Calcaneus Surgery ORIF Success Stories?

Calcaneus fractures two years ago, both heels with identical breaks in one fall. Recovery is long, and I have some seemingly permanent nerve issues and diminished feeling in parts of my feet, but it gets better. 

Not sure about the clamp causing tingles. I didn't get any hardware put in, but still get frequent tingles / pins and needles even this far along. Mention it at your next check up, and see what the Dr. says. From what I was told, tingles aren't unusual and there isn't much to be done about them.

Best of luck and keep your head up.

I suppose I'm the dumbest guy I know cause I broke them both and not at the same time. One would think I learned from the pain and even though I lost something permanently for the first time, I came through it after a while and could do what my therapist said I'd never be able to. That would be running well enough to play ball with my kids, etc.

That was in 2008. A year ago my toenails on that foot became loose and now 3 are gone but it was Easter Sunday and I had just started a new job in a different town. I was helping my son hang a light fixture and didn't take 1 precaution even though I was on a ladder. 3 lousy feet off the floor with no shoes or socks on and BOOM. It didn't hurt as bad as the 2008 ( left calcaneus ). I thought I might have sprained my right ankle maybe broke it. I went to bed at home but it just got worse and somehow I got myself outside and drove to the ER left footed. When I got there the security guard said I had to park in the lot. I told him either you park my car or get me a wheelchair. He did the latter and after x rays I heard the ER doc on the phone ( speaking to who I now know to be my surgeon ) and heard "53 year old male with a right calcaneus fracture". 

I'l try to get the point out, this time surgery had to wait due to insurance BS. Instead of immediate I waited 5 weeks and would you believe it' s worse than the first time. Insurance didn' t cover PT so I didn't have it. I did not have a hard cast this time. Used a walking boot after surgical splint was over so I didn't lose all my ROM. 8 months post surgery and this time I will need a miracle to think about moving faster than walking again. That job I had to leave when I told them I needed time. The hardest part is knowing how dumb I was. As someone who experienced it before, I should never have risked it. 

Well I'll say goodnight for now. I hope all of you are getting better! 

Mike 

those bone fragments should go away.  I had the same type of things.  Over time it will go away (dissolve into the system) in lamons terms

Mike Lgvn,

Yes I believe that when you are older, no matter how active, recovery from this injury is harder.  I should know.   

Best of Luck in you recovery.

Lin

I crushed mine and had ORIF in 2010.  

Can someone tell me about getting the hardware removed? I seen someone say it feels better? Some days i have no pain, others its severe.

Hi Guys
I'm a Newbie in this forum
We had gone for a vacation to the Himalayas two years before. I'm having Obesity issue, but still I managed to climb the Rohtang Pass. Mind is what matters. But unfortunately now I suffer from Plantar fascists  and a ligament tear in the ankle. I took treatment for that but still it hurts usually and the pain is disturbing me very much at work.
Could anyone suggest me what to do in this situation?
Thanks

Hazel Schindler wrote: Hi Guys
I'm a Newbie in this forum
We had gone for a vacation to the Himalayas two years before. I'm having Obesity issue, but still I managed to climb the Rohtang Pass. Mind is what matters. But unfortunately now I suffer from Plantar fascists  and a ligament tear in the ankle. I took treatment for that but still it hurts usually and the pain is disturbing me very much at work.
Could anyone suggest me what to do in this situation?
Thanks

The moon boot is likely required for the plantar fasciitis but the ligament tear probably requires physio depending on severity of the tear. Unfortunately these are contradictory so better get professional Advice. Proletherapy (glucose injections) may help too. I was dubious about the proletherapy but it worked for me. I had partial tears to tendons. Good luck

Hi
Thanks @ J Kuginis.
I'm recovering from the severity of the tear now. Where can i Get the moon boot? Is it available online? I'm afraid to take Glucose injections as am a diabetic patient.
Thanks for the support once again

Hazel Schindler wrote: Hi
Thanks @ J Kuginis.
I'm recovering from the severity of the tear now. Where can i Get the moon boot? Is it available online? I'm afraid to take Glucose injections as am a diabetic patient.
Thanks for the support once again

