another ankle ROM question

**amyzilla** · 01-04-2007, 10:52 PM

Hey, I have some questions for anyone who's ever had a bad foot/ankle injury. About fourteen months ago, I had a sub-talar dislocation of my foot. It was dislocated (and pretty much deprived of oxygen) for probably at least an hour before it was pinned in the ER. I had a hard cast on it for two weeks, and then had metal put in my ankle to fix a broken fibula (the metal is out now). I was in a hard cast again for another few weeks, and then was in a walking cast for like three months. After all the injuries/surgeries and having it immobilized for so long, my ankle range of motion now sucks. I don't know exact degree measurements, but trust me, it sucks.

I had an appointment with a general practice doctor a couple days ago, and he basically blamed me for my shitty ROM. He said if I stretch enough, anything is possible. But earlier during the appointment, he told me that my ankle is always going to be weak, and I'm lucky I can even walk on it. Last time I saw him, he noted that my ROM was bad and said it probably would never get any better. I'm pretty sure he has split personalities.

Here are my questions: is it possible to regain much ROM after an injury like this? Does anyone know any good stretches I could try? Also, has anyone else out there ever dislocated their foot? I've been going to physical therapy regularly, but unfortunately I've also had some bad knee injuries, and my therapists have had to prioritize by working mostly on my knee.

Any insight would be appreciated. Sorry if this has been covered already in an old topic, but I did a search and didn't quite find what I was looking for.

**Crass3000** · 01-04-2007, 11:05 PM

Sorry I don't have any first hand info here but it may help.

Its very likely that you can regain more ROM with the right exercises. I had the same problem with a finger (actually metacarple) that I broke. Phsyical therapists are where it's at. Even if you can't afford a bunch of sessions, just go there and be honest about wanting to learn exercises from them that you can do at home. They have all sorts of ways to manipulate your body that I would have never thought of.

**AsheanMT** · 01-04-2007, 11:19 PM

My ankles suck ass!! I twisted the hell out of one hiking last summer and it swelled up to softball size. I stayed in the backcountry for two days to try and rest it but of course I had to walk out so I took a bunch of ibuprofen and walked on it til it had a wonderful mushy feel and was pretty sure I f'd it up for good. Took months for it to not be painful when I put my boots on. It was pretty stiff and almost worthless but as soon as I was able to stand on it for some time I started making it stronger and flexible by balancing on a board with a fulcrum underneath. I started easy with a 3 foot long 2X6 balanced on top of brick and with one foot on each side I would "teeter-totter" slowly. After it got stronger I switched the brick for a tennis ball, than a softball. A couple months of doing that and I was hiking again.

**Buzzworthy** · 01-05-2007, 02:24 PM

Originally Posted by amyzilla

Here are my questions: is it possible to regain much ROM after an injury like this? Does anyone know any good stretches I could try? Also, has anyone else out there ever dislocated their foot? I've been going to physical therapy regularly, but unfortunately I've also had some bad knee injuries, and my therapists have had to prioritize by working mostly on my knee.

In 97 I took a bad spill of the mtn bike. Landed on the outside of my left ankle and popped every tendon/ligament/broke bones in the fall. Total ankle recon. BUT not till they put me through 6 months of PT. ROM never came back so they went into cut. A ligament had actually sheared a part of the ankle dome on the side off and it was in the front of my ankle. The whole thing was dead weight, could not move on my own for many weeks.

After surgery, I was in bed for 3 weeks in a open cast as to ice and was at my parents house right after graduation from college, so I had someone to get me things. Then in a walking brace for 2 months, then an aircast for a month.

ROM is back now, but it took a good 3 years to get it back to almost normal. Every hike, bike, ski, board,....I have to stretch it for a good 10 minutes.

Now I have problems with my other ankle. See other thread.

**Vinman** · 01-05-2007, 04:51 PM

The talar joint in mainly involved with inversion and eversion. If you are having difficulty with plantarflexion and dorsiflexion that would either becaused by scar tissue and or the prolonged immobilization.

Primarily you should probably be working on stretching for your achillies first. While your ankle might never be the same you should be able to make enough gain to be functional for most activities.

**amyzilla** · 01-05-2007, 06:21 PM

Hey everyone, thanks for the input. Sounds like I need to keep working at it and be patient.

Inversion/eversion is almost impossible with that ankle now, but it feels like that's due to weakness, so hopefully that will get better. Plantarflexion and dorsiflexion are a little better, but it feels very tight and painful. It probably doesn't help matters that I make tons and tons of scar tissue. During one of my surgeries, my ankle surgeon called in my knee surgeon so they could gawk over all the scar tissue. They said they'd never seen someone produce so much so quickly.

Buzz: good luck with your recovery!

**Raps** · 01-05-2007, 06:39 PM

Not too much to add - i'm 3 months out of surgery and yeah i guess its just about patience and stretching and exercise - Keeping after it every day, i can see slow improvements in ROM week to week - so yeah good luck and the daily stuff no matter how annoying will pay off in the long run (or so i hope)

But i feel you, its annoying how long the body takes to fully heal!

**Vinman** · 01-06-2007, 01:25 PM

overcoming the scar tissue will take a great deal of time and effort. If you can try to do some heat/warm soak/hot tub before stretching. It will make the tissue a bit more pliable and make stretching easier. Keep at it and good luck.

**Joepog** · 05-25-2007, 08:58 AM

I dislocated my ankle a year ago and it popped back in pretty well went to my local hospital who said they saw a fracture I was mortified as it would take off my never broken a bone record. Was in a cast for about 1 month and went to my hospital back home for a check up and another x-ray and they decided there was no break there never was and the cast ws not needed. Although to be honest without the cast i would definatly have done more damage to it by trying to do too much. I had a period of about 4 months where I kept going over on it resulting in huge amoiunts of pain but a year on it still feals slightly weird when I think about it but nothing significant has happened to it and it works fine. As far as stretches my doctor said to me that theres not much you can do really just walking on it to build up the muscles again. Think I was Very Very lucky.

**amyzilla** · 05-26-2007, 12:33 AM

Only 1 month in a cast? Wow, lucky! I was in a hard cast for two weeks and then was in a walking cast cast for a long time after that. I couldn't put any weight on it for three or four months. My foot had been dislocated for a long time before I finally got to the ER, and they couldn't get it to pop in place & stay, so they had to pin it. That's probably why I needed a cast for so long.

My ROM is getting a little better, but it gets really stiff/sore after I'm on my feet for a while. I think I need to spend more time walking on it...