broken ankle surgery hardware

[OakLeaf]

(((((((Miranda))))))) Sending healing vibes. Hang in there.

[malkin]

Hang in there and stay calm.
I know someone who had an incompetent butcher repair his broken ankle. He can clip in and out fine. Some residual issues due to the lack of quality.

[bmccasland]

Good healing juju coming at you!

And remember, your PT is your friend. Really. Just because they occasionally channel their medieval ancestors, they are not evil, they will help you recover.

[Tokie]

You may have read my thread (I still recommend the kneeling scooter for mobility, it was great.) I too broke my "clip out" ankle. did lots of PT and when the surgeon gave the go-ahead, got on the trainer. It kind of creeped me out at first - I actually had to sit in the house and look at my bike shoe. Then I progressed to sitting on the sofa and wearing my bike shoe. After that, getting on the trainer was easy. and I just clipped out carefully at the bottom of the pedal stroke, which w/ my speedplays, is super-easy. I still try to clip out at the bottom of my pedal stroke,it's just better and easier. When I first got out of my cast & into my walking boot I went for an x-ray. As soon as I lay my ankle on the table for the lateral view, I knew - that one screw was going to have to come out. It was on the bony prominence, and it hurt to sleep on it and to pull socks on/off over it. 6 mos after my surgery, I went back and had that screw (my call) and 2 screws right next to it (doc's call) removed. that was on a Friday and I went back to work on Monday(on my feet all day, I'm a nurse).It was a bit sore. The doctor said "next year you're going to come back and want all the hardware out", but it really,really doesn't bug me a bit. That, and the fact that it would have been weeks more of "taking it easy" and he said that long-term, that my ankle will be stronger with the hardware left in. Good luck with your surgery, I also highly recommend a "La Fuma" type recliner (I got one on sale online) elevates your legs & feet without flexing at the hip and irritating your psoas. Take care! Tokie

[Tokie]

Oh, and no it doesn't show up on those body scanners at the airport.I still have plenty of screws and the plate, but it just showed my watch and bracelet.

[Wahine]

Hi Miranda. I'm sorry to hear about your accident. That sucks. But rest assured that you will get better and you'll be back to biking in no time after you've healed.

I have treated several mtn bikers with this same type of injury and surgery and none of them have had problems with clipping in and out. So don't worry about that at all.

As for the hardware, they say that it should stay in and that most people don't have any problems with it. Well, I'm not sure who "most people" are or what constitutes "most", but I have seen several patients that have had to have their hardware removed. I don't think there's any research on this but in my experience it seems to be people who are smaller boned that tend to have the most trouble. I would say that the majority of active petite women I see end up having it out. I bet I've seen less than 5 men in my career of 17 years that have had trouble. So take that for what it's worth, nothing really since there's no science behind it. But if you are a petite woman, know that even if you have the hardware removed, it's usually a pretty minor thing and you'll be back on your feet in no time after. Literally, no time.

I hope that helps.

[jessmarimba]

I'd wait and see how you react to having it in before you worry about taking it out! The surgery will go just fine though. Really. And it'll probably hurt afterward, but it'll hurt less in the long term than if you didn't have surgery.

I second the PT - do as they say! Don't push yourself too hard, but don't let yourself wallow in what you can't do, either. That's a tough spiral to get out of.

I haven't ever had hardware for broken bones in my lower extremities, so no help there, but after months of debating and weighing options and keeping track of what hurts and what doesn't, I have decided that I DO want the hardware removed from my back (if my insurance will cover the removal). I think it can be a really individual decision, based on how the hardware is put in, what kind they use, how intrusive it is long-term, and how active you are (and in what ways). And even though I've made the decision, I haven't actually committed to surgery yet. I'll probably wait until January-ish.

[GLC1968]

You may or may not have seen my threads as my injury was to the top joint in my foot, not my ankle. I had three long screws in there for quite some time.

Two things of note.

1) the surgery to put the hardware IN was dreadful. Well, the surgery was ok since I was out, but the recovery SUCKED. I was completely unprepared for the pain. I've had many surgeries before, but never one that involved bone work. The pain was incredible. If you can stomach pain meds, use them (I cannot so I just chose to suffer). Drilling into your bone is a pretty major thing, so keep that in mind. I wish I'd been more mentally prepared, so that's why I'm mentioning it to you.

2) I ended up having my screws removed on the first day that my doc would allow it. Even with them in there, I was able to find a bike shoe/pedal combination that would work so that I could ride, but it was painful. I could not stand at all on the bike and I had to be very careful which foot I unclipped first and which one I stood on when I started. The pain was constant and when I put pressure on the foot (particularly lateral) the pain felt like fire in the bones of my foot. Your hardware will be different and in a different location, so of course, your pain (or lack of it) may be totally different. Starting on the trainer is the best idea because you can control how much you ride, and your balance is not affected by how fast (or which foot) you unclip.

Once the screws came out, the constant pain was gone. Now I'm working on slowly building up my foot and ankle strength. I'm still under strict orders to do no impact because the joint of interest is the main one to take the impact in our feet and I still have holes in my bones. An ankle will be different, I'm sure.

But I agree with the others...I know how hard it is, but you really need to not think about what you can or cannot do at this point. The shock of the news is hard enough and of course, you start to over-analyze everything! But really, just focus on getting through the surgery and then on healing. I have a list of things that made my life a lot easier if you want it (showering, getting around the house, getting around at work, etc). While it seems totally insurmountable right now, in reality, it's what...a few months, a season, a year lost? In the big picture, it's not that long. Heal right the first time and avoid issues in the future!

Hang in there!

[indigoiis]

Hi! I broke my ankle two years ago mountain biking while trying to clip out. So basically, the bike fell on my turned-out ankle.

I did not have the surgery or the hardware and I have to say, if it were me, I would get a second opinion. With time in a cast and physical therapy, is it possible your injury could heal?

In any case, for me, I only rarely have pain in the ankle any more. Usually I get pain after mountain biking (oddly enough, since I just this summer started back up after 2 years of fear) and / or wearing heels for too long. Other than that, I no longer clip out, I clip in toward the bike. Although I can clip out with no problems, it is the clipping out action (on road or trail) that makes me nervous (rather than any pain or discomfort.)

I hope that is helpful.

Make sure you do everything with your PT - all your exercises all the time - and you'll be back in no time.