The moon boot (called that because it looks like That) is available at most physiotherapists and is used to stabilise/immobilise the foot to facilitate healing.(probably called something else in the USA - while having visited many times I don't live in the US) But better get professional advice as I am merely talking about my various experiences. I don't have an off switch so tend to push too hard too often and consequently injure myself fairly regularly and thus have had multiple MRI and ultrasound and X-rays over the past few years. Pure physio worked for torn ankle ligament (grade 2), but I needed more ie proletherapy for torn tendon in my foot as it facilitates healing. Professional advice required if I haven't said that enough. 

check a thrift store.

I had my boots for a few days and that was about it.  Insurance pays and people can't get rid of them.

I might still have mine, I would sell. PM if interested

Dawn Scott wrote: I crushed mine and had ORIF in 2010.  

Can someone tell me about getting the hardware removed? I seen someone say it feels better? Some days i have no pain, others its severe.

Dawn,

So sorry to hear about your injury.  I had my hardware removed in January.  Recovery time was significantly less than for the hardware being placed.  I still get stiff usually first thing in the morning and at the end of the day.  Otherwise, I feel that the surgery to remove the hardware has been beneficial.  I am not in as much pain, I can travel on uneven ground with more stability in my injured foot, and I feel like my range of motion has increased.  If you are thinking about this procedure I would definitely speak with your doctor to get their feel for what type of outcome you may have from it.  Hope this helps and all the best.

Skip

Dawn Scott wrote: I crushed mine and had ORIF in 2010.  

Can someone tell me about getting the hardware removed? I seen someone say it feels better? Some days i have no pain, others its severe.

Kinda depends on what kind of hardware your Dr. put in. I had 3 huge stainless steel 4 inch, hollow, self tapping screws.  After about 8 months, one of them started to work itself loose and was protruding about 1/2 inch beneath the skin. The Dr. recommended that I remove all of them. As I was developing a space around them, and prone to another fracture around the screw site. Pretty simple procedure, although it was another surgery which required general anesthetic. 6 weeks after removal, the holes filled in, and voila. Its been 8 years. No pain on most days, but ROM is not the same and cannot walk on uneven surface for long without paying for it the next day. But does not affect my cycling, or kite surfing. This type of injury sucks, but be strong, endure, and be thankful for what you have. Good Luck !

Trish KR wrote:

My surgeon gave me the go-ahead to bear weight yesterday as well as the ok to drive again. I still have to wear my aircast and use a walker for balance. Even though it was good news, I was very reluctant, but managed.  When I put my heel down the first time, I held my breath. There is a tingling nerve pain when I do so, and I wonder if it is because I had a clamp installed to hold the bottoms of the three screws together. There was an incision on the bottom of my heel. Have any of you had that done to secure your hardware? I’m practicing again today. Thanks for your support, everyone!

I also had 3 screws put in and the bottom of my foot was totally numb for over a year from the nerve damage. I got the tingles at night, and foot on fire, burning sensation as well. This is because of the nerve regeneration. It was like walking on a frostbitten foot for over a year, no matter how soft my shoes were. After 2 years, the nerves grew back and i have about 95% normal feeling and sensation, and no more numbness. Good luck and hang in there, it will get better. 

Greg Fisher wrote:

I also had 3 screws put in and the bottom of my foot was totally numb for over a year from the nerve damage. I got the tingles at night, and foot on fire, burning sensation as well. This is because of the nerve regeneration. It was like walking on a frostbitten foot for over a year, no matter how soft my shoes were. After 2 years, the nerves grew back and i have about 95% normal feeling and sensation, and no more numbness. Good luck and hang in there, it will get better. 

thanks for the encouragement, Greg. The nerve pain and burning is more annoying than the fracture, and now and then I take a very low dose of Gabapenten at night . I also sleep without a sock to help to desensitize the hypersensitive sural nerve that was stretched during the accident and that was also retracted during my two surgeries. I’m  seeing my PT twice  a week,  and besides passive range of motion and other exercises, am stretching my achilles and working on strengthening the calf on the affected leg. Last week’s xray revealed a notch in the calcaneus that still needs filling in ( I had a tongue avulsion fracture with ORIF) and there’s a small piece of bone that broke off that is gradually being absorbed. I’m only five months post-injury/ surgery. The hardware will  remain unless it proves to be too uncomfortable, but it’s too early to tell.

