Ankle post-injury

etc1981

Hi all. Late last year I suffered an injury to my ankle. It was both dislocated and broken and required surgery with the insertion of a metal plate to correct. I'm being diligent with my physiotherapy but have been told to expect to develop arthritis in the ankle in question in future years. Although I suspect that a certain level of arthritis is unavoidable, is there anything else I can currently do (other than my ongoing physiotherapy exercises) to reduce the level to which I will suffer in the future? There is plenty of ankle protection for sale online in the form of braces etc, but I'm not sure this will help things in the long run. Would weight bearing exercise to strengthen the ankle be a better preventative approach? Also, does anybody put much stock in the magnetic copper bands? I realise that these are reactionary rather than preventative and also considered to be alternative medicine, but I'd interested hear peoples opinions and experiences of them. Thanks in advance for any help or advice.

barbara12

Hello etc1981..sorry I am not an ankle person..but have OA everywhere else..the only thing I can quote is that my physio always say that supports can make the muscles weaker. has the muscle dont do there job when you have one on.but I would have a word with them..wishing you well for the future

stickywicket

Hello. I was going to reply on 'Say Hello' but, as you've managed to find your way here, I'll stick to this post

I think ankle damage can take a while to recover from as they have to support the full weight of our bodies. It's true that OA can set in some years later at the site of a former injury though it might be unduly pessimistic to describe it, in advance, as 'severe'. I hope not. If you do the prescribed exercises now and then take good care of it who knows? You might get away with it. I hope so.

I think your physio is probably the best person to advise on preventative stuff. A support might have a role to play but, with all supports, we have to balance the help they give short term with the damage they can usher in if overused. (They encourage muscle wastage and strong muscles do protect joints so, when I've used eg knee supports, I've done it when my knees had a lot of work to do and only for a couple of hours or so.)

Copper bracelets etc are, for my money, for the worried well only and a total waste of time for anyone with real problems. Stick with physio and common sense.

etc1981

barbara12 wrote:

Hello etc1981..sorry I am not an ankle person..but have OA everywhere else..the only thing I can quote is that my physio always say that supports can make the muscles weaker. has the muscle dont do there job when you have one on.but I would have a word with them..wishing you well for the future

Thanks for the kind wishes Barbara.

etc1981

etc1981 wrote:

Hi all. Late last year I suffered an injury to my ankle. It was both dislocated and broken and required surgery with the insertion of a metal plate to correct. I'm being diligent with my physiotherapy but have been told to expect to develop arthritis in the ankle in question in future years. Although I suspect that a certain level of arthritis is unavoidable, is there anything else I can currently do (other than my ongoing physiotherapy exercises) to reduce the level to which I will suffer in the future? There is plenty of ankle protection for sale online in the form of braces etc, but I'm not sure this will help things in the long run. Would weight bearing exercise to strengthen the ankle be a better preventative approach? Also, does anybody put much stock in the magnetic copper bands? I realise that these are reactionary rather than preventative and also considered to be alternative medicine, but I'd interested hear peoples opinions and experiences of them. Thanks in advance for any help or advice.

stickywicket wrote:

Hello. I was going to reply on 'Say Hello' but, as you've managed to find your way here, I'll stick to this post

I think ankle damage can take a while to recover from as they have to support the full weight of our bodies. It's true that OA can set in some years later at the site of a former injury though it might be unduly pessimistic to describe it, in advance, as 'severe'. I hope not. If you do the prescribed exercises now and then take good care of it who knows? You might get away with it. I hope so.

I think your physio is probably the best person to advise on preventative stuff. A support might have a role to play but, with all supports, we have to balance the help they give short term with the damage they can usher in if overused. (They encourage muscle wastage and strong muscles do protect joints so, when I've used eg knee supports, I've done it when my knees had a lot of work to do and only for a couple of hours or so.)

Copper bracelets etc are, for my money, for the worried well only and a total waste of time for anyone with real problems. Stick with physio and common sense.

Thanks for taking the time to write up such a comprehensive response Stickywicket. It's much as I suspected to be honest but thanks for the confirmation. I'll speak further with my physio and see if I can have a chat with my original consultant and see if he can offer any clarification. And obviously keep up the exercises. Thanks again.

stickywicket

And do remember we're here to help if we can