Learning To Walk Again After ORIF Ankle Fracture Surgery
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- Опубликовано: 25 дек 2024
- It's been 3 weeks since I started weight bearing on my right ankle and 3 months since I broke it.
I was initially put into a cast for about a week and a half however, when I went back for a follow up Xray, my ankle had become unstable and I subsequently had to get ORIF surgery on my fibula. After the operation, I was sent home with a cast to wear for about another week and a half along with some blood thinning medication. I was then put into a moon-boot for the 5 weeks following (still no weight bearing at this stage). After the next checkup, they advised me that I could begin to gradually put weight on my leg. I recorded a segment of myself trying to walk every day for 3 weeks after that. This is my ankle rehab journey
Enjoy :)
Also, if you have any questions about anything related to this whole process, let me know in the comments below.
Thank you for sharing this video!
I had an ankle surgery and I’m starting to walk again with no crutches!
Whoever reads this comment be positive .Get your inner strength out to be able to do exactly what he’s showing!
Thank you 🙂
Thank you and in hope right now you're doing well
I don’t know if I’d have the guts to try and balance on my bad ankle so soon! This was amazing to watch. Thank you 🥹
You gave me so much hope. I am three weeks post op and my doctor will give me go ahead only after 6weeks of bedrest. So I have 3more weeks to go until I put on weight. Thank you so much for showing your recovery. It gave me so much hope and couragement. ❤
Did your ankle set right? Can you able to walk now?
Thanks for sharing, hope you are doing great! When you were on bedrest, we you able to at least do either crutches or knee scooter, etc, after a certain point like to do basic things.
@@Vamsi_Vamsi_Yenuga yes my ankle is all set now and I am able to perform almost all. Of my daily chores.
@@Vamsi_Vamsi_Yenuga yes after around 8 weeks of complete bedrest, my doctors allowed me to walk on crutches. I just used two crutches for balance that's it.
Not me sitting here crying 😭 you did such a good job I hope I can be like you
So glad to see videos like this! Today I'm officially 6 weeks postop from and ORIF on both tibia and fibula and my recovery has been a nightmare! I've been given the OK ago start walking but the nerve pain I have makes it difficult and regular pain at incisional sites! I hope to recover at a great pace like you! Thanks for the vid!!
Hey Stephanie, SAME i had ORIF on both tibia and fibula. 3 weeks in. Lots of pain at the incision sites. Hoping it gets better!
Hope you are doing great!
Did your nerve pain ever go away?
That’s awesome!! I’m on day 3 of weight bearing and it’s such a hard start but I’m hoping to be doing a celebration dance on day 9 like u did!
Thanks for this video! I'm currently on day 6 weight bearing and refer to your video almost every day to see my progress in comparison to yours.
Same !!! So, now you on your day 11. How is it? I’m on my day 5 now
@@lorauran6627 I'm day 12 now and progressing well but I definitely can't walk without the crutches at this point. How are you going?
Wow just amazing thanks for sharing this video with us all going through this difficult moment .. I’ll be 2 weeks post op tmr and next week I’ll get my stitches taken off and I’ll get a boot I can’t wait till that day comes and I can start walking again and getting back to my normal activities this is complete torture.. Thanks again for your video gives me so much hope
I had my surgery 2 weeks before n I'm really scared thank you for sharing your experience i felt gud to c your recovery
Excellent video, thank you! Have you been able to gain back the muscles, especially calf?
Hey did you do any physical therapy or did u work it out yourself
My ankle feels stiff after surgery. Although there is some movement but not full range of motion. I am post 7 weeks of orif surgery. Still non weight bearing
Thanks for sharing. When did you get to do weight bearing? Hope it's going great.
Hey same deal, about 3 weeks post op and my Achilles area is so thick and hard feeling. I can’t bend my foot upwards, and the ball area tingles all the time.
You have any of that
So when u start no need to use boot? I am using boot now n crutches I find both quite hard
Can you bend your knee after getting rid of your leg cast?
Hello, I just had an ankle fracture surgery. At 6 weeks after surgery, the doctor allowed me to start weight-bearing 25%, but I wasn't able to put any weight. It was so painful. Now it's been 7 weeks, (as your day 8-14) I use a crutch and try to put some weight on. I saw your day12 It was so amazing and encouraging me. You practiced by keep using a crutch every day? or anything else you did besides that. I can't wait to walk again. And also how are you doing now? you able to walk for a long time? Can you run? Anyway, Thank you for doing this. God bless
Hi Farrah!
Yes I was very reliant on my crutches for most of the day however I would still try and walk without them at the end of each day to see how much I had progressed.
Besides that, you want to do some ankle exercises to regain range of motion. I actually answered someone on that specific question so have a look at the other comments for the specific exercises I did.
I’m doing well now. I’m still not at the stage of proper running yet however I’m walking around a lot these days. I do get a bit sore at the end of the day sometimes but that’s expected.
Anyhow, it does get better so keep staying strong!!
How’s it going ?
Hope you are doing great.
Thanks for this video. I've watched it most days since I had cast removed 3 weeks ago and find it very motivational. I'm on day 21 since cast removed but only just about ready to walk comfortably on one crutch although I have managed to do a few lengths of.my room with n o crutches. How long was it before you could run again?
