Fractured Calcaneus
|
I had major ankle surgery which included a calcaneal osteotomy where the doc sawed my calcaneus in half and moved it up and over to lower my arch and structurally align my foot and ankle. I was non weight bearing for 12 weeks. I remember the first steps being quite painful, but it seems like I was walking without crutches within a week (although slowly). It took about a year before I felt like running again and now I do crossfit where we run and jump a lot. The jumping still scares me a little and some of my movements are modified to prevent pounding. Climbing has not been a problem afterward except that I do not want to fall and reinjure it so I prefer steep climbing with no potential for ledge falls. |
|
|
|
Sorry sorry to hear. |
|
Guys, I found this site looking for more info about these calc fractures. I am 50, fairly good shape, non smoker... and no Olympic tryouts anytime soon. |
|
any body need any hope here is a video at 1.3 months since shattering both heels and dusting my subtalar joints. |
|
Suffered a calcaneus fracture and surgery at the end of March 2016, a plate and several screws not hold my heal together. Non-weight bearing for 7 weeks, then into an air cast and advised that I could start weight bearing with air cast 25% of my body weight (55 lbs) and add 25% per week there after. I started going to a sport physiotherapist twice a week at 12 weeks post surgery, she advised the use of compression stockings to help reduce the swelling and increase blood flow to the foot and the calf muscles. At 13 weeks I started wearing a ankle brace with my regular running shoes. My biggest obstacle is still the swelling and pain associated with full weight bearing. |
|
7 weeks.. you may need a second opinion |
|
Glad I found this thread. I broke my left calcaneus on July 27th 2017 (took a lead fall in Spain, in a warmup route. The quickdraw came out of the bolt so my fall was longer than it should have been and I hit a ledge). My fracture did not require surgery (according to x-rays and CT Scan), just about 6 weeks with a cast (although the doc gave me a boot on the second week to replace the cast, but not enough instructions). The cast is removable, because it only covers the back part of the foot, and up to the calf, just below the knee. ON A SEPARATE NOTE: I live in Germany. Medical attention and medicines are free, but I have to say it lacks quality and competency. The doc gave me the boot (actually just a medical order to buy the boot), but no instructions (should I weight bear? should I remove it to sleep? etc..). So Im getting a second opinion next week. Anyway, some doctors I know recommended me to not use the boot because is heavier, so I put the cast back on (until I get a second opinion). It´s been 3 weeks, time goes by fast, and Im a bit sad to read that this thing (although it didnt require surgery, can take up to 1 year to really heal). Apart from climbing, I love running, so I guess that´s gonna have to wait too. In the mean time, Im doing pullups, pushups, and core. And when Im able to walk/move without crutches, I will consider swimming. I hope this will keep me in shape so that I come back to climbing in an ok level! |
|
I thought I should provide an update, in case anyone is still reading this thread. This is the beginning of the 10th week after the accident.
All in all, it's looking pretty good, Im optimistic, and happy to be able to walk again (although Im limping a lot). Still working on upper body and eventually swimming when the pain is gone. Hopefully I will be able to start climbing again in January 2018! |
|
I fracture bilateral heel 3/7/19 so 11 weeks out I walked on treadmill for 12 minutes. I’m swimming everyday and doing heel raises and walking in water. The pool is the best for rehab, no risk of falling, I also got a gel heel cups and good shoes. Please do not read all of those negative post on other sites. K |
|
Heather3 wrote: Hi All. I broke my calcaneous falling off my horse during a jumper course. I did not require surgery and have been 2 months non-weight bearing. Last night was my first night to "start" walking. I tried to walk for abou 1o minutes with a cane and it was really painful. Did others experience that? Am I doing something wrong? I have called my doctor who is less than helpful. Would love to hear other's experiences when they started walking again. |
|
I broke both of my heels , no weight bearing for 10 weeks, it did hurt with walking. I swam and did lots of water walking. When I could walk in shallow water without pain I started on treadmill. The treadmill has lots of padding and hand rails. I also when to a good shoe store they help find a padded shoes, a heel lift will help, it keeps some pressure off heels. Take it slow 10 weeks is the turning point. |
|
It's been 2 years since I broke my calcaneus. I was back to normal life pretty much 5-6 months after the incident. I started moderate climbing again in January 2018, started jogging in Feb 2018. Then back to normal. I went normal rock climbing on May 2018 and to the alps for mountaineering and glacier traverse in July 2018. I've been running a lot, swimming, weight lifting, and still climbing. The heel still hurts actually, but I don't mind the pain. It's more an uncomfortable pain than it is a painful pain. I guess the pain will never 100% go away, but Im living my life normally as I did before, so there's hope fellas. It will take some time, but just be patient, hang in there!! |
|
