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hey all....
bout 4 weeks ago i broke my leg and dislocated my ankle, which resulted in an orif. but none of the doctors could tell me what was the rehab time frame or when yet if the screws would come out.
i have to go back to the doctor in just over a month.
just wondering if any1 knows what is an average time frame of rehab or even the process that i will have to undertake if screws have to be removed.
attached are some photos
heers
john
The most likely reason the Drs won't give you a definitive answer is because they don't know! the timespan for full recovery of a fracture like this depends on a number of factors:
- The area receives a poor blood supply so fractures are more prone to delayed union or other union problems. Even when all things are going ok this region does take longer to heal.
- the alignment of the bone ends - judging from the xray you have show this looks good - but the orthopaedic surgeon is the best to know.
- The amount of soft tissue and articular damage caused at the time of the dislocation. The ligaments could be extensively damaged. For example, the tibiofibular interosseus ligament may have been sprained amongst others. It is also possible that the articular surfaces of the ankle joint may have been damaged. these problems can take much longer to heal up.
By 12 weeks you should have a well united fracture and be able to weight bear fully on the joint. there may sill be residual stiffness of the joint and problems with the ligaments. But this is just an educated guess.
Did the same thing in may playing soccer and your xrays looks exactly like mine. I have been walking fine for a month or so now without a boot, or anything. I just went to the doctor today and they told me that the gap between my tibula and talus has expanded to 5.6mm which is apparently large enough to insure 100% that I will have arthritis when I am in my 50's and now they want me to do another operation to close the gap and remove the old hardware, but now they want me to be non weight baring for three months instead of two. This is kind of crazy for me since I have just been out of work for two months and now they want me to go another three.
I am talking to a specialist on thursday and I am just wondering how important it is going to be for me to have ANOTHER THREE MONTHS OF HELL! vs. just living with the fact that I will have terrible arthritis in my 50's and on. Any thoughts from anyone would be wonderful!!!