Hey guys. I had a bilateral calcaneus fracture in Jan 2015 from a bouldering fall. I had multiple surgeries for a plate and screws on the (comminuted fracture) right and a pin (tongue-type fracture) on the left. Then 9 months later I had another surgery to correct a bone spur on the right. It was about a year before I was walking solid again.

I'm chiming in to say that my recovery was long and took lots of hard work and was painful at times, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. My first couple months weight bearing I couldn't do a two foot calf raise! That was demoralizing. But with a slow and steady approach with incremental increases in walking, stair climbing, biking, calf raises, stretching, etc.... a few years later I am currently 5 days into a trip at Red Rocks and climbing (flailing on  ) classics I never thought I'd touch before the injury (cloud tower & original route rainbow wall).

I still have nerve wierdness (numbness, pain at times, tingling) but this is slowly going away as well. I remember after the injury wondering about my recovery time and hoping it took 6-9 months. But now I look back at the recovery process as taking several years.... be patient and consistent with PT and you will recover!

Thanks to everyone on this message board. The positive outcomes in this forum are a good change of pace from the debilitating attitudes of other forums I have stumbled across. I wanted to add my anecdotal experience:

25 year old male with a comminuted talar neck fracture and comminuted calcaneal fracture  to the right foot after sustaining a 20 foot fall. Official CT scan reads "Comminuted talar neck fracture extending into the anteromedial most aspect talar dome and medial aspect of the head.
Severe fragmentation and deformity greatest medial neck/head neck junction. Talar posterior facet articular surface intact.
Middle facet articular surface severely fragmented. Talar head articular surface maintained. Small os trigone.
Comminuted calcaneal fracture medial body and sustentaculum tali. Mild medial displacement of the sustentaculum tali
fragment. Multiple ossific fragments interposed between the medial talus and medial calcaneus at the middle subtalar
level."

I had my injury on 2/9/2018, had surgery on 2/19/2018 with the placement of a plate and screws, had my splint removed on 3/6/2018, and was approved for weight bearing activities on 5/15/2018.

I used an iWalk 2.0 to assist me in ambulating while non weight bearing. This device was a game changer in terms of being able to complete ADLs. I rarely used crutches, and didn't bother with a knee scooter because I have stairs at my home. I was able to "walk" a few miles with this, although I do not recommend doing this very often due to the impact on your knee.

I also did rehab with therapy bands (every other day), active ROM exercises (daily), and treading water or swimming (once a week) while non weight bearing. 

When I first started walking, I walked with a limp and noticed a fair amount of pain. Now that it has been 11 days since I have had approval to walk, I find myself still limping but it is rare and subtle. I think as I build the muscles back and keep on increasing my ROM in my heel, it will continue to improve. The pain has lessened in my heel, but I have developed occasional pain on the medial side of my ankle, along the incision. It seems to be worse after a lot of activity. I also have pain on the pain on the balls of my foot when performing plantar flexion while walking. My foot never feels 100% when walking, but it feels better everyday. I still continue to ice a few hours per day. The swelling and purple discoloration of my foot has decreased dramatically after a few days of walking. Before, my foot would turn a nice maroon color after being in a dependent position for a minute. Now, it stays the same color as my other foot for a while when walking and only has a slightly darker hue than the other foot if it does change colors. I still use a compression sleeve on my foot/ankle as well as bought some shoes with greater arch support and massaging insoles.

I haven't been to PT yet, because my surgeon said that younger, healthy individuals don't generally need it and will get function back through walking and some exercises he gave me. I think I am going to seek out some weekly PT anyways because it won't hurt anything.

