Surgery Query

sharkbaitzasharkbaitza LondonMember
edited January 2016 in General Discussion

Well, 30 years of volleyball have finally taken their toll and it looks as if my ankle has finally thrown in the towel. It looks as if the best option will be to have my ankle fused.

Has anyone here had a similar operation and how long did it take you to get back in the water?
Did it affect your swimming in any way?

Comments

  • SpacemanspiffSpacemanspiff Dallas, TexasSenior Member

    sharkbaitza said:
    Well, 30 years of volleyball have finally taken their toll and it looks as if my ankle has finally thrown in the towel. It looks as if the best option will be to have my ankle fused.

    Has anyone here had a similar operation and how long did it take you to get back in the water?
    Did it affect your swimming in any way?

    I have awful ankles. I have stretched & torn ligaments, ruptured tendons, broken bones so many times that I have literally zero lateral support on my right ankle and almost zero on my left. My ortho likes to call other doctors/staff in to watch him move my ankle around. After my last (8th? 10th?) significant injury he said, "normally I'd say surgery is your only option, but your ankle is so bad, it might make more sense to just leave it alone. You have no ligaments to injure. So, on the one hand, you're going to turn your ankle a lot. On the other hand, your recovery time, even for a nasty turn, will be hours, maybe even minutes."

    He was right. I basically "balance" on my foot when I walk. One acorn under my shoe and I'm a goner. But I'm back up in minutes, no bruising, swelling, nothing. Another negative is that sometimes the bones normally held in place by the missing tissues get out of alignment and my ankle just locks up completely. I keep a set of crutches handy. Usually happens when I'm sitting on the ground cross-legged. Very painful and debilitating. Usually corrects itself the next time I sleep or swim.

    Is this an option in your case?

    "Lights go out and I can't be saved
    Tides that I tried to swim against
    Have brought be down upon my knees
    Oh I beg, I beg and plead..."

  • DanSimonelliDanSimonelli San Diego CASenior Member

    @Spacemanspiff

    "You have no ligaments to injure. So, on the one hand, you're going to turn your ankle a lot. On the other hand, your recovery time, even for a nasty turn, will be hours, maybe even minutes."

    :-O
    Wow!
    Well...so you got that going for you!
    :)

    All the more reason to spend more time horizontal en agua!
    :D

    Chrisgreene
  • sharkbaitzasharkbaitza LondonMember
    edited January 2016

    @Spacemanspiff Unfortunately not. I have bone spurs that cause inflamation and considerable pain if I'm on my feet for more than a few hours. The logic behind fusing would be to restrict the movement thereby reducing the bone spurs friction.

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