Just to clarify, everyone's account is different. People break bones at different levels. I broke my heel is not the same as I shattered my heel. Same goes with cracked. Everyone should keep a positive outlook on what happens. Listening to one person's assumption or recovery process is not the same for someone else. Take what everyone says with a grain of salt and keep a positive attitude. We can all adapt to injuries. The human mind is a powerful thing. Stay positive and you never know how far you can go. It took me over a year to walk normal again. I still have pain and discomfort. I get by and am doing everything I have ever wanted. Some activities take adaptation and that is fine with me. Stay positive out there people. Heel injuries suck! |
|
It has been 15 weeks since I fractured both heels and has numerous pelvic fractures. Yesterday I walked 2 miles on a rocky driveway, did a elipical for 30 mins with no heel pain. Sure my feet were a little puffy by evening, I’m wearing support socks all the time, they actually feel good on feet. I’m 66 years old. I think the swimming pool has helped a lot in my recovery, I would be in there for hours, swimming for cardio, treading water and walking in pool. I didn’t walk on land until I could walk in water without pain. Also I increased my protein intake and decreased my caloric intake, lost weight. |
|
Rotech O'flara wrote: |
|
I broke both heels in March and a few pelvic fractures. I was in the pool for hours, swimming,treading water, and feet exercises. I walked in water chest deep until no pain then walked to shallower waters until no pain then land. The cool waters keep the swelling down, I also wear support socks, Amazon has the shorter styles. I’m 66 very healthy, determined person hang in there |
|
Rhett Burroughs · May 28, 2019 ·Wrote: Just to clarify, everyone's account is different. People break bones at different levels. I broke my heel is not the same as I shattered my heel. Same goes with cracked. Everyone should keep a positive outlook on what happens. Listening to one person's assumption or recovery process is not the same for someone else. Take what everyone says with a grain of salt and keep a positive attitude. We can all adapt to injuries. The human mind is a powerful thing. Stay positive and you never know how far you can go. It took me over a year to walk normal again. I still have pain and discomfort. I get by and am doing everything I have ever wanted. Some activities take adaptation and that is fine with me. Stay positive out there people. Heel injuries suck!RE: Life going forward, even if you were never a Climber now after this injury, you are . . . Coming up on the 25th anniversary of my injury. Shattering the left heel into pieces and pulverizing the right heel/ankle/foot, Recovering from the dual injury took 4 years to come back to be 90 percent. I was able to return to climbing at a high standard but never hiked with full weight or ran without pain/swelling again. Depending on the severity of the injury, a persons age, fitness and one's location/ability to get high-quality care at the time of the injury the level of life-changing after-effects from this injury varies widely. While both were strongly recommended, I refused both fusion and removal of hardware from either foot. A fusion of the one foot might have allowed for Swimming laps to have been an exercise option... As I've aged the loss of the ability to run & hike/walk long distances has had a great impact. I like to say that I blame the 3 "W's": Walking, Weight & Work The 3 things that increased the most over time. Mobility in the early years of recuperation was a chore that I kept up with; actively pushing myself exercising & working out. Over the span of the last 10 years, an ever-increasing pattern of aging & sedentary lifestyle due to the demands of work & family obligations has led to what was the eventuality of increased arthritic pain & loss of range of motion. & from the Link john gregory ·Wrote: 9 mins ago · Lebanon, NH · Joined Feb 2008 · Points: 0I am a surgeon who performs this surgery and a lifer climber. happy to answer questions directly or even review xrays etc...Bottom line with this fracture is the damage to the cartilage and the joint and how well that can be put back together. if the joint isn't broken and alignment can be repaired, then return to active life is possible. Younger, healthier (people) joints fair best. The other challenge comes if there are other injuries/fractures sustained at same time further delaying recovery. Bone takes 6 wks to heal and most people take 6-12 months to total rehab.The 22 page other thread Calcaneus Surgery ORIF Success Stories? |
|
Rhett Burroughs wrote: Just to clarify, everyone's account is different. People break bones at different levels. I broke my heel is not the same as I shattered my heel. Same goes with cracked. Everyone should keep a positive outlook on what happens. Listening to one person's assumption or recovery process is not the same for someone else. Take what everyone says with a grain of salt and keep a positive attitude. We can all adapt to injuries. The human mind is a powerful thing. Stay positive and you never know how far you can go. It took me over a year to walk normal again. I still have pain and discomfort. I get by and am doing everything I have ever wanted. Some activities take adaptation and that is fine with me. Stay positive out there people. Heel injuries suck! Heel injuries suck. And I second the shattered part (which I did) .. shout out to Utah as well.. I'm now 8 months post OP, 2 weeks post hardware removal. I can walk but that subtalar tho! Covet your heels while you have them! I think it might be too late for those of you reading this, so make sure you stay positive. |
|
I was on a first date at Hidden Beach in Corona Del Mar on June 15th when I jumped off of a rock into shallow water and fractured my left calcaneus. He carried me all 6'4" 180lb of me up a staircase and over rocky cliffs to the curb because we were on a beach only accessible by rock climbing or water and I knew if I involved the lifeguards it would probably progress to the fire department and I didn't want that scene. |