Back in June I broke my ankle whilst running downhill playing a laser quest style game outdoors.
Upto now my recovery has been slow but to be expected due to it being a fairly nasty triple break (trimalleolar) and ending up with a fair a bit of scaffolding after ORIF surgery.
I still have a great deal of pain when walking unaided and any time on my feet outside the house requires me to wear my Airboot for support,any prolonged time on my feet(an hour or so) sees massive swelling and enough pain to stop me walking altogether.
I’m just trying to gauge other STWers recovery times on a comparable injury.

So what was yours like?

I can’t believe no-one has broken an ankle on here before!!

I’ll weigh in as you’re struggling for replies, but I broke my left wrist and right elbow at the same time, both needed metal work etc. Joints are a whole different ball-game to normal breaks.

Wrist was fairly quick, was ‘fixed’ as soon as I came out of surgery, but painful to do much with for 6-8 weeks after.

Elbow was a right mess, 12 weeks in plaster post-surgery to ‘stabilise’ it. Wouldn’t heal, the bone just kept compacting, 6 months for things to start to improve, first, slow, awkward, painful ride after 9 months, it’s still not ‘right’ but never will be. Both still give me pain 7 months later, and occasionally I need some diclofenac – but I’m still riding relatively hard. Manage to nose dive off a drop at BPW on Saturday and managed to avoid a OTB crash by pushing myself back, not great skills, but a few years ago I needed help loading my bike on the roof of my car.

I was told a bit of pain helps the healing process, if you load it up it promotes the bone to knit and increases density.

Probably as that doesn’t sound like a broken ankle as a completely smashed up bag of bones that might once have been an ankle.

So nobody has any experience.

Try talking to your Doctor/Surgeon and Physio.
They’ll have the best idea.

Ask an expert

Ask an expert

Fantastic 😆

I did mine in May last year, triple break, scaffold in there, was in a cast for 9 weeks, then used the airboot for 4 weeks
Was mid September from early May before I walked unaided

I’d say you are still early days, needs rest to heal

A year down the line and it still aches if I sit funny, and it aches like hell some morning because of how I sleep

Been playing up this week too, but they said 2-3 years before I stop noticing it realistically

I broke my right ankle quite badly back in 1999, not quite as bad as WCAs though. I was suffering from the same symptoms as yourself too, basically I couldn’t stay on it for any length of time. My advice would be get it MRI scanned. I eventually got mine done after bitterly complaining several times that it was still knackered, they eventually scanned it and found fragmented bone in the cartledge which was preventing movement and causing irritation etc. I then had an arthroscopy to remove it, I’d also already had the metal work removed about 8months after the initial break as that was irritating and restricting it too. I think it was about 2001 before I could walk a good distance and 2003 before I picked up running again.

I broke mine in September 2009. Double brake, including a spiral compound which had to be set.

I was in a full (non-load bearing) cast for 16 weeks and so required crutches for the entire time. At 16 weeks they removed the cast, but I still needed one crutch for my daily 4 mile round trip (much easier than on a pair though) Wobble boarding with supports took another 8 weeks until the ankle felt fully strong enough for running and MTBing.

5.5months from brake to being back pedalling. 1.5 years for it to stop twinging at unforeseen loads/angles.

sat reading this with interest and a big black cloud looming over my head.
1 month after a ankle fusion…….. 😀

Too early to tell. Mine was broken 2012 and was ok after 6 weeks in cast + month of rehab. Screws started bothering me in 2014 and were removed then. Now I’m getting less than pleasant feelings again in the ankle so it is time to get it checked again.

I broke mine in 1999 too. Basically I broke the socket into two pieces so two screws were inserted to hold the socket together. I did it in June from memory, was no weight bearing for 7 weeks and then left to get on with it after the pot came off. I paid for physio myself and was back mountainbiking in late autumn. Scared stiff of falling off and it took a while to get the confidence to use SPDs…

Now 17 years later I’ve been in discussion with a surgeon to remove the screws as they rub against my hiking/ski/snowboard boot but haven’t done it yet. It still takes a few steps to “warm up” first thing in the morning and I don’t have the same range of movement as in my other ankle – I hate to think what it would be like if I’d followed the doctor’s advice and not bothered with physio….

hth

As a guide 12 weeks for a lower limb.

I broke mine about 5 years ago in 3 places.

It still hurts sometimes today and I have achilies problems with that ankle too that don’t seem to want to go away. I don’t know for sure if that’s related to when I broke it, but what probably doesn’t help was that A&E (I was sent there from a walk in clinic) didn’t x-ray and missed all three breaks! I only found out nearly 4 months later when it was eventually X-Rayed.

