Why won't my ankle work??
5 years ago I broke my ankle quite badly. I had to have two pins on the inside of it, and a plate with 6 screws on the outside. The metal work was removed and the ankle was fine - a few aches now and again, and it would swell a bit if I was standing on it for an extended period of time, but generally it was alright.
However last year I jumped over a puddle and landed funny on it, and since then it has been a real problem. I have a consistant limp, which is particularly bad if I have been sitting down, and the ankle has become stiff. Even when I 'walk it off', I still have a slight limp. It will swell throughout the day, and I regularly have to do RICE in the evenings and at the weekend.
I have been to my GP and he has said that it is because I am overweight. While I can't argue that I need to lose weight, I have lost over a stone in the last 3 months and I still have the exact same problems with it. I had to bully my GP into sending me for physio, which has helped a little. But now, rather worryingly, I have started to develop a pain further up my leg, particularly in the back of my thigh. I am unsure what I should do about this?
I have become a bit of a gym bunny over the last couple of months (trying to shift the weight) I have been doing Spinning (static bike) classes, as it is low impact on my ankle and yoga.
Can anyone suggest why I am getting this pain further up my leg, and indeed why my ankle won't get better? Do I need to see a specialist or is it a question of shift the weight and the problem will also go?
Am starting to get desperate now, I miss wearing high heels!
Thanks in advance for any and all comments
However last year I jumped over a puddle and landed funny on it, and since then it has been a real problem. I have a consistant limp, which is particularly bad if I have been sitting down, and the ankle has become stiff. Even when I 'walk it off', I still have a slight limp. It will swell throughout the day, and I regularly have to do RICE in the evenings and at the weekend.
I have been to my GP and he has said that it is because I am overweight. While I can't argue that I need to lose weight, I have lost over a stone in the last 3 months and I still have the exact same problems with it. I had to bully my GP into sending me for physio, which has helped a little. But now, rather worryingly, I have started to develop a pain further up my leg, particularly in the back of my thigh. I am unsure what I should do about this?
I have become a bit of a gym bunny over the last couple of months (trying to shift the weight) I have been doing Spinning (static bike) classes, as it is low impact on my ankle and yoga.
Can anyone suggest why I am getting this pain further up my leg, and indeed why my ankle won't get better? Do I need to see a specialist or is it a question of shift the weight and the problem will also go?
Am starting to get desperate now, I miss wearing high heels!
Thanks in advance for any and all comments
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Comments
And welcome to Icrontic.
Thanks for the comments.
I have had it X-rayed since the 'puddle incident' Apparently it is fine! I suggested to my GP that I needed an MRI scan because I thought that it could be a ligament or cartilege problem. However I think that it is because of the cost, that my GP won't agree to that. Do people think I should really push for that?
And thanks for the welcome!
Look at your shoes for uneven wear. Do you use orthotic inserts?
You may need to try some things to shift the load around.
It's not abnormal to experience a loss of movement after a serious injury. A friend of mine from school last year shattered his thigh bone and has several steel pieces and screws to compensate. He still experiences slight pain in the winter and a relatively limited range of motion compared to what he used to have.
However, you should probably not be limping around to begin with. There is a possibility the surgery never healed correctly. Certainly, being overweight can put undue stress on the joints, but this seems a bit absurd and quite drawn out.
Get an MRI.
Just on a side,
The problem in the UK is that since we have 'free' health care, any things like MRI scans come out of the GP's profit margins, and so there is not much of an incentive for them to order expensive investigations. It is also quite difficult to change to a different GP practice, as they have catchment areas, and equally how do you know who is a good doctor before you move? I love the idea of free healthcare for all, but with Doctors having such a say in the running of it, the NHS will collapse in the next 20 years.