you have any more questions dont hesitate to ask if you think i can be of any use.
Thanks for your helpful, fast response. Much more helpful than the doctor's answer. I'm glad to hear yours was temporary, as you may be mad by now with hearing that noise for 10 months.
Hi Billy, My ankle no longer makes noises when walking, yay I'm hoping to get hardware out in April as the medial screws bother me. Was it worth it for you to get your hardware out?
Hi Nancy, that is great to hear! Did you find the cause to be tight muscles/ligaments that improved with physio?
And yes 100%, for me, the screws were all on the medial side and when they was removed my ankle felt so much better and personally gave me more confidence in my ankle. I know for me the thought of another operation was a bit of a buzzkill after just feeling like i was getting back to some normality but it was definitely worth the temporary hold up.
Hi I read your comment and I had to ask. I’m planning to also remove hardware from my ankle in about 4 months, I am wondering if swelling has gone away? And by removing the hardware if it helped remove swelling?
hey, removal of my hardware did help with the swelling but its still slightly swollen but it doesn't effect me. Im sure its just a case by case thing but i think its always best to not have hardware in unless necessary
Hi Billy, I believe it was tight ligaments which improved with my physio. I later found that another spot was making a grinding feeling on the anterior/lateral ankle when dorsiflexing ; There was a soft mass under my skin which is most likely scar tissue and physio helped with breaking it up
Overall my chief complaint at 6 months is inflammation, which is greatly relieved by an ice pack
Keep me updated on the swelling! I hope it goes completely away eventually!
i had a sports massage about 3/4 weeks ago which really helped with tightness/ankle aches after walking for long durations so if you get any bother id look into that, and yeah i should really be icing my inflammation more too.
about over a month ago i had arthoscopic ankle ligament surgery and i went from nonweightbearing to a weightbearing cast and finally for mobility a boot and i hear popping sometimes but it hurts to move it and to put pressure on it but idk if the popping is normal after the 6th week of this kind of surgery so im just looking to see if thats normal