Calling Dr. Hive ... ankle problems

[dirty ethel rackham]

I need something done about my ankle, but I don't know what. Here's a little history ... I have been living with pain in my ankle for about 3 years. I started to feel some twinges while out on my daily 3 mile walk with a friend. I rested it for a couple weeks, using an elliptical or a stationary bike instead of walking for several weeks. It seemed to get better, but there was always a little bit of pain. Not enough to have me running to a physician, but enought that I would have to ice it a couple of times a week. Well, about 18 months ago, I was playing a sports game with my kids on the Kinnect. It involved jumping. I was not wearing shoes and this room has carpet and pad over concrete. I woke up in the middle of the night with sharp pain. Everytime the covers impeded movement and forced my foot in a certain way (very gentle movement), I was yelping in pain. I couldn't walk the next day. Well, this sent me to the doc. They did an x-ray and found an OCD on the talus, but they weren't sure if it was already healing or if there was something else, so they put me in a boot and sent me to the orthopedist. They did an MRI and determined that the OCD was actually partially or fully healed and that the problem was with some tendons on the inside of my ankle. They had me in the boot for two weeks and then I started PT. Pt was going well. They helped me manage pain as well as worked on strengthening the area. About halfway through PT, I was goofing off with dd and her friend and I tried to do a double pirrouette on that leg and I felt a searing pain in that ankle. I am pretty sure I reinjured those tendons. Nobody at PT took me seriously and had me finish the course, after which, they sent me back to the orthopedist. Without listening much to me explaining how I had reinjured it, he determined that I needed surgery, which would involve breaking the tibia and folding it back to get to the OCD so they could clean it up. I was really wary about that (thinking the cure worse than the problem), but when he told me about doing surgery on some other tendons which he said were a congenital problem that limited my flexibility in that joint, I knew he was a quack. I never had flexibility problems - more like hypermobility. I knew that the limited mobility was caused by something locking in the joint. I left and have been wary to go back.

 

Well, fast forward about 18 months... in the meantime, I have been walking the dog daily - which amounts to about 15 miles a week. I wear really supportive pronation control shoes and wear a firm ankle brace just so I can get through it without too much pain. The pain has been gradually getting worse. It really hurts when I get up in the morning and after I have been sitting for a while. It hurts after a long walk. There is some swelling so I have been icing it and taking Aleve. 2 weeks ago, I was rock climbing and was forced to put weight on my foot in a wierd position, which caused pain. I have been hobbling a little as a result. Then, on Thursday morning, I was walking my dog when he bolted to go say hi to another doggie friend. I was caught in the leash and was forced to run full speed after him in order to avoid a serious face plant. It hurt like crazy. Now the swelling is much worse. I had a lot of difficulty getting around while we were out of town for a wedding. I need to do something, but am not sure where to turn. The doc I saw was highly recommended as one of the best around he was really scary.

 

Any ideas for me on what to do next? What kind of doc should I see? What kind of questions to ask?

[jenn-]

Minus the length of time, I could write this post about what we are going through with my DD right now. Her orthopedist is "one of the best" in the area in foot and ankle injuries with over 30 years experience. He is a quack and an idiot and I will probably be reporting him to the state medical board for failing to follow common practices. She was just given a diagnosis of OCD on the talus as well, but not by the quack but by a podiatrist that is a friend who generously looked at the MRI images for me. We are going to see her husband (also a podiatrist) in the morning for official word for treatment. All this to say, go get a second opinion. Call your primary doctor and find out who they recommend for podiatry. I will say though, my friend did say that worst case scenario for DD would be that the OCD wouldn't heal on its own and they would have to go drilling it to promote healing. Oh, wanna know what the quack's office told me about the MRI report, "She has a bone bruise. Put her in her boot. The doctor will look at the MRI scans himself when she comes back in 4 weeks." That's it. No clue what they were talking about or where it was. Oh and the boot she had from late last year (it does still fit), caused so much pain she was crying for her crutches. She had been able to walk around in a laced up ankle brace for the last 3 weeks, so it was definitely a bad call on their part.