After 8 weeks in plaster with Broken Ankle, will I walk as soon as it comes off?

Question

Also will I still need the crutches ?

Answer 1

Hi you must remember you have been in a cast for 8 wks so your ankle will still be very weak and strange.Take it easy for a while dont start running around or playing footy quite yet as your ankle will be a sensitive area now,and any bash you have you can easliy fracture the same place again so be careful.You wont need physio you can do this by yourself,the best exercise is swimming this will get the ankle stronger again.Walking is also a good exercise too.Using crutches is up to you,you may feel like you need them for a while till you get the confidance bck in walking without a cast,you can put your foot to the ground the crutches are there for support,you will only need this for a while thou.You should be given a tubigrip to for a little support,if you are not given one ask or you can buy them from chemist and boots,but they aint cheap thou,or ask your Gp/dr for one.Well i hope i have helped you.Take Care.Any problems email me.

Answer 2

I'm sure it differs for everyone but I too was in a cast for 8 weeks after breaking an ankle. Atrophied sets in very quickly after only a matter of weeks of non use, not just in your ankle, but thigh and hip muscles are affected as well (my neighbor was a Dr.) I personally did not walk without crutches right away and if you are not already scheduled to do so, get some physical therapy to build the muscles back, restore balance and stretch tightened ligaments.

Answer 3

Ok its obviously been quite a bad break to have been in plaster for eight weeks. So the answer is yes, but you will have to take care with it. No sport no running around untill your ankle feels strong again. After having been motionless for several weeks your ankle will feel weak, sometimes numb. You may still have to support it, with a walking stick or large brolly. If you feel tentative about walking at first ask what the casualty staff reccommend you do. Whatever you do, don't take up hopping as this is unnecessary exercise for your tendons and muscles which don't need it - as the one good foot, also needs to take it easy, having taken the strain over eight weeks of support. Good luck.

Answer 4

My mother had the same injury. Once she got the cast off, she got another walking boot she could use against her uncasted leg. But, obviously, she was able to take it off and wash it, which was a big relief. She started getting physio to help her move her ankle again and start walking using her leg muscles. The first physio appt was just the therapist moving her foot around (which can hurt a bit), then he gave her exercises to practice, like putting a small towel on the floor and scrunching your toes on it to move it towards your heels. Later your therapist will let you start putting pressure back on your foot, you can use a bathroom scale to see how much you are pressing. Sometimes your foot and leg will be oversensitive because of the damage. My mother rubs the skin where it's oversensitive to help it get back to normal. This can be a long process depending on how much atrophy (your muscles loosing strength), and how many ligaments and tendons were damaged in the accident that broke your leg. Whatever you do, make sure that you do the physio exercises, otherwise you will never heal properly or walk properly again.

Answer 5

no because the muscle tissue would have started wasting away so you will probably have to have some physiotherapy sessions to build up the strength again. you will be using crutches for at least the first 2/3 weeks after the plaster has been removed depending on which bone/s you fractured and the location of it.

Good luck and hope it heals quickly

Answer 6

After that long in a cast your muscles in and around the ankle will have atrophied, that is gotten smaller and weaker. You will have some work yet to do to get back to your previous level of function. You may not need the crutches but walking may still be slow and difficult.

Answer 7

You will still need crutches for a few days as your muscles will be weak. You need to build up the strength again - slowly! You should probably get some physio and exercises to do at home. The vilest thing will be the amount of skin that comes off in the bath - gross.

Answer 8

I badly sprained my ankle about 3 weeks ago. I was in a hurry going down the stairs, lost my balance and landed on a bad side of my left foot, causing my left ankle to be stretched going on the inside. The first 48 hours were excruciating and the pain was un-believable. I've never had a serious ankle injury before.

So I immediately treated it using the RICE method. The following day, the bruising and swelling were so horrible. I found out that I got a second degree sprain and immediately panicked after that. I had a football game on that week and it been looking forward to it because I've been training for rt. I had teammates that had similar injuries and it took them months to fully recover, some of them stopped playing altogether. So I kinda had a short-term depression because I can't imagine myself not being able to run and play sports anymore.

Because I was so desperate to recover again, I contacted a lot of people that I know who do sports and asked them if they had similar injuries. One friend of mine, from the boy's football team in my university, told me about H.E.M. Ankle Rehab. I got a copy 4 days after I got injured. I immediately read and followed what was instructed and felt improvement on the first day. I was able to walk a bit, but I was in pain.

A couple of days after that, the swelling and bruising were subsid-ing significantly and on the fourth day, I was walking comfortably again. Although I've had felt a bit of stiffness, I continued doing what was instructed. My sister was surprised that I have recovered this fast. I told her about this book and was shocked on how effective the procedures were. I'm just so happy that this book was shared to me and how effective it is.

Heal your ankle fully & fast?

Answer 9

Your muscles, ligaments and tendons will all be rather weak, so you'll want to be careful and give them time to build up strength again. Shouldn't need crutches, but one of those ankle wraps for extra support would be a good idea.

Answer 10

After 2 months in a cast, you will probably need a little therapy, stretching and exercising. You might need the crutches for awhile, for mobilization. Take it easy.