Anyway, ankles are a pain – get well soon

Thanks for all your replies, I feel a bit better that I’m just going to have to suck it up for as long as it takes, I rested it all weekend just gone and it felt much better yesterday morning so the swelling is obviously causing the pain rather than some other problem.
I am told that I may have problems like the two screws holding the cup together will probably break and the plate on my fib may give problems and could be removed if needed

Hi,
I broke mine on June 18th this year, so similar time to yourself.
Mine is a Weber C fracture that broke the fibula about 7 inches up from the ankle and detached all the ligaments from the Talus as well as the main sydesmotic (?) one between the tibia and fibula. Had surgery to put 2 big screws through the lower tip and fib. In cast for 6 weeks then pressure boot for 5. Started weight bearing two weeks ago, and is very painful as you’d expect. My physio (NHS) has been great, and I’ve got numerous stretches to do, as well as being advised to walk as much as possible but always having a crutch so when tired I can get home.
I’ve been told I won’t get anywhere near a badminton court for 6 months, and won’t be near riding properly before Xmas. Since becoming weight bearing the recovery process seems very slow, and my ankle is permanently swollen, and gets much bigger when used. But my physio said it would, so fair play.
I’m afraid there’s no quick fix. I’m going on holiday soon, and am praying that my crutch will get me an upgrade!!
Hope you heal well, you have my sympathies.
Dave

I’m two and a half weeks into recovering from a bimalleolar fracture. Got plates and screws two weeks ago. Although I’m going to be non-weight bearing for quite a while longer, I am starting to feel some improvement. There is a lot less swelling and my foot is way more comfortable, which is especially noticeable when dangling for short periods whilst I get about on my crutches.

I’m pretty worried about the long term consequences with loss of rom, stiffness, arthritis etc… but its reassuring to hear that a lot of you guys are still getting out and riding in spite of this stuff.

From your experience, Is there anything that I can do at this early stage that might help me in the long run?

Cheers

James

Just over a year ago I did mine… just started exercising on it again a couple of weeks ago. X-Rays are due early in October to check that it is all sorted now and then I can get back on with life again. It was a bit different in that I had bits of bone shard wedged into the ankle join which needed removed.

Been off the bike all that time, and grouchy. Just about getting my balance back now though, although really rough ground still gives me trouble, and carrying loads over rough ground is really iffy!

mine still hurts 15 yr later

No use to the OP I’m afraid, but I’ve a more positive experience…

Broke one and badly sprained the other ten years ago, falling down a cliff. Straightforward fracture. I think it was 12 weeks in cast, but I was getting about okay on crutches after a couple of weeks (see other thread) and cycling after a couple more, with the cast on (not advised, but hey). My calf was comically weak when the cast came off, but it didn’t take long getting back to normal. As in the fall was in March, I was in the cast over Easter doing pootly bike rides, but was climbing and surfing as usual over summer.

In fact I’d stopped running about ten years earlier (early 30s), on advice after arthroscopy etc -worn cartilage. Perhaps it’s unrelated, or perhaps a bit of enforced rest even helped, as I’m an okay runner these days when I train for an event. Usual aches and pains notwithstanding.

I advise not hopping about on your good foot as I have knackered the cartilage in mine from being bloody minded.

Update
Now back in a normal shoe for the first time since June , still hurts but I now feel I am getting stronger and the pain isn’t as bad – here’s hoping to a few great weeks of getting back to normality

I broke my left ankle on a solo evening ride on the Quantocks just over 9 years ago.
Six weeks in plaster 12 weeks off work and the bike, I never got full movement back and some days it’s quite painful first thing in the morning.

I broke mine on 21 May. Tib and fib plated and pinned. 3 screws one side and plate with 7 screws on other side. I was told to do nothing for 12 weeks. 6 weeks of this was non weight bearing.

However, I got myself some private sports physio, starting 10 days after surgery. She helped me with exercise to maintain as much muscle as possible. I also did some short (20 min max) sessions on turbo trainer with cast on.

Got cast off on 1st July and was told to expect a boot. Wasn’t given one and told to just try walking. I continued with the private physio and was back road cycling (flat roads initially) by week 8, started MTBing on easier stuff at week 11. End of August, roughly 13 weeks after break, I was in Italy for a weeks riding (both MTB and road).

I also got some Naproxen pain killers – much better and more effective than ibruprofen, co-codamol etc for me. I need one a day every so often but it’s just a dull pain now.

Weird thing is if I walk about all day, the ankle swells pretty badly but if I ride all day ankle stays fairly normal looking. Physio reckons the gentle repetitive movement of pedalling is actually good for it.