Hi,
I broke my tibia/fibula and had ankle surgery needing plates and screws etc.. This was in January and I was not able to put any weight on that leg/foot for 3mos. Now I have a cam boot and have started to apply weight as tolerated with a walker or crutches. I have started PT and am in so much discomfort. I also have a screw that is protruding on the side of my ankle which I can see and feel. I am miserable. How long before I can walk, drive, be independent again???? I'm going absolutely crazy...of course I can't drive either since it's my rt. leg/ankle. HELP!!!

J_9

If you have a screw protruding you may want to visit your surgeon.

landlocked

I feel your pain, I broke my right distal fibula surfing back in early February. My first doctor let it go for 2 months before deciding it needed surgery. I just went in a week ago (new doctor this time around) to have 2 of the screws removed that ended up going through the bone and into my ankle. It feels much better now and I'm finally able to put some weight on it. They plan on removing the rest of the hardware some time down the road.

If you have a screw that bothers you I would seriously consider taking it out, especially if the bone has had sufficient time to heal. Had I not gone 2 months into the healing process before the first surgery I probably would have assumed the pain was normal. It hurts to put weight on it now but nothing like having 2 screws stuck in the middle of a joint. I talked to several different doctors and I've heard everything from 3 weeks to 2 1/2 months of non-weight bearing. Every case is different but experience has taught me that some doctors will not take an active roll in your recovery. An extra month or two might not seem like much to them but I'm counting the days until I can ditch the crutches as I'm sure you are as well. Good luck!

MWilken

I broke my right ankle end of January 2009 also tibia/fibula and I still have problems walking, also I have a plate and 9 screws in there, it took me a very long time to walk again without Crutches. Espesically in the evening the pain gets worse, I have spoken with another patient in my Doctors office and she had ist worse than I, it does depend on the person everybody heals different, I didn't think I could walk again it just takes a long time, you will walk again, I can feel my screws and the plate and sometimes it feels like the plate is burning, but when I take a footbath and it gets better, then I massage my ankle with oil, it does help me. I hope you get better very soon, but yes you will walk again.