I once aspired to be a parachutist, but things just never worked out. Later in life I got another chance at a local jump club.

One morning I made a jump in celebration of turning 30 and things kinda went south, I hit in or on the side of a steep ditch and really sprained my ankle.

Like others have said, the doc and therapists said I'd have been better off if I'd just broken the darned thing.

I was a young police sergeant then, and worried I'd buggered up my leg and might end up losing my job. Fortunately, the agency stuck with me and a few weeks later,I was back doing normal sergeanty things.

I seem to recall it was about 5 years later before all the problems were gone.

I have not considered another jump since.

Bob

I injured my right ankle multiple times. Two times very badly. One was running and tangling with a small dog also running. The worst was in a gymnastics vault landing. I landed on my feet but was going over onto my face. If I face planted, I would have been fine. But a spotter stopped me going forward and pulled me back onto my right leg buckled underneath. That hurt my knee so bad I did not know my ankle was hurt til later.
Ankle was very swollen. I could not walk. Xrays were negative. I was on crutches for a week and limped for a month.
The knee has always locked painfully when twisted just wrong when fully bent. The real pain comes when unlocking the knee. The knee will lock like that today if I move while its bent fully
And to this day with small movement, the ankle will stab me with a very sharp pain at the outside of the bend between leg and foot, just forward of the fibula I think. The sharp pain has almost out me on the ground more than once.

quote:

Originally posted by tigereye313:
Recently had an SPR repair. Feel free to email me.

I'm home now so I can type an actual reply. I injured my ankle rock climbing. Unbeknownst at the time, I managed to strip the SPR (ligament) from the bone. Instant swelling, nearly impossible to walk. I had it xrayed a day or two later with sports med. Nothing broken. I opted for conservative treatment. Once the swelling subsided enough to move on it I began PT after two weeks to strengthen it and regain range of motion and balance.

I also discovered that my peroneal tendons would snap out of place and over my ankle bone with certain motions.

I continued working with it, but got to a plateau where it wasn't going to improve further and was limiting activities I enjoy.

In August this year I had it repaired and now that it is fully recovered I ask myself why I waited so long to have it fixed.

Get the MRI. If severe enough have a surgical consult and decide from there if conservative treatment and therapy or surgery is your best option if warranted. If you do opt for surgery, find the best surgeon out there.

Thanks again to Q and bonedoc for the advice with my ankle!

On the same subject, but different side effect...

My now departed mother used to say to watch out for weak ankles, one of its companion problems is diabetes. I wonder how many here with the ankle problem also are diabetic.

quote:

Originally posted by tigereye313:

quote:

Originally posted by tigereye313:
Recently had an SPR repair. Feel free to email me.

I'm home now so I can type an actual reply. I injured my ankle rock climbing. Unbeknownst at the time, I managed to strip the SPR (ligament) from the bone. Instant swelling, nearly impossible to walk. I had it xrayed a day or two later with sports med. Nothing broken. I opted for conservative treatment. Once the swelling subsided enough to move on it I began PT after two weeks to strengthen it and regain range of motion and balance.

I also discovered that my peroneal tendons would snap out of place and over my ankle bone with certain motions.

I continued working with it, but got to a plateau where it wasn't going to improve further and was limiting activities I enjoy.

In August this year I had it repaired and now that it is fully recovered I ask myself why I waited so long to have it fixed.

Get the MRI. If severe enough have a surgical consult and decide from there if conservative treatment and therapy or surgery is your best option if warranted. If you do opt for surgery, find the best surgeon out there.

Thanks again to Q and bonedoc for the advice with my ankle!

So the problem you had didn’t necessarily limit your everyday mobility in the manner of typical waking around and living life, but it did limit more strenuous activities?

I’ve been working with a ACE certified CAT since the day of the injury, including twice weekly visits. They initially helped get the swelling under control (again, it was well over a month for the bulk of the swelling to leave) and have been working through range of motion and strengthening exercises.

Just trying to narrow in on what I need to tell the doctor specifically to hopefully get her to order the mri. I’ve heard stories about workers comp doctors not always playing ball. I have no indications that this will be an issue with this doctor, but it is a concern that nags at the back of my mind.

