Calcaneus Surgery ORIF Success Stories?

Terry ..
thank you I have sent you a friend request via Facebook
Look forward to putting a face to a name !

Hey everyone, hang tuff it takes years to be 9o%-99.7% Healed.
(heeled, - haha B^> .to soon ? , no puns when sufferin' )
I see you are all in the early phases, good luck! - you got this!
I believe, that Flexing , rolling cans & balls and Warm Sand buckets were very helpful
And a super positive attitude , as you have all come here with it ! I will add:
Be on it, positive, even when it sucks.
The two year mark is a telling milestone.
The running may never return. So focusing on weight/fitness and attention to core strength
and flexibility( Yoga), may help to compensate for the loss of running.
That was the real big thing, my fitness had been based in running and long up-hill walking .
Results from trying to run (&swim ) were marked with ankle pain /swelling.
Anyway, it was a solid two years for me, but I danced and climbed at my wedding
good luck,

Just an update from me to everyone , been speaking to Terry a lot via Facebook now ,awsome guy.!
I'm just a few days over 9 weeks post op ... exercises are major key in this process as you go stiff so quick .. I do mine religiously at every opportunity , which really pays off
I am Walking I refuse to use crutches. If I go out I have 1 in the car just in case , I did a whole shop unaided & I do my housework & cook .. I wanted to be able to walk my dog this weekend , but wether has not been good & I wasn't risking it
I have been going physio hydro & now pushed the boat to going to gym .. upper body & leg work outs only .. now I ache in my body not my foot !!
Productive aching though .. new exercises from physio which I do & I also managed a 2 minute round on the punch bag (boxing) .. made my day !!! All I've wanted for ages .. I won't lie and say it didn't hurt it did , but not excessively , more so added to my limp !! I hate the limp .. but gotta exercise as I believe it boosts Moraje & good for blood circulation

Guys you can do anyting you did before , slowly but surely , just know your limits & take it easy , not everyday is gonna be perfect for you , "but just stay positive focused & stick to those goals .

There is light at the end of the tunnel ...
take care everybody

Charlotte, are you walking with or without boots? Also I am streatching now and can get my foot flat, takes a little effort in the morning and after resting for a bit, is this what you are going through? i have 5 more weeks till WB so i hope it will be better by then?

Hi RDOYLE .. do you have Facebook ? .. I can explain my current progress but I think you'd have more insight if you saw visually how I have progressed and how far I've come , I am not in a boot .. I was only in a boot for around 4/5 days more for protection as I fell over .
I'm jus 9.5 weeks post op .. I'd say my foot is pretty much 70% normal apart from swelling & a limp
Which is normal at this stage so I'm told by my physio ,
I exercise religously exactly how I'm told . And it pays off if you don't do these exercises your foot will become stiff .. stay on the right side of motivation
I use a hydro pool 3 times a week I got to physio once a week & I have just started light gym work on upper body and legs as your whole body needs its strenght to carry that foot ..
I didn't wait to be told when to exercise I googled & you tubec and knew when the time was right to do what I could .. I very nearly have all ROM , my most difficult thing st mo is going down stairs but coming up it's fine ..
exercise & stretch the shit out of it .. but don't go so far that it hurts .., I was having twinges cone and go but they are not so often now.. everyting is coming back and going in the right direction it's just
A very slow & long process

I hope this helps and gives you some hope
It really isn't all bad .. it's just a time & patience injury , that will depress you & test you .. im staying positive thst in the next 4 weeks I can tell you I'm 90% there ...

Anyting else you'd like to know please reply or add me to Facebook my profile is of me boxing I video daily and you will
See my pictures throughout my journey
Take care
Look forward to hearing about your progress
Charlotte

Here's an update i'm 15 weeks postop tomorrow I am now walking unassisted without the cane all day every day but I still have a limp and overall stiffness my ankle pain has gone down quite a bit but is still there a little and if I work too hard The pain increases. Every day for the most part feels a little bit better and I'm optimistic that it will get close to normal in time. I recommend anybody to friend request Charlotte on facebook she is very knowledgeable and has a never give up attitude that is contagious and very helpful I was her inspiration early on in her journey and as of lately she has now became mine! Happy Thanksgiving to everybody and let's all be thankful we have 2 feet! Terry

Charlotte, couldent find you on facebook. hope everyone had a great turkey day and black friday! having a handicap permit was great but being in a wheelchair sucked lol. I do have a question for you guys whenever I bend my toes on the foot I had surgery on a muscle under my foot is so tight it feels like a stick dont know how else to describe it. otherwise i can get my foot flat with ease and after being flat for a long period of time the muscle is no longer stiff when relaxing which is good, still got to december 28th till WB but i feel i will be ahead of the game when that day comes!

