Broken Ankle Question?

[Clew In]

Hey Rick,

Thanks for the advice on the other forum. I was involved in the Atlanta Botanical Gardens construction accident. We had a suspended sidewalk 600' long collapse (one fatality & 18 injured). The ER was loaded and they put my ankle in a cast and told me to come back Monday for surgery. I am bummed; however, feel very lucky not to have any other injuries.

I am 44 and have not ever had a broken bone. I am going to seek a specialist on Monday and follow there instructions.

Does anyone have any experience about broken bones and how long you have to keep from kiting? Any info would be great.

Clew In

[ricki]

Wow, I hadn't heard about the suspended sidewalk collapse, it has been an off week for me. What a horrific accident to go through, I am glad you came through as well as you did. Yes, it is a good feeling, despite all the bad, to come through something that could have ended much worse for you but fortunately did not. Is there any information out yet about what led to the failure? It looks like some major structural steel construction, a foundation or false work/shoring related failure caused by the loading of the concrete during placement?

[Clew In]

Hey Rick,

Here is a link:

http://www.ajc.com/video/content/video/?bcpid=1659825399&bclid=1717763711&bctid=5330748001

OSHA is doing there thing and there is no news to the cause as of yet.

Clew In

[conchxpress]

Clew,

Rehab depends on the extent of the injury. Normally it takes about 6 weeks for a bone to heal. You shouldn't expect to return to sports activities for several months. If there were ligamentous injuries that have to be repaired, it may be longer. After the cast comes off from surgery you will need to go through physical therapy. The extent of surgery depends on the severity of the fracture. It could be as simple as a closed reduction (just aligning the bones and applying a cast), or it may require internal fixation which involves plates and screws. If they sent you home in a cast to return later, then I'm assuming that the fracture wasn't open (no breakage of the skin other than a simple laceration). Otherwise they would have kept you and operated as soon as they could to minimize the chance of infection. Infections of the bone are hard to treat and could complicate your recovery.

Hope that helps

Frank

[Clew In]

Hey,

No broken skin and I hope it is a simple procedure.

Thanks for the response and it helps.

Happy Holidays,

Clew In

[Clew In]

Hey,

I broke the corner of my tibia at the ankle (inside right ankle). I had surgery Tuesday morning and the doctor made small incision and a few pins to hold the fractured piece in place. You are correct about the six weeks for bones to heal if you are healthy. At the six week mark he will look at the fracture to see if it is healed and I can start the rehab process. He also said the ankle may swell for a year or so. He was thinking I may be able to get back on the water in 5-6 months.

Have a great holiday and I hope to be back in a few months. At least the water will be warm and the only worries will be to keep from getting sun burned.

Clew In

[ricki]

I am glad things worked out better than you thought. Hope the healing and rehab go very well. It is good it timed out with the seasons, sort of. Things should be a lot warmer in June. Take care and let us know how it is going.

[ARCSrule]

i apologise for not reading this thread sooner. i broke and dislocated my ankle kiteboarding. No weight bearing for 6 weeks. the cast came of at 6 weeks, rehab started the next day (for 2 weeks). at 7 weeks i was on a kite board--for a very short 20 minute session. my leg from knee to my ankle swelled the size of my thigh. kept up rehab, ice, elevation for a good while. some swelling for at least a year. virtually pain/swelling free at 2 years. i still get an ankle throb occasionally--8 years later. landing wrong on a jump hurts sometimes. about 99% good as new.

[ricki]

i apologise for not reading this thread sooner. i broke and dislocated my ankle kiteboarding. No weight bearing for 6 weeks. the cast came of at 6 weeks, rehab started the next day (for 2 weeks). at 7 weeks i was on a kite board--for a very short 20 minute session. my leg from knee to my ankle swelled the size of my thigh. kept up rehab, ice, elevation for a good while. some swelling for at least a year. virtually pain/swelling free at 2 years. i still get an ankle throb occasionally--8 years later. landing wrong on a jump hurts sometimes. about 99% good as new.

Thanks for posting this. I recalled your accident when it came up. The mechanism of the accident might be a surprise for folks that ride in sandy areas. It is worth remembering when people change venues to different bottom types. Not only are clays sticky, they're also slippery. Can be tricky stuff with a kite that wants to pull like a mule. What happened again?

[Clew In]

Hey ARCSrule,

Thanks for the report. What bones did you break and did you have any screws? I wanted to know about the screws and should they be removed? I understand some people have them removed and some don't. I am leaning towards not having them removed as long as they do not cause me any problems.

Clew In