Help, I have broken my ankle, my doctors disagree on weather I need surgery to repair it.?

Question

I broke my ankle a week ago and my two doctors disagree on weather I should have screws put in to fix it or to treat it inoperablely. I have read alot about this break in studies and it says that there is about as good a chance of it healing with or without the surgery as long as it is cared for well. The break is on the inside of the right ankle. The joint is stable but it cracked off the piece of the larger leg bone that creates the covering over the ankle joint. What should I do? Surgery, why? Just take care of it? How? I need some advise as the doctors here don't agree.
I have a conferance to travel to down in Houstin in 6 weeks and need to do the best for it between now and then.

Answer 1

here is what i would suggest from my years of medical experience in the military. any invasive surgery can lead to other difficulty.
if you have a osteologist (bone doctor) willing to treat the injury without surgery then i'd say do that first. should that not give you desired results within three months, then go on to the surgery.

it sounds like you might have a lose piece of bone or cartilage in there. if you do it may likely give you trouble for the rest of your life. trouble like aches and pains. removing the lose fragments could be a good idea, and a simple procedure if they are small fragments and indeed unattached by ligament, tendon, other bone, or cartilage.

in the end most broken bones to a minor degree will fix themselves, its just that modern medicine is capable of improving that fix in the short term, and providing long term benefits.

if it were me, and based on only what you are saying, i would forego the surgery, wear the brace or whatever, but definetly ask about removing any loose fragments.

Answer 2

I don't have a medical degree, but may I put an idea in your head because I have faced ankle problems in the past and MAY BE ABLE TO help you before your 6 week Houston conference date?
Even if these people are othopedics, respectfully, see another one for consultation. Because of my situation, I had to consider triple fusion surgery on my right ankle. Due to some other circumstances, I didn't have it. An orthopedic I would recommend for your situation (I had to go to 4--so help me God) is Dr. James Brodsky in Dallas, Texas. Out of the 4, he seemed to be the best informed, the most pleasant, and he had a nice bedside manner; he was honest with me AND, best of all, told me if I wanted him to do the surgery to call him. No pressure stuff. I thought if you were willing to go to Houston, you MIGHT be able to get in to see this doctor I'm telling you about quicker. He's at 411 North Washington Ave. # 7000 214.823.7090. He specializes in orthopedic foot surgery. Good luck to ya, and Happy New Year!

Answer 3

Have you seen an orthopedic doctor? I broke, sprained, and dislocated my left ankle several years ago. A screw was put in the day after I broke it. Then a month after the cast was taken off it was removed. My ankle healed fine. Definetely get a third opinion before having surgery. Do make a decision soon, because you don't want your ankle to heal incorrectly and have it be an old injury no one can do anything with.

Answer 4

Ask for another opinion from the "Chief of Orthopedics" or a teaching professor at a near-bye medical school& hospital. Keep in mind what the "ankle" joint does in relation to your body ? It is the only solid support system you have,it's designed to last a life time.Personally I'd get it fixed in a way that will allow myself to continue with my career,lifestyle,sport's etc.Most important will any degenerative conditions of the bone and joints be a result of not getting the best fix? SW RNP

Answer 5

I live near Houston, so I hope you have a good time here.

I am a medical professional, and I suggest maybe getting one more Dr. opinion before you decide. Often the ankle is the most neglected injury point. Things can go really wrong if you neglect proper care. If you have pain near the outside of your knee, check back with your doctor to report this. This will help in the diagnosis and treatment.

Answer 6

You need to have a chiropractor look at the images to determine the extent of damage and its relation to the function of your ankle. Because, from what you describe, it sounds like we're in a gray area medically. Most good chiros will almost never recommend surgery. They are also pioneers in everything to do with joints. Last time I read one of my medical books, the ankle is a joint.

Answer 7

Are either of your doctors orthopedic surgeons? If not, I'd ask a doctor who is one. But, you should find one asap if you want to be active on it in about 6 weeks. I work for a surgeon and because they're specialists it can take a while to get an appointment. Also, it can take a while to schedule a surgery. Either way, I don't know if you'll be able to use it for longer than 6 weeks. Sorry :(

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

I broke my ankle 3 years ago and I still get pain if I walk for long periods of time, or if I sprint, or if I wear high heeled shoes for longer than half an hour :( It will slowly get better and better, but there will always be a permanent weakness there.