Hey RDOYLE .. my Facebook profile is of me boxing
In regards to your foot underneath , i never had this problem
My suggestion & advice would be that is trauma damage still , was it badly bruised?
There are tendons in that area . I would tell your physio he will give u an exercise that will help with that i think .. in the beginning I couldn't bend my toes but when I started to it would b like a sharp pain but that doesn't happen anymore .. over time all these issues correct themselves , it's just a pain & long process !!
I'm just over 10 weeks .. going from strenght to strenght .. then I over done it at the gym and my foot swelled so much my pyhsio wouldn't work on it , so im currently on bed rest for 48 hours of elevation & rest !!

L
Try to find me on Facebook
Failing that you tube has a great old guy who gives a lot of info & inspiration after having the same accident .. if you type calcaneus heel fracture part 1
He give a lot of hope , I certainly took my hope from him being so informative

Take care RDOYLE .. look forward to hearing from you or a friend request via Facebook
Charlotte

The stiffness under your foot may be the Plantar Fascia. It's a big ligament that connects the front of the foot to the heel and is a likely candidate for having been injured along with it, or maybe just stiff from traction.
I had problems with it on my good foot for about a year before falling so knew all about it. I never could keep off of it long enough to heal.
Now, every morning, before getting out of bed, I sit on the edge and roll the bottoms of both feet back and forth slowly on 2 big cans for about 2 minutes.
I'm hoping when the bad foot gets better that the good foot fasciitis will be gone forever.

Hi everyone! I'm not a mountain climber, but I have been searching for information on broken calcaneus recovery and this thread is the most positive one I have come across. I fell off a ladder while trying to hang a painting in my apartment. My fracture was extremely bad...the worse my surgeon had ever seen, he said. He did the repair and a subtalar fusion. Lots of metal in there now. I live in NYC, but I came to NC to stay at my Grandparents' house so I could have some help. Currently, I am 4 weeks out from surgery. My surgical incision had some skin that died around it when I went in to have the stitches removed, so i have had to deal with the extra step of would care each day since then. It's kind of similar to caring for a burn. I get it checked out down here in NC each week to make sure things are ok. I will fly back up to NYC on the 12th to meet with my surgeon. That will be the 6 week mark. Like everybody else, I'm anxious to get back to walking again, so I'm trying to make sure I am doing everything as I should to ensure proper recovery. I'm a 36 y/o flight attendant, looking forward to working again! I haven't climbed any mountains, but I do love seeing the world and all it's beauty!

Maybeline 46 can you add me to Facebook .. Charlotte Abbott we have small group
My profile is boxing picture of myself and blonde friend
Look forward to connecting .. don't let this get to you

Maybeline46,
I am at the 8 1/2 week mark now, looking forward to December 28th that is my day to be healed and begin PT.From all the stories I read about people with this injury is you will be able to go back to work, I work construction and have seen people post about going back to that far worse then I am. From what I can tell, Most likley our range of motion will be limited as far as sideways movement and PT can be up to 18 months depending on severaity, but have seen posts and videos of people walking shorty after PT, so i have my hopes up but it may be longer for me i shattered both of mine, surgery (plate, screws) on one and no surgery on the other. Also depends on how good your doc is from what ive heard and there are many different approaches to treat this.as far as your minor infection at the stitches, thank god you did not get any severe infection doc told me there is a 20% chance. keep us posted!

Hi Charlotte! I couldn't find your profile on FB. Tons of names came up but I did not see any with a boxing profile pic. What area are you located in? Maybe I can narrow it down by that, as I amy have overlooked it.

Rdoyle, you are right. I was always concerned of infection with this surgery. I am still being very careful with it to make sure the wound area does not get infected during the dressing changes or anything. So far, my spirits are staying up. It's good to be down here with lots of family who are able to visit. I grew up about an hour from here and some of my friends have been able to come by for visits. I think being able to see different people helps quite a bit. I'm less stir crazy this way lol.

Charlotte, you said you were going back to work on Dec. 1st...how was it for you yesterday?

Remember, no matter the degree of a Bone Injury it will always tend to get better over time. No matter how bad it was messed up, or setbacks encountered.
Set milestones and acknowledge when they're reached ;

- End of pain after surgery
- Autonomy and Mobility around the house.
- Limited ' Play Walking ' ( LWB ) with Crutches
- First Steps , Crunch.
- Maybe a Cane
- Maybe no Cane and even a little lop-sided running

... end of my experience

David, I think that is an awesome way to look at it! I guess my next goal will be limited weight bearing!

Quick question: My surgeon is still adamant about me sleeping with my boot on, so I do it. I keep the boot off for most of the day (surge approved) while I am couch surfing, but I put it on if I plan on leaving the house or sitting at the kitchen table, etc. I still keep my leg elevated for most of the day and night. Were you all still elevating at 4/5 weeks post surgery?

