Recovery from broken ankle

I had a Weber B fracture of my left lateral malleolus on September 13, so three months ago. I was in a cast NWB for 3 weeks, then progressing to FWB by 6 weeks, when the cast came off. Since then, I've been having regular physical therapy, and I feel that my injured ankle is nearly back to its normal strength. My problem is that I continue to have considerable pain after walking more than a mile. My commute to work involves a couple of miles of walking, and I have dogs who need walking daily as well. The pain is mainly at the fracture site or in the nearby connective tissue, but it has been affecting my knee lately (around the fibula knee ligament) as well, and there is often soreness in my sole and the ball of my foot.

Is this normal? When can I expect the pain to subside? Is there anything I can do to reduce the pain without giving up walking? Thank you.

My advice, be patient and continue with the physical therapy. You will surely recover soon.

As you can imagine, being immobilised for that period of time will have an effect on soft tissue restriction, in addition to the injury itself. The fact that it is now starting to effect your knee may be linked with the mobility of the joint between your tibia and fibula (this need to be able to glide properly in order to function normally).

A problem in this area can also irritate the common peroneal nerve (which wraps around the top of your Fibula) and may explain the referral to your foot.

It may be worthwhile having your physiotherapist look at the mobility of your tib-fib joint, peroneal nerve tension and cuboid bone in your foot.

Let us know how you progress! Good Luck!