I have asked her about seeing a PT and she hasn’t wanted to do that.

About 17 years ago I was playing basketball, went up for a rebound (and I mean super high, like Jordan high jump), and came down on my roommate's foot. Dislocated my right ankle and was knocked out so they could pop it back in. I was on crutches for about a month and a boot for a while later. I went to physical therapy for a few months and remember how awful the contrast baths were.

Thankfully I did not require surgery and all the folks who cared for me post injury did a really good job because I have zero lasting effects from it. I've rolled it a time or two since then but those did not cause lasting issues. The initial recovery was pretty long but I've been good since.

Ligaplex II, a supplement from Standard Process, greatly helps strengthen ligaments that are weak. It is low cost, about $32 for 3-4 weeks supply.

One would think that having a good diet is enough, but it is not. Ligaplex II has helped countless persons.

quote:

Originally posted by c1steve:
Ligaplex II, a supplement from Standard Process, greatly helps strengthen ligaments that are weak. It is low cost, about $32 for 3-4 weeks supply.

One would think that having a good diet is enough, but it is not. Ligaplex II has helped countless persons.

I’ll look into that. Thanks Steve!

After my initial injury, it took a solid eight weeks of nsaids, ice, elevation, compression, and PT before most of the swelling was gone.

The tendons would snap out of place relatively randomly, sometimes with seemingly innocuous movements. If it happened while they were under tension it would hurt a great deal then be sore and swollen for days, and make it much more frequent for a few weeks.

My sports med doc offered the MRI initially, but said it wasn't worth the expense unless I was committed to having surgery. Since I opted for conservative treatment I didn't have one.

My job requires me to be on my feet 8-12 hours per day as well. So the occasional pain and discomfort was inconvenient.

Once I saw the surgeon for eval, he said MRI was optional because the surgery would address any of the various injuries that were causing my symptoms.

None of this was workers comp, so that wasn't a consideration for me, and my insurance doesn't require referrals either. Wasn't cheap, but was worth it for me.

The Occupation Health Doctor is referring me to Podiatry for assessment and an MRI. She said that would take a few weeks to happen.

She studied the old X-rays again for a while and said there might be a fracture in there somewhere that she just isn’t seeing and then agreed that it is time for an MRI.

The saga continues.

quote:

Originally posted by straightshooter1:
I once aspired to be a parachutist, but things just never worked out. Later in life I got another chance at a local jump club.

One morning I made a jump in celebration of turning 30 and things kinda went south, I hit in or on the side of a steep ditch and really sprained my ankle.

I seem to recall it was about 5 years later before all the problems were gone.

I have not considered another jump since.

Bob

I did the exact same thing about 50 years ago. I broke a bone in my lower leg and really screwed up my ankle. I was in a cast for 8 weeks and limped around a lot longer. My ankle continued to hurt and predict the weather up until about 15 years ago. Now it's fine.

I have not considered another jump since either.
Mike

quote:

Originally posted by cooger:
About 17 years ago I was playing basketball, went up for a rebound (and I mean super high, like Jordan high jump), and came down on my roommate's foot. Dislocated my right ankle and was knocked out so they could pop it back in. I was on crutches for about a month and a boot for a while later. I went to physical therapy for a few months and remember how awful the contrast baths were.

Thankfully I did not require surgery and all the folks who cared for me post injury did a really good job because I have zero lasting effects from it. I've rolled it a time or two since then but those did not cause lasting issues. The initial recovery was pretty long but I've been good since.

My brother injured his ankle the same way but did not dislocate it. His leg was black and blue up to his knee from that sprained ankle. 35 years later he will step wrong on that side and roll his ankle hitting the ground.

quote:

The Occupation Health Doctor is referring me to Podiatry for assessment and an MRI. She said that would take a few weeks to happen.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Be aware that you are entitled to your own doctor for an opinion and treatment. That seems like a long time to me.

quote:

Originally posted by thumperfbc:
The Occupation Health Doctor is referring me to Podiatry for assessment and an MRI. She said that would take a few weeks to happen.

