Anybody else been through this?
It’s a single small fracture of the talus bone. 2 weeks on from the break my foot is still swollen, and I’m getting around on crutches with my foot in a boot. Did it lead climbing, took a fall indoors and sort of spun into the vertical wall face, upside down, ankle first.

Yes, I have, but it wasn’t straight forward as when the walk in centre sent me to A&E, A&E decided it was just a slight sprain (my foot was going purple at this stage 🙄 )and was sent on my way. 3 1/2 months later it’s still not right & GP sends be for an X-Ray as a precursor to physiotheraphy. A week after that and I’m told I’d broken it in 3 places. By this time everything was setting back to gether and, luckily I’m told, the bits were all in the right places.

That was a good number of years ago and I’be have tendonitis in my Achilies on and off since then, which is sometimes really bloody painful.

You probably didn’t want to hear that though!

So A&E didn’t even put you in a cast?

Nope – just sent me straight home. They took the view that I could just about walk on it, so it would be fine.

I hated my cast, now the boot is just about OK. Did they even give you crutches? Or was it just MTFU?

It was more GTFO of my hospital than MTFU. Walked, well hobbled, out with nothing whatsoever except a slight sense of having wasted their time

You were lucky. I dislocated my ankle at the Sobell Sports Centre wall and lay on the cushions, vision going cloudy with the pain, while every muppet “climber” there stood gawping and doing nothing. Eventually I hopped out to the reception desk and found a security bloke who allowed me to lean on his shoulder while I hopped to a phone and called a taxi for myself to take me to A&E.

Fractured talus 25 years ago needed bolt to sort, still have some pain if overflex it, too much stress if ski, but snowboard 3-10 weeks a year and ride full sus bike every 3 days when in UK, without many problems.
The worry with the talus bone is its blood supply, if compromised by a fracture, it can be catastrophic.
so take care with healing process.

Broke mine a few years back – got a free ride in an ambulance and everything

[url=https://flic.kr/p/DjjWw7]2012-09-29 09.04.05[/url] by WCA!, on Flickr

Previous time I broke it I took three hours to walk out of the woods dragging my bike and went to A&E. Triage nurse said “If you can walk on it then it isn’t broken”

That night it swelled so much the blood supply to my foot was compromised and I went back to A&E where they were discussing cutting the ankle open to reduce the pressure.

Triage nurses sometimes just want to get through the backlog of patients rather than taking the time to properly assess.

Done mine a few years back. Eventually went to A&E they said it was a fracture and stuck me in cast and sent me home, I was in agony overnight
and recieved a phone call from the surgeon telling me they had misdiagnosed my break and it would need surgery to sort, Screwed and wired back together, took me over 3 months to get rid of space boot. Not trying to scare you but as said above you need to do everything you can to heal properly, I’m fine now and have full movement. Surgeon warned me that if I broke it again it would probably end up needing fused.
I also know 2 others that have done it and one of them has a pemanent limp. take it easy and plenty time with the foot up. good luck

I broke mine back in 2002, A&E sent me home, not even any crutches. Six weeks later my girlfriend who was a Physio got me a referral and the consultant didn’t mess around got a ct scan and seeing their faces when looking at it was frightening. Too late todo anything but a cast. I was lucky and now wear orthodontist prescribed in soles in my shoes but otherwise ok.
If the talus bone dies they amputate I believe so if in any doubt I would get back to hospital and get it checked out.
Good luck hope you’re ok. Glucosamine tablets help the joint surfaces, don’t take them much now but took them for 10-15 years religiously-missing them for a few weeks I noticed the ankle didn’t feel so good. Doesn’t seem to matter mow though.

Surgeon warned me that if I broke it again it would probably end up needing fused.

The photo shows my second break and I now have my ankle fused 🙁

Only up side is easy parking and I can say “I have more than the average number of legs but less that the average number of ankles”

Interesting and thanks for the replies. It sounds like I was lucky in that I got it diagnosed and me on crutches / in a cast straight away, and I’m hoping to make a good recovery as it was a small stable fracture (no metalwork or ops). The ankle is starting to look much better now, 4 weeks to go until final x-ray (fingers crossed).
I’ll be sticking with bikes and indoor bouldering from now on, I’m done with lead climbing.

WorldClassAccident : that ankle looks a bit sore!!! Are you going to the BBB this year? I’ve already got my ticket.

Sounds like you were quite unlucky with the fall, lead climbing indoors is usually very safe. There are far fewer breaks and sprains on the lead walls than the bouldering walls.
Anyway, I hope it heals quickly.

Are you going to the BBB this year?

I am the Honorary Director of Shouting and Chaos, of course I will be there.

10th anniversary special this year so should be better than ever!!!

Did it many years ago. Still hurts if I walk or run more than a couple of miles. Not diagnosed at the time despite x-ray so I had a very painful couple of months trying to walk through the pain.

Yeah few years ago, managed to 1 pedal cycle to hospital, only a mile or so, but hadnt figured out how id dismount…….. cue tumbling over in the ambulance bay and a high rather pitched squeal.

Cast straight away, off foot for 6 weeks was hard- piled on the punds!, then another, 4 weeks before back on the bike, did a lit of swimming to try and get fitness back , did the megavalanche another 4 weeks later tho!

Yes…me!

Done it last May whilst out running, leaped over a puddle, landed funny and foot went under…heard the snap…

Had to walk 500m to the nearest road for help!

I was in hospital for 4 days and pins and plates, and an air cast boot for about 5 weeks , crutches and total none weight bearing.

I don’t everything I was told to the letter, ate better, kept busy and rested. I was back running by October and back at half marathon distance now, faster and stronger than before.

Get some physio and keep it elevated .

Get well soon.

Busted mine back in 2005 by falling awkwardly off my bike. Initially doc didn’t see it but hospital picked it up and in a cast for 6 weeks with the caveat of staying right off the ankle. Healed up OK, but did give me some problems from time to time over the next year, but all good now.

The break was actually just a chip off the edge and they can be problematic as chip lodges in joint. As other have pointed out it is an area that doesn’t see much blood flow so that can cause issues with healing

@John_Key : Well that sounds good, congrats on your recovery.
RE: The fall. I had an armful of rope at the time and just couldn’t get in the clip, the rope was between my legs (which apparently is a no-no), it was a 6b+ which was pushing the grade for me (new to lead climbing) plus my attitude comes from years of bike racing ‘just go for it / brain in sock’ : climbing is the polar opposite of bike sport in almost every way! I ended up upside down about 1 metre from the deck. Fallwas not high, decking out would’ve been fine… so long as not upside down.

Anyhow thanks for all your replies, the swelling is going, foot looks like a foot, bruising is apparent on my sole and down the sides of my toes! which is a new one for me heh

the result of a talus bone that split in 2, and healed full of arthritis.
a full ankle fusion.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/Lp7jNv]2016-08-25_11-08-17[/url] by 20ston, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/MDd54G]2016-09-28_08-44-27[/url] by 20ston, on Flickr

Ankle injuries are painful. I’ll pray for your recovery. God bless you and your foot.