Pain three years after plate and screws for broken ankle

@jenniferhunter thanks so much. I do that but honestly there are times when the pain is so bad I can’t and or don’t want to move my foot at all. It’s a very humbling experience. Learning experience to carry in life understanding other ppl s pain with compassion. I already possess the compassion but now I have the understanding .

@janieben Thank you for your kind words and sharing your experience. That’s alot you went through. 😩 Great sister in law. My husband has been wonderful. I’m in my sixty’s and I’m so glad I worked out before I fell or I just don’t think I would have the strength I need to work with this. The nurse that prepped me before surgery notice my strength in my core. Lol Support is definitely a need. Stay well with your hubby and family and enjoy!

@tweet Yes, I understand. You are still early in your recovery and the swelling is likely contributing to your pain. Every time you walk with crutches, it probably hurts. I could not allow my foot to be lower than my body. I spent my time on the couch laying down with my legs elevated. Ice helps on and off. Time is your friend. I remember thinking I would never be able to walk any distance and hike again, but eventually I did and it was only possible 4 years after my injury. I found crutches to be very awkward and instead used a walker and I fashioned some webbing straps to make a sling for my knee of the injured leg so I could get around and put weight onto the knee. I also had a rolater and could sit on it and scoot backwards. I had the rolater upstairs and the walker downstairs. I navigated the stairs by scooting on my butt and could stand up from that on the good leg which got bigger and more muscular. It still is bigger, but not so much that anyone notices.

I think my foot would swell after walking when I was able to do that for a long time. I was always taking off my shoes and elevating my feet above my body on the couch and really just lived on the couch for a couple years. While I elevated my foot, I also moved it around and that is just a habit now as I check how well it moves.

I also had a podiatrist make custom orthotics. I used a lace up brace for a long time. I found that driving with it on my right foot cause horrible cramps because I was pushing against its resistance. I got supportive high top shoes to replace the brace and still wear them a lot.

Your recovery is going to take a long time, but you will get better. It will teach patience. I feel a slight ache in my ankle now as I write this. Remember to celebrate each small improvement as you recover. This is baby steps and each small step of improvement is a victory.

@jenniferhunter awe Thank you! I’m feeling very hopeless but I know it’s going to be time. Is it normal to feel the hardware all the time? It’s painful and annoying. You sound like a strong woman more so than me for sure. Thanks for your story and kind words.

@tweet I felt my hardware all the time. I am a person who needed it later removed. My surgeon said about 20% of his patients have their hardware removed. That is your normal and mine too. I know my body does not like foreign materials and metals. My hardware hurt all the time. It got worse in time and I was feeling like I was getting kicked all the time. The skin over the plates started getting more pigmentation. 6 months after the injury, I had chronic hives that came up anywhere on my body. I had to stay on antihistamines all the time because it was so itchy I wanted to scratch my skin off. My doctor didn’t accept the connection, but after the hardware was out, it stopped and I don’t have to keep taking antihistamines now. So yes, I think your experience is normal. We’re all a bit different in how our bodies function, so listen to your body. Recovery after hardware removal was easy compared to the first surgery.

I wasn’t always this brave, but breaking my ankle was a big test of my new found strength. I used to be terrified of surgery. I really worked through that and deprogrammed all my fears when I had spine surgery 4 years before the ankle fracture. What I learned was that believing in yourself and your recovery will help you get there. At the beginning, it is hard and strange and the reality of disability really hits you. Don’t give up. You may want to keep a journal and when you start feeling stuck, look back to see how you have progressed. Keep the faith!

I shattered my left ankle in early December 0f 2004. It got badly infected, but that is for another story. This is 2025 and I am currently undergoing PT for this ankle as I keep getting g bad tendinitis in it. Ankles are the worst thing to heal. I have nerve damage in the ankle itself and additional nerve problems coming from a bad back on the left side also. I hate to tell you; the pain, or some iteration of it, will more than likely be with you for the rest of your life. Seek PT as needed and exercise ot as much as tolerable. That's the best advice I can give you.

@jenniferhunter Thank you! Thanks for sharing your experiences as it does help. I learned some doctors don’t connect certain things but we know our bodies. I learned that when the Covid vaccine sent me to the emergency room . It gave me two different systems which I now live with. After research I found facts that I was right and a couple doctors were wrong. I had one doctor confirm it was the Covid vaccine.

I bought a foot heater wrap and foot vibrate machine. Been to therapy about 5 times now and can’t feel any difference. Time and patience . Thanks 🙏 .

@tweet , Please tell me about the heater wrap and vibration machine you mentioned. I've used these since April and have found good results. Can you describe how you've been using your devices please? Thx, John

broken anything can take a long time to heal, nerve endings do the same. i have read through your suggestions and remarks and reply's. i have had nerves re-heal and take alternate route in doing so. my arm had to be removed and bone shortened and tendons repaired .was a long healing process especially for the nerve endings to grow back. doctor daid best case would be 80 percent use and range . took me three years of stretching and a lot of pain, nerve growth but i made it back to 99 percent and some days a little more. but end statement here is depending how much you want to push and the reason behind it. Its a long hard route but worth it. three years was forever for me. i wish you all the best in making your goals.

@woojr It’s a electric foot wrap like a heating blanket. Put your foot in it and wrap away. Buy on Amazon. The foot massager is foot pro ultra. It vibrates and features some heat which I found to help loosening that tightness. I then put my foot on floor and can stretch it with less pain. I use the foot pro through out day and foot heat wrap at night. It’s the dam hardware that’s the greatest problem. Eerrrrrrr Best