I thought I would give an update on my ankle fracture. I got a fiberglass cast for 4 weeks after the splint/cast was removed. At that time the stitches were removed and that felt a bit better because they were no longer being pulled on by the cotton liner inside the cast. There was a bit of swelling and the first few days in a hard cast were the worst. I would have ankle pain and some pain and numbness in my toes on the pinky side and all I could do was elevate my foot and use pain drugs. It got easier as the swelling got better, and because my leg muscles got smaller from non use. Last week, I was happy to have the cast removed and now have a Aircast walking boot. I am supposed to put a little weight on my foot and gradually increase it. That is easier said than done. If I increase the weight, I have a lot of pain and it can last an hour or more after I stop and elevate my foot. The incisions still hurt and are very tender to the touch. I still have swelling and the ligaments hurt on the side of my foot when I move it. I am supposed to be working on getting back the range of motion. My calf muscle just hangs there and is pretty small, but today is the first day that I can see some movement in it when I flex it. I've been calling this my bird leg. Last night, I tried some myofascial release to try to help loosen the tightness of the incisions and scar tissue and I think it helped because today there is visibly less swelling and I am starting to see the normal shape on the top of my foot where all the tendons head toward my toes. Another big improvement is that I have been able to walk up and down stairs by leaning a lot on the handrails and no longer have to sit and scoot to do this. My foot does turn purple and blotchy in a downward position and elevating it clears that, and I think the degree of this is improving too. My next followup will be a 3 month post op appointment.

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