Still pain in ankle one year after surgery

Hi Cassie,

Welcome to HW. I'm sorry to hear that you are still in pain from your surgery/accident. I'm certainly not a doctor, but I'd say that it is quite possible that you damaged something in your knee during your fall. You really need to get this checked out by a doctor. No one can diagnose you over the internet, whether or not they are a doctor. The purpose of this site is not to give medical advice, so all we can do is urge you to get it checked out. Likely it will take both a physical exam & some diagnostic testing to determine the cause of your pain.

As for your ankle, again, I urge you to talk to your doctor. Even though it has been a year after surgery, some people's bodies heal slower than others, especially after such a major trauma. I for one, have found that it takes me about a year and a half to heal from any major orthopedic surgery, despite what my surgeon originally told me. In addition, the clunking may or may not be a sign of further damage. Again, only your doctor can determine this. However, some clunking of joints is normal, especially in aging bodies & after joint trauma. For example, I've had multiple shoulder surgeries. Everything is now fixed & healed, but my shoulders still snap, crack, and clunk. In my case it is normal (due to the specific type of damage I did & the surgeries that I had to fix it), I'm not saying that this is true in your case, just that you can't know for sure until you see a doctor.

I'm sorry that I couldn't be of more help, but I don't think that anyone but a doctor can answer your questions. Best of luck to you, and I hope you start feeling better! You're more than welcome to keep posting here. We're a good group for support & compassion.

Skeye

cass yes Skeye is right and I'm glad your going back in at least for injections. My husband has had an injury to his foot and it pops all the time, also stiffens up and hurts at times. He just grins and bares it. At least you had surgery so you have a surgeon who can follow your care.

I hope the injections work if not I hope they will find out what is causing your discomfort.

Laurie

Hi Cass,
Friday is a few days out still, something might help (minimally) is Arnica Gel. It not only sooths and "loosens" (like itc and hot types) but it also helps get the effected area back in action for 1.5 - 2hrs for me. Most local "health foods" store or local co-ops have it. I love it for my hipps (plus it doesnt smell thank goodness)no weird reside left behind either. Good Luck friday
*huggs*
dani

Cassie, It was good to hear that the injection went good and now the wait is on to see how effective it will be. I say how effective as we always want every procedure, operation, pill, or whateve to take away all the pain. The reality is that there are times when pain is just plain part of our life.I am hoping that your pain will greatly reduced and that the effect of the injection will also help the knee. If not, then it soulds like the doctor is willing to look into it further which should give you some hope as well. Keep posting over the next few days as we always like to hear how people are doing and are especially excoited to hear when something good happens and pain is lessened. We all know too well the times when pain does not decrease but at times increases. We are hoping for the best, will to accept reality but not even near ready to give up the fight.

Hi Cass,

The reason you are still having pain after surgery is; the surgery itself was to repair the damage done to your ankle to more or less put it back to its original form. Any time a person has an injury to a part of the body that area becomes weak, leaving that area more prone to further injury. That is something no dr can fix. It is very common to have continued pain after an injury or even after surgery to help correct the problem. That is just plain body mechanics. Your ankle will never be the same again because it has been damaged. If you will remember at the time of your surgery, your consent forms stated surgery was not a 100% success rate. Maybe being up on your feet too long has caused the ankle to become inflamed, many things could have happened. You did not mention if any hardware was used in your surgery, but if you have hardware in that ankle you will always have pain with it. The body does not always accept foreign materials put in that did not come with it in the beginning.

You can also develope arthritis because of this injury. Hopefully the injection will kick in and bring you relief. Susie

Hi Cass,

I sympathize with you, most of us here have had surgery or injuries that we thought once treated would be fixed.  Unfortunately, its not always the case, some people have surgery heal and move on with no side effects, however, more people seem to end up with permanent issues!

I was like you, I thought after Cervical Fusion surgery I would be back to normal soon after.  It didn't turn out that way.  I never give up hope though and do try different treatments in an effort to reduce the pain. 

I hope the injections help!  Everyone has given valid info and advice!

Dani made a great recommendation with Arnica, there is an even better preparation called Traumeel or Traumed that has a few more homeopathic ingredients one is Hypericum which helps ease nerve pain! 

Patti

Cass,

Many times when hardware is used in surgery the end result is alot of pain afterwards. A good friend of mine stepped in a hole in a friends yard and pretty much had a crushing type injury to her ankle. Her ankle was a mess. But, she had an excellent surgeon and as far as the surgery went everything went fine. Two yrs postop the pain would not stop. End result was having the hardware removed before she felt any relief. Mind you, after the removal of hardware she still had pain but less. Trying to trick the body into accepting something that was not there originally is a very difficult at best.

No one here can say whether or not your dr missed anything. If you are thinking along those lines get yourself a second opinion. Get your surgery records and any others relating to this and see what another dr thinks. It never hurts to get a second opinion.

But again, remember what I said previously, no surgery is 100% pain free afterwards, especially involving bones and joints.   That ankle will always be weak as a result of the trauma it sustained in this injury, surgery was simply to fix the problem and pain afterwards many times is part of the end result. Since your dr feels you have inflammation going on in there, that can be the culprit of the pain. The injection may settle all of this down-but at some point later on it may flare up again. No one can tell you for sure. Another thought is what kind of shoes you are now wearing after having this surgery, is there some way you may have twisted the ankle a little without realizing it at the time, the list could go on and on of what if.

When are you suppose to go back and see your dr? How long did he say it would take for the foot to settle down? How long has the pain been there, ever since surgery or what? Is the pain constant and how severe? Another thing to try is soaking your foot in warm Epsom Salts, alot of times that can help. Good luck. Susie

Hi Cassie,

Well, I think you just answered your question about the onset of pain. Jogging puts an enormous amount of stress and strain on a healthy joint which is something you do not have. I would visit with my dr and discuss the sports and exercises you are interested in and make sure they are something within reason to be doing with that ankle. If nothing else, call and speak with his nurse and get her to run things by the dr. I do not know if swelling is an issue for you or not, but icing that ankle down on a regular basis may help too, especially after doing something strenuous with your ankle, it may help keep further inflammation down. I think you now have an idea as to what to expect in the future.

Take care of that ankle and keep us posted on how you are coming along.  Susie

I hope these injections give you some form of relief........  The bruising, I don't know it thats normal.  My hubby has had many of them and has never bruised.  But then the ankle or foot has less muscle mass to deal with.

 

Laurie

Cassie you never mentioned the discoloration before. Call the dr and get this checked out. Susie

Cassie, I have had both of my knees injected gosh so many times, not to mention my neck and back. No, i never bruised nor had discoloration, that why I suggested you contact the dr. Does any area of the skin feel warm? If so please tell the dr this. I imagine you will be speaking with the nurse before you can talk to th dr, but by all means make the call and see what they think.

Susie

cass you need to call your doctor..... No questions asked just call. If could be nothing or it could be a reaction to the meds or an infection. Please call the doctor and tell his staff the injection site is discolored.

Laurie