She studied the old X-rays again for a while and said there might be a fracture in there somewhere that she just isn’t seeing and then agreed that it is time for an MRI.

The saga continues.

At least they will be able to assess soft tissue injury that way.

Decades ago, in my early teenage years, I sprained an ankle skiing.
I was told that it often takes longer than a break to heal. Mine took months before it felt reasonably good and I still felt like I needed to be very careful six months later.
That was before I had heard the term MRI and I was out in a rural area where high tech imaging wouldn't have been available anyway.
The good news is that all these years later I haven't had any long term effects so I guess it's ok.

Still waiting on mri approval and scheduling…

But yesterday I saw an MEd ATC CEASIII Athletic Trainer with experience in Division 1 collegiate sports work and she did an assessment of the injury. Based upon the method of injury and her physical exam she stated she’d bet substantial money that I have a completely torn talofibular ligament as well as the joint being out of alignment. She said the specialist may want to do surgery, or at least present it as an option but that she’d prefer to get some time in with a good PT office first.

Soooo, still waiting for the MRI and consult with Podiatry, but I was a little surprised to hear her opinion. I never really expected a full tear.

I would recommend getting an MRI. When I was younger I was constantly rolling my ankle and spraining it. However back then I would usually be healed up and able to walk on it within a week or so. Now if it happens it is much longer weeks. The last time I was still in pain and had problems walking for over a month. Got an MRI and went to see my ortho and he told me that my muscles and ligaments around my ankle are so weak and stretched out. He recommended that I do PT to do some exercises to help strengthen the muscles and ligaments around my ankle. I did not realize how weak they were. Within 2 sessions my ankle was feeling much better and I was able to walk on it. After about 5 sessions it felt back to normal but I needed to keep it up for a few more weeks. Now whenever my ankle gets weak and I strain it, I do those simple exercises using the fitness band that my PT showed me. Again with 2 or 3 home sessions on my own, my ankle is back to normal. I hope this helps. God Bless !!!

The consult with the specialist and scheduling of MRI has not occurred yet. I’ll see the OH doctor Tuesday morning, an appointment that was set up solely to make sure the specialist referral is moving along.

On a related note the modified work assignment I have at work changed to a new one. The previous assignment afforded me great flexibility in my schedule and was a blessing while it lasted that I am thankful for. The new one doesn’t offer that flexibility but it is just fine and I have no concerns about working wherever they need me within the confines of the medical restrictions. No beef there.

But the REASON they moved me was an obvious 100% lie. I know it. They know it. There is no denying that the reason they moved me is NOT the reason they told me. I’ve suspected that the real reason for the assignment shift is because they believe me to be “milking” the situation in order to stay in the assignment that afforded the scheduling flexibility. I’ve believed that since I was lied to by my supervisor.

Well, Friday my suspicion was confirmed. My boss and my boss’s boss decided to reassign me because “what motivation does he have to ‘get better’ when he is in that spot?” My source is 100000% trustworthy and was part of the meeting where this was said by someone two levels above me.

I’m a front line supervisor myself and I completely understand there are people that do milk the system beyond what they actually need. I get that. But the people who made this decision are, what I thought, friends. We’ve worked together for over 15 years. I’ve been a loyal employee with zero issues for my entire tenure there. I’m damn good at my job and have never once given them any reason to doubt my integrity or honesty or commitment.

Apparently all it takes to have that thrown out the window is 2 months on light duty from an injury that occurred at work, on camera, and is medically documented.

Honestly it is both infuriating and saddening. All that time investing in this organization only to have it thrashed in a heartbeat. It won’t be forgotten.

It may be time to seek the services of a good workers compensation attorney.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
It may be time to seek the services of a good workers compensation attorney.

For what reason? (Honest question, why do you think so?)

They are finding suitable accommodations and not blocking any medical treatment. I don’t have a right to work a specific assignment on a modified basis, so I don’t know there is, at current, any need for legal assistance. Other coworkers have gone there in the past but in drastically different situations.

I’m just upset to find out how little management thinks of me.

The “what motivation does he have to ‘heal’?” is what I find offensive (and I do not offend easily). It’s called integrity. A trait I’ve spent 15 years modeling… apparently not worth much.