Surgery question???

[tn94z]

So the story is that when I was 16 I fractured my ankle playing basketball. I got a walking cast and went through the whole process. It never seemed to have healed correctly because every since then, when I sit indian style, my ankle would sometime pop out of place and I would have to slowly move it back (this hasn't happened in a while now). About a year or so ago, I was playing basketball and rolled it again in the exact same way. It hurt for a bit but I just threw an ankle brace on for a few days and it went away.

Well, since then, it has been bothering me a little. For instance, when I work in the yard all day, it will swell and get tight and has a dull pain in it. It feels weak sometimes and I can tell that I favor it as I walk. So my wife convinced me to go to the doctor (I can't stand going to the doctor because I think most of them are full of it). I had an x-ray and a MRI done on my ankle. They called yesterday and told me that I had a deformitiy in my ankle bone and that if I wanted it fixed, I would have to go to Vanderbilt and have surgery on it.

It really doesn't bother me bad enough to have them do surgery on it...but I do want to be able to walk when I'm 60 too. What would you guys do if you were in this position? I guess I have some fear that my ankle will never be right if they operate and that it will constantly be something. I always said that I would never be cut open voluntarily.

[jamescb77]

Re: Surgery question???

if you can walk alright now i wouldn't worry about it. My ankle has bothered me ever since i broke it about 9 years ago and it is what it is. I still can't really jump 1 footed off of it but it's plenty strong for anything else.

[tn94z]

Re: Surgery question???

That's kind of the way I am thinking. They are sending my my MRI pics and said that if I wanted to have the surgery a year from now, all I would need to do is take these with me. I mean, I do squats, cardio, etc...on it with no issues. The main thing that bothers me is the "weak" feeling. I feel like it will turn over at any time.

[BABY1]

Re: Surgery question???

I would really think about surgery right now. Are there other alternatives to surgery for you? Can the deformoty cause more damage to surrounding areas?

I had hip surgery almost 9 months ago due to a bony deformity which caused more damage in the surrounding areas of the hip joint. The pain was unbearable and I did not have a choice. Having said that, 9 months later I am experiencing nerve issues so it has been a real roller coaster. There are no guarantees that surgery will be successful either. You may need surgery someday but you have to decide what you want now. Even though I had the hip fixed, I am told that most likely I will need a replacement in the future. Being that I am in my early 40's now, the choice to do surgery was the best one at the time. Good luck and ask lost of questions before you decide.

[tn94z]

Re: Surgery question???

Yeah, I was actually under my house working when they called...LOL!! But I need to talk with someone there and ask questions. I have a lot of questions!! They were very vague on the phone.

[Dzone]

Re: Surgery question???

Foot surgery is SERIOUS...You put all your weight on your foot...Ive known people who had botched foot surgeries and they are in constant pain...My mom is disabled because some moron Orthopedic surgeon butchered her foot...That's not to say that surgery is warranted in some cases, but only as a last resort...Sounds to me like you might be able to do some strengthening exercises. Chronic ankle Inversion sprains/fractures almost always causes weak Peroneal Muscles(peroneus longus, brevis and tertius)...You could have fibrosis in the extensor retinaculum as well, but am guessing that if you do some rehab exercises to the Peroneals, you might gain some stability

[tn94z]

Re: Surgery question???

Foot surgery is SERIOUS...You put all your weight on your foot...Ive known people who had botched foot surgeries and they are in constant pain...My mom is disabled because some moron Orthopedic surgeon butchered her foot...That's not to say that surgery is warranted in some cases, but only as a last resort...Sounds to me like you might be able to do some strengthening exercises. Chronic ankle Inversion sprains/fractures almost always causes weak Peroneal Muscles(peroneus longus, brevis and tertius)...You could have fibrosis in the extensor retinaculum as well, but am guessing that if you do some rehab exercises to the Peroneals, you might gain some stability

Exactly!!! That is my biggest fear by far. To be honest, I am not planning on having the surgery unless it just gets to a point that I can't stand it anymore. Very good suggestions!! I may start concentrating on working it more specifically to strengthen it and do some exercises, etc....to see if that helps. I still want to talk with the doctor and get some questions answered. They are mailing me my MRI and the nurse said that there will be a sheet in there telling me what's wrong. Once I get that, I can research this a little further.

[TheChosen1]

Re: Surgery question???

I went through similar issues, bro. Only when I was 17, I remember my friend and I were riding our bikes most of the day. By the end of the day, my left knee was bothering me badly. Being young and dumb, I didn't think too much about it. By 24, it started popping out at random when I'd be doing the simplest things (i.e., tying my shoes, standing up from sitting, getting in my car, etc.). The 1st hospital that I went to didn't really help me but when it happened again, I was given a leg brace to pop it back in place. It was a 3 foot brace (from ankle to thigh) and it would take a week for the knee to pop in place. It wasn't until 1989 (by then, I was 27) when I learned that I had arthritis in both knees and while my left knee was operated on then, I was told that my knees would have to be replaced later in the future.

Thus far, I've had my left knee operated on 3 times and one for my right knee. My last operations were in 2003 for my left knee and 2004 for my right knee. So if your ankle still pops out, it may be possible that you also have arthritis. Like you, my knees seldom gave me problems but the left knee would only pop out of place once in a while. So far, it has never popped since my 2nd operation in 1994 but my flexibility is minimal now.