[dawnistrue]

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.

[isabellaaaa]

Hello,

I broke my tibua and fibula three weeks ago and had surgery on it two weeks ago. I had a metal plate put in as well as some screws. But I don't know how many were put in there. I had a fiberglass splint on for the first ten days after my surgery and got a fiberglass cast on September 12th. I am schedule to get it taken off on September 30th because my Orthopedic Surgeon wants me to get x-rays to see if the healing process is off to a good start. He told me that judging by how everything was going ten days after surgery, that I could go straight to a walking boot or an air cast depending on what the x-rays show. He also told me that there is a possibility that I could be a fiberglass cast again after the x-rays for two weeks and not be able to bear weight on my injured ankle and then start weight bearing at the start of week three. I am a Junior in College and my injured happened the day before the beginning of the school year and I had to miss three weeks of school because of surgery recovery and horrible pain. Right now, there isn't much pain but itching is starting and it's so annoying because it's on my incision sites and I do not want to scratch it! Anyway, I was told that I would be able to walk on October 28th. Is this true? If it is, I only have six weeks to go. Hopefully everything is coming along fine and I am able to walk a lot earlier!

[isabellaaaa]

I meant tibia!