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12/30/2021
Location
Lake Elsinore, WA, USA
Edited Date/Time
9/3/2022 6:03am
Any of you guys ride with one? I shattered both my ankles and broke my pelvis socket Saturday at GH. Pretty stupid crash but it happened. Had surgery on my right ankle and pelvis socket already. Waiting on the left one because swelling is so bad. Doc said only way to fix it is throw a rod in a fuse it. Probably not the correct terminology but you get the picture. Just wanted to see how you guys go with a fused ankle? Noticeably different? Thanks!
I was riding 5 months post fusion (not without a little pain & soreness). It got better & better & keeps improving! It's been just over a year. It does not bother me when I ride, once i put a boot on it's hardly noticeable, if even at all. It's also on my brake side so not sure if someone else has experience with the shifter side. For riding it's more than than fine, which i'm super grateful for. However, I used to run a lot (competitively too) & have not been able to run since. I cycle more. I still squat but need to put something under my heel (usually a weight or something the same thickness) to adjust for the ankle not being able to move. It was a process to learn how to walk without the ankle bending. It's a major adjustment. Not for the weak hearted if you want to recover well. I would say it's a lot stronger now & does not hurt like it did before. There are also multiple ways to fuse it. so curious if it would limit side to side movement or up & down movement. Could be a factor in your decision.
I would suggest attempting to get it fixed with rods & screws & hope you don't get necrosis. If you need to get it fused later you always can, however if you get it fused now then there is not going back. I'm also not a doctor, just my experience.
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I have screws in the bone but the ankle is not fused. It's still swollen (compared to the other ankle), it hurts and I still have limited range of motion anyway so I always wondered it it would have been better to just fuse it. I've ridden, raced and run since but running sketches me out now so cycling or lower impact cardio machines at the gym are a better option.
Good luck clarkgray432. It will take you 20 years to get those calf muscles back
Clinical OfficeMark Goodson Building444 S. San Vicente Blvd.Suite 603Los Angeles, CA 90048Phone: 310.423.4566Fax: 310.423.9478
Clinical Office
Mark Goodson Building
444 S. San Vicente Blvd.
Suite 603
Los Angeles, CA 90048
Phone: 310.423.4566
Fax: 310.423.9478
Milton Little, MD
Milton Little, MD is a member of the Orthopaedic Trauma Service at Cedars Sinai Medical Center specializing in pelvis, acetabulum, peri-articular fractures in addition to non-union fracture fixation. He has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals including Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma, Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery and the Bone and Joint Journal (formerly JBJS Br) to name a few. He has published on numerous topics including ankle fractures, proximal humerus fractures, tibial plateau fractures and pelvic-acetabular fractures.
Dr. Little has completed his undergraduate degree at Stanford University. He graduated with honors from the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. After completing an Orthopaedic Residency at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, he finalized his training with an Orthopaedic Trauma Fellowship at Harborview Medical Center-University of Washington.
Specialty: Orthopedics
Subspecialty: Trauma
Arthroplasty
Reconstruction
Education: Undergraduate: Stanford University, 2003
Medical School: University of Michigan Medical School, 2008
Residency: Hospital for Special Surgery, 2013
Fellowship: Harborview Medical Center, 2014
Click here to explore a list of publications by Dr. Milton Little
Had a fusion on the left leg/ankle 6 years ago, doesn’t bother me nearly as much as I thought it would.
The only thing that bothers me is when I get a cramp in my foot…you literally have the pop off your shoe and rub the cramp out which can suck at times.
But getting a second opinion is a necessity, if for no other reason that the surgery is pretty gnarly and there is some serious down/recovery time. It’s worth it, but only if it’s necessary…..It was for me anyways.
Best of luck my dude
I’ve just lived with it since 2002 but doctor said they could fuse my foot long time ago and it would most likely elimate all pain but I’d lose even more movement, so I’ve never done it, but sometimes wonder if I should look into it again and how much better it might make my life at times when that things hurting so bad I can’t even walk sometimes, then half the time or more I get around just fine with wearing good shoes or boots.
But has anyone here had there actual foot fused not ankle ? I’d like to hear some about that if so
To the guy who posted this X-ray, I’ve seen a lot of different injury’s to the feet, Your going to absolutely need a fusion at some point! Your subtailor joint is one hard landing away from completely collapsing like mine did. Fusion was the best thing I ever had done when my foot started looking like yours did in that picture but yours is actually a bit worse. And mine was the worst I’ve ever seen. Mine collapsed after a hard landing and was done. Be easy on it and get as much time out as u can, once it goes it’s 8 months healing. Crazy to see an X-ray that looked just like mine.
Pit Row
Right Ankle was fused in 2000 and I had no problem at all riding again. After 20 years of it being fused it started giving me some pain. Went and saw a specialist who talked me into having it replaced. Worst decision ever. More pain now and I can’t ride or even run. Going to give it a little more time and then decide if I’m going to go back to a fusion.
Was scared as hell at first. Was told by dr. Plates and screws, you’ll never be normal and always have the possibility of fusion and possible amputation. I’m doing pretty good, doesn’t hold me back from much of anything that I used to do. Skateboarding, wakeboarding and surfing is where it has its limitations but hey, I can ride moto, mtb, bmx and snowboard so I’m good.
Good luck and get a second opinion for sure.
I had a sub-talar fusion on the left side, and it’s reasonable for riding. I miss shifts now and then… 125s can be an issue, 250s not as bad, and 450s just leave it in 3rd/ 4th gear hehe. I thought riding would be a thing of the past, but not at all.
Not perfect, but quite tolerable.
I tried out a few double hinged boots, and no difference (for me). It was the fused ankle that was the limiter.
10 years later, and I’m facing a total fusion on the R side, as the arthritis is getting to be quite bad. This one has me REALLY scared, as I know what limitations came with a sub-talar fusion. I’m thinking a total fusion is that much more limiting?
Going back to my initial injury, I remember the Doc bringing up the fusion option, and I wasn’t thrilled at all about the idea. In hindsite, it really was the right choice for me!
Same Dr (9 surgeries later!) and he is trying to talk me out of a replacement, and going straight to the total fusion on my right, “good” side.
Again, not thrilled with that plan!
Brake side, not sure how that would even work, but of course everything else like walking, stairs, driving vehicles, etc
All I can say is, ankle injuries kinda suck, and I wish you well in your recovery ;-)
I broke my ankle in feb and it still sucks. Good luck
fresh air suits with tear offs. It was crazy . I thought there was going to be a big mess!. I guess they did all of that so if there was an issue it could have been messy. And add in the MRSA infection they knew I had by then. I think they got rid of before they knew what the infection was or used the hardwear to help figure out what the infection was. It took around 5 days to figure out. They said the hardware was what started the infection so maybe it was just that. The part that was nice was having a private room. They used stainless in my foot because it needed to bend and Ti was more likely to brake. I think the plate I broke was also stainless , but I can't remember for sure. Crazy how much medical knowledge the average motocrosser has if they have been around for a few years.
Send me some x rays or CT Scans if you can. I work with two fellowshipped trained foot and ankle surgeons here in south Mississippi. I would be more than happy to show them and let you talk to them.
I now work for a company that supplies all the nails, plates and screws to fix all our broken bones. I broke my femur (fixed with nail and screws) torn ACL, and proximal tibia fx. Have had two external fixator sad well. Funny how it all comes for circle. Wish a speedy recovery!
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