How is your swelling?
How many days after starting weight bearing you had pain?
Coz I just started weight bearing 2 days ago... And godd!! It's so painful!! Just curious to know that how long will it take to suppress the pain..?
How many days its taks for full recovery after remol of plaster of paries
Hey I’m two weeks post orif and I’ve started weight bearing with crutches and an ankle boot would you say it’s diffrent to wake bearing withouy
How long did you practiceeach day?
I tried that and I'm 16 weeks out and I still can't handle the weight on my ankle ... how I don't get it
Hie do you mind telling about the exercises to focus on so my leg get to walk again without stiffness and pain
I am six weeks out. and my body is kinda like just walks. hurts a bit cause of atrophy on the heal. I have my check up on the tenth hopefully i didnt screw anything up
I broke my Fibula on the lower end about 4 weeks ago. Had surgery orif a week later. I go back November 30th and I’m assuming I’ll start the weight bearing process.
So man as of now the ball of my foot stays tingling and my left 3 toes have poor dexterity. Also I can hardly get my foot to point upward. I had a plate and some screws installed.
Did you experience any of that?
hi how’s your leg doing ?
I had surgery a couple weeks ago and I get my cast off September first and I have hardware in /: I’m scared to walk again and I’m glad i found your video.. is your ankle ok when you drive ?
Hi there I just got the go ahead to start walking after a broken ankle, and I’m just wondering if when you forst started walking with bo crutches if it hurt at all? Thx
Hi Max,
Welcome to the club! Yes, it was a bit painful when I first started putting weight on it again even with both crutches.
@@aldogzz3006 thanks so much! Just wanted to make sure it’s normal
@@aldogzz3006 hi again, sorry. But how long did the pain last if you remember. Like after how long did it stop hurting. Days, weeks?
@@maxkidds-brodie5089 Hey Max,
I don't exactly remember when the pain stopped. I think it would've been around 10 weeks post surgery that I was relatively without any pain. It gets better and better every few days though so keep your chin up. You'll notice how you can walk a little bit further or feel a little less pain each day.
@@aldogzz3006 thanks so much!
How many minutes did you spent a day on practicing walking?🙃
I got a question though for me I’m on my fourth day of walking but my right knee is stiff is weak so whenever I try and do a stretch I fall down like you did is that normal ? Or should I carry on walking
Hi there! I tried looking up your instagram to DM, but it didn't come up. Hopefully you see this comment. I'm on week 4 of non-weight bearing after I broke my ankle at the end of September. I didn't need surgery or a cast, so I'm hoping that my recovery is quick. My calf muscles have atrophied so much it's depressing to look at. Can I ask how you're doing now? My doctor said it would be about 90 days to return to normal. I'm just so eager to start physical therapy and begin walking again. This non-weight bearing phase is killing me.
Hello MapleVertigo,
Yes sorry I actually changed my instagram name due to privacy recently.
But yes I know exactly how you feel. My calf muscles are still quite unbalanced due to the atrophy but as I'm walking more and more, it's slowly starting to come back. Don't worry too much! Once you can start walking and eventually weight training, your calf muscle should return back to where it was in due time.
Because you didn't need to have surgery or a cast, that's a really good sign and your recovery should be quick. The Non-Weight Bearing phase was really really tough and I know how eager you want to start walking again but it's important that you follow the doc's instructions because you don't wanna potentially mess it up more. Just try not to think about it too much and try to distract yourself with Netflix or other activities and keep your foot elevated as much as you can if it's swelling. You can do it!
Thanks for asking how I'm doing by the way. I'm walking around/driving a lot now but sometimes there's a bit of swelling here and there whenever I overdo it. I'm pretty much back to normal life just without the sport and running. I should be able to get back to doing sport again by the end of the year if all goes well. Your recovery probably won't be as long as mine so don't worry!
Godspeed
:^)
@@aldogzz3006 I'd like to think that I'm being a star patient. I have a non-displaced, stable, lateral malleolus fracture. I don't put weight on it at all, I have my leg elevated for 90% of the day in bed. I'm in a walking boot and compression sock. For the first 2 weeks I slept with the boot on, and now I sleep without the boot, though I still leave the sock on (with my doctor's permission). I've been doing nothing but watching ankle recovery videos. Although I wasn't super fit or active before my ankle break, I broke my ankle playing tennis and I was just starting to really get healthy again. Breaking my ankle has been the most depressing thing I've ever experienced so far even though I know it could have been so much worse. I'm just not motivated to do much, even just watching Netflix leaves me feeling bored. My goal is to be walking by Christmas and fully back to normal by February, but I don't know how realistic that is. Can I also ask what kind of physical therapy you did in addition to walking little by little every day? And how many minutes were you trying to walk every day throughout this video?
Hey @@MapleVertigo!
First of all, “non-displaced” and “stable” are the best things you can hear from a broken ankle. Good work on being a star patient and pushing through! I remember how annoying it was to go to bed with the boot on and having to stay in my bed the whole day. Also, compression socks help heaps with the swelling so good thing you’re keeping it on. I remember looking at so many ankle-recovery videos when I was at your stage too, which is what actually motivated me to record my own journey so that I could maybe help out someone else who ended up in the same shoes (or boot) as I did.