QUESTIONS:

Those of you that still have your hardware in, do you find it something you regret?
My Surgeon says he doesn't think it will be necessary to remove the hardware, just curious.

How much bigger is your bad ankle than your good ankle? 
My bad ankle, while not swollen, is noticeably bigger than my normal ankle. I think this due to scar tissue and collagen build up. Just curious to hear others responses.

Do you recommend any exercises that were extremely beneficial?
I have been stretching a lot, just looking for some other ideas to incorporate.

OVERALL: This injury left me feeling a bit depressed at first, but I became determined to come back stronger. It has allowed me to gain the strongest upper body I have ever had and complete some projects that I had been mulling over for a while. Thank you anyone who decides to respond and good luck to anyone perusing these forums!

Hey Jacob, sorry to hear about your injury. But it sounds like you are putting in the hard work towards recovery and it's paying off! Keep it up!!!

Those of you that still have your hardware in, do you find it something you regret?
My Surgeon says he doesn't think it will be necessary to remove the hardware, just curious.

I still have my hardware (pin on the left and plate+screws on the right) I occasionally think about removal when I feel a twinge of pain while heel hooking with my left or if there is direct pressure over the hardware on my right.  Right now I think the chance of having a bad outcome from the removal surgery outweighs any of the difficulties I experience with leaving hardware in. So I'll be leaving it in.

How much bigger is your bad ankle than your good ankle?
My bad ankle, while not swollen, is noticeably bigger than my normal ankle. I think this due to scar tissue and collagen build up. Just curious to hear others responses.

My right was significantly wider in the months after the injury, but this dissipated a bit over time. It's still noticeably wider at the heel, but I still wear the same shoe size, thankfully.

Do you recommend any exercises that were extremely beneficial?
I have been stretching a lot, just looking for some other ideas to incorporate.

I spent a few months jumping rope. I thought this was great for calf strength and regaining coordination without being too high impact. Here's an example of a good 10 min routine. Hiking with a pack has also been beneficial. I think the uneven ground is great for increasing range of motion and also strength. Right now I've just been doing lots of single foot calf raises during every workout and noticing small but steady gains.

I would definitely rec PT, even if only for a few months. I found lots of benefits... assessment, novel exercises, massage of the foot and ankle, encouragement, measuring progress.

I also had lots of pain and swelling in the early weeks after weight bearing. I thought there wouldn't be a day I didn't notice or think about my injury. But it slowly fades and now it's unusual for me to think about the pain or it limiting my mobility in anyway. Good luck!

Jacob,
  Just be glad you only did one foot and your young.  Hardware in at 4 years.  Find PT with a tread-pool.  My breaks were so substantial I wasn't "weight bearing" for 5 1/2 months after surgery which I sat in a bed for 2 weeks for the swelling to go down.  A total of 6 months in a bed.  Atrophy at 6 months is almost unrecoverable but I did it.  You will be just fine.  Accept the pain, it will subside into discomfort.  It took me a year to be a "normal" human.   Welcome to the new normal.  Adaptation is key in life.

Good luck!

Hey, everyone.  This is my first visit here.  I’m not a climber, but signed up due to the good info regarding calcaneal fractures.  I did quite a bit of indoor climbing when I was in my 40s, but I know it’s not the same.  RI am an active 63-yr old female with right comminuted fracture on April 29.  I had ORIF on May 7.  Dr said X-ray looked great at 2-week pro visit.  At least 4 more weeks of non weight bearing, in boot since post-op.
In my 30s through my early 50s I was an avid exerciser, mostly weight training.  My spouse of 20 years had a medication reaction in 2009 that pushed her into early dementia.  She also has advanced MS, so we have caregivers 24/7 forget.  I work in a fast-paced ophthalmology clinic, and play in a rock band.  I have neglected my health the past 9 yrs. I haven’t had a consistent  work out program in 9 years, so I’m trying to view this as an opportunity to get in better shape and rest.

I am concerned about my job.  I planned to retire in 3 1/2 years, so I hope I can get back to work soon.

This group seems so positive.  I hope it’s okay that I don’t climb.