First I need to clarify again that my injury did not affect the Talus or other parts of the ankle. Only the heel.
I think it is important to realize that everyone is going to have a different timeline of dates things happen in the healing process depending on the degree of injury, age, smoke or not, etc. The goals are still the same though, they may just be at different times.
The single most important thing to do / not to do, is don't cause further or re-injury due to being impatient. It's going to take more time than we want to spend gimped up.
I was elevating my foot until 12 weeks or so. In fact, when I first went to PT at 8 weeks, he showed me how to lay on my back and put my butt against the wall with my foot straight up in the air with the heat mat wrapped around it, then massage the injury, foot up, repeat. He said the massaging and heat liquifies the dead cell stuff in there and then the foot up drains it faster. I still do the heat pad / massaging some evenings if sore, but not with the foot that high up anymore.
I never used the boot at all, day or night, but it was easy not to as my wife did all the shopping and I work from home on the computer. I was very sedentary the first 8 weeks. I slept for the longest time with my feet hanging off the end of the bed because it was too sore to lay it down on the mattress for too long.
If the DR said for you to wear the boot, your feet must still be pretty fragile. I had a DR appointment right around 6 weeks, so if you do too, he may change that then. I read that a large part of the bone healing is in the first 6 weeks.
Also, BTW, more milestones just in the past week ( Week 16 ). 1. First time out of bed and walking right away after rolling Planter Fascias ( Before that I would use the scooter, then cane, then nothing ) 2. First time cooking dinner without using the scooter ( Before was usually too sore by the end of the day to stand around the stove a long time ) 3. First time not needing a stool in the shower to clean my good foot ( IE... Able to stand on just my bad foot ) 4. Running for the first time ( Pretty goofy looking, but it was running, and paid with a bit of soreness the next day ) 5. Going in stores without the security of the cane.
The running part was because of a DR. appointment this last week and an x-ray that showed the fractures had filled in and strengthened a lot more so I was cleared for higher impact activities. ( Not brave enough to try jumping up and down or just down yet )

Hi everybody
I'm at my 12 week , back to work full time ..
it's been very tiring & challenging .. aches etc.. but life now has to go on
Seeing my consultant next week for the 12 week check

I am aware that at this stage my bones should be all formed , still
Some swelling in the area of metal work , I know this will remain for some time
Yet still .

But I have a question to anyone who is virtually over this & that his how
Big or deformed your heel is after ? I know I'm still in early stages of my rehab
But I wish to know if the heel returns or remodels to be consistent with
The normal one ???

Any info from somebody would be awesome
Wishing you all the best & positivity with your journeys
Charlotte

Maybeline46
I am in England , town of Minster
My profile is myself in the middle of my parents , I have white shirt with black hearts on .. I have dark hair fringe with some red colours , hope you can find me , be great to meet you !!
How are you getting on ?

Yes I am back to work , full time , I am on my feet a fair bit but also able to rest if need be
And find 5 minutes to do a couple of exercises if need be ,sitting to long & 8 stiffen up , walk to much and I start slightly limping .. but it won't be forever once the foot & leg strengthen over time I believe
Continuing with work & day to day work & life is what's going to continue to strengthen up what's been weakened being of my feet !

I have limited ROM., but I get on with it , it will
Either return to a decent capacity or il become used to it the way it is ... either way it won't stop my
Life .. I may not run or jump or box for a while , but I can walk work & drive ..
all these things are enough to be greatul for right now as when I loonback ivervthis and my previous
Posts I thought I'd never get this far ! Will
Power , motivation ..& positivity ... goals and
A plan to move forward to the next step keep you going , write a diary !
At the most I get aches & that's just down to using muscles I haven't used for 6/8!weeks .. I
Still get a limp from time to time , but If I use my head I can control that
You will get there !!
Stay focused .. hope your able to find my Facebook ! Failing that ..
What is yours & il try to find you ??
Take care
Look forward to seeing you hearing from you real soon ...
Charlotte

Hi folks, yes this is the most informative and positive site I have found regarding calcaneus fractures.

I fractured mine on 10/30/16. I had surgery on 11/18/16. Pre surgery I was in an aircast non weight bearing. Post surgery was a splint for two weeks and then a cast, still non weight bearing. I had a plate and 11 screws put in during the surgery. I was then in the cast for 5 weeks and at that point it was taken off. X-rays showed good healing and I was put back into the aircast. My instructions are one week non weight bearing with the aircast and then weight bearing as tolerated. Here are the x-rays from my last visit 1/5/17.

My questions regard rehab and getting back to pre fracture condition. I am not a climber. I am a very active 57 yr. old. My goal is to return to kettlebell training and competition along with some running.

I can begin weight bearing tomorrow. The air cast seems difficult to walk in, should I begin by walking with crutches, then to one crutch, and then without crutches? Or, should I go without crutches if I can tolerate this immediately?

Because the aircast seems to be clumsy to walk in, without crutches is a walking cane useful when walking without crutches?

Other than foot rotations and bending forward and backward, what other things can I do to start moving my foot to speed up the recovery to full use?

What physical therapy movements do you recommend?

Like I stated before, I am not a climber, but I do know some climbers who also participate in kettlebell sport. They are very fit and positive people. I am not surprised to find that here. Thank you in advance.