I hear you. Breaking my ankle was the worst thing to happen to me too. It was such a depressing time for me especially during the early stages. Becoming really dependent on others and having to rely for them for almost everything was really frustrating. Being at home all day bored, sad and lonely I realised how the world doesn’t stop for anyone and life keeps moving on even if it seems like life has stopped moving forward for you. Sorry if that last part sounded a bit too depressing but I guess try to find comfort in knowing that you’re not the only one going through this right now and that there’s a whole community out there who can help you through this :^)
I encourage you to maybe start reading a book or spending your time in something more productive if Netflix is boring you. Also try to get some sunlight when you can, so you can get that vitamin D or take some supplements to make up for it.
In regard to physical therapy, I did a whole bunch of ankle movement exercises daily to help regain my range of motion. My ankle got really stiff by the time I was out of the boot which is what happens when you don’t move your joints for extended periods of time. I only started doing these exercises when I was cleared by my ortho so make sure you ask first before doing anything. But here are the exercises I did for future reference.
- Ankle Rotations (clockwise and anticlockwise)
- Up and Down movements
- Left to Right movements
I did each of these daily for 50 reps by 4 sets in each direction spreading out the 4 sets over the duration of the day. Once you do those for a while, you can start doing the same exercises but with resistance bands to help build strength. Also, what really helped was doing the Alphabet with my foot.
I didn’t really have a set limit on how many minutes I wanted to walk per day, but I kind of just walked for as long as I could handle until I felt pain or anything. At the start I was mostly just walking around the house anyways and couldn’t walk too much but gradually the amount of time I could stay on my feet improved over the days.
@@aldogzz3006 That's a relief to hear. I've been doing up and down movements but that's about all I think I can handle right now. I don't have any or much ankle swelling probably thanks to the sock. I let my leg just air out for a few hours every other day without the sock or boot on so that my skin doesn't completely decay. I haven't been able to get much sun, but I'm taking calcium & vitamin D supplements here and there. How long was it until you started driving again? And how long until you could go up and down the stairs normally? I live on the 3rd floor of an apartment complex and my building has no elevator, so I pretty much have never left my apartment other than to go to the doctor's office twice in the last month in fear of falling down the stairs and making things worse.
@@MapleVertigo I started driving about 10~11 weeks post surgery. However only short drives as I wasn't actually sure if I was even allowed to drive at that point legally. Basically if you can come to an abrupt stop and slam the brakes in an emergency with your foot then that's generally an indicator that you are ok to drive. Also it depends on which foot it is, whether you're driving a manual or automatic and which country you're in.
But again, please ask your doc before you do anything!
I am 3 months post-op ankle surgery, and a few days ago in PT they had me put on a shoe for the first time. I was in a good deal of pain. Is this normal the first few times you try to walk...I am assuming it becomes easier as you go along.
Hi Elaine, yes I remember it being uncomfortable the first time I had to put on a shoe and the first time I started walking so I would say it's normal but if you don't feel like it's improving after a week or so or if it's too painful for you to walk then take it slow and don't push yourself and seek a doc's opinion if needed.
Hi I am 3 months after surgery… still using one crutch …sometimes walking with out it, but is too hard …
@@carmenscorner7209 how r u now
Do u able to walk normal?
How’s the ankle doing every time I over walk it gets sooo sore I’m 4 weeks post up
Hi Dafne, I’m able to jog a bit now and have been walking quite far. 4 weeks post op is still quite new so don’t worry about it. It’ll get better eventually. Just make sure you don’t overdo it
How much time did you walk each day?
DID IT HURT LIGMENT
I wanna know did you do physical therapy or did you just start walking?
Hey William, I only started putting weight on my ankle when my ortho cleared me for it. However, leading up to that day I was doing ankle exercises to regain my range of motion as directed. It was still a bit stiff when I started walking but it got better over time as I made sure to do the exercises.
Thanks so much for you’re reply .i asked because I was told to bear weight but I’m still stiff . Hopefully I will be able to walk soon. Thanks again
@@willliamwallis5376 mine is still stiff too, I'm exercising and walking in an orthopaedic boot, but my foot won't flex properly to walk without it.
@@sarawilkinson6766 Me too. My foot is JUST starting to feel loosened in the arch. It felt like I was trying to fold a very durable cardboard box. PT put me in a shoe 2 days ago, and I was in a good deal of pain. I am really hoping this gets easier as I go along.
How's your ankle now? Man mine hurt so much when I walk especially my heel. Im currently day 7 weight bearing as tolerated
Hi Bethany,
I've resumed playing sport again / running but with an ankle brace just to help me feel safer on my feet. The doc said that I could get the hardware removed if I wanted to since I'm young. So I've decided not to remove my hardware for now as it's not really bothering me at all.
hey, my heel kinda hurts when i walk rn, how’d it go? how did u make it hurt less or walk better or stuff like that? hope ur good now
👍🙏
Did you exercise much