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ruppell
climber
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Topic Author's Original Post - Sep 5, 2011 - 01:13pm PT
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Here's the situation:
About four months ago I took a long fall bouldering and managed to put my right foot directly between two pads. Couldn't bear weight so I crawled out with the help of a friend.
At the time I had no insurance and not that much money so I decided to be my own doctor(yes I know I'm an idiot). I stayed off the foot for six weeks than slowly started weight bearing. I was able to walk with a limp and a lot of pain. Things started to heal and I was able to hike so I did. Tried climbing and it hurt like hell so I didn't.
Three weeks ago I hiked into Humphreys basin for some fishing. Spent five days out there and the pain was managable with 600mg of advil a day. On the hike out my foot started to really hurt. So I got home and decided to go see an orthopedic.
After some xrays it appears I broke my calcaneus and it heeled slightly out of alignment. I have to get a CT scan to see about the subtalar joint. If the subtalar is OK it seems I won't need surgery. If it's not I've already decided to have the surgery.
So I feel that after four months the pain should be subsiding but my doctor says these injuries can take over a year to heal. I'd like to hear from anyone else hear that has gone through this and how long it took to heal.
I'm usually not one to ask for help but this injury has really got me down. Stories or advice would be appreciated.
Thanks
Matt
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ron gomez
Trad climber
fallbrook,ca
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Doc has it right. BIG bone, loads of weight bearing, not quick to heal. Limit pain, be patient, it should heal well with time. I'd think twice about diving into surgery at the sub talar joint, lots of movement comes from there and if you loose any from surgery, it may not come back so easy. Unless ABSOLUTELY necessary, think about it.
Peace
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ruppell
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 5, 2011 - 01:44pm PT
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Ron
The thing with having the surgery is it will prevent arthritis if that fracture line goes into the joint. I already have almost full range of motion in the foot and ankle. I've been really proactive with using it and started self imposed PT before I could even walk on it. Just frustrated that it is keeping me from climbing.
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rhyang
climber
SJC
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Oh man that sucks. I broke my left ankle in '93 crashing a motorcycle -- a subtalar fracture; the ball in the ball-and-socket joint. 3 months in a plaster cast, physical therapy and years of not really trusting that foot. It was my first major injury and I should have done a better job rehabbing it. To this day the ankle hurts after a really long day; more than 15 miles and the next day it is so painful I am hobbling around. Ibuprofen is my friend :)
In March 2007 I broke my calcaneus in a highball fall on my right foot. Saw an ortho surgeon who put me in a thermoformed cast, then an air boot for a while, and finally a brace. This time I did range of motion exercises religiously as soon as I could. By July I was climbing again, but impacts were painful. I was climbing mountains again in August with stiffer-soled boots.
Doctors have told me the talus bone gets the worst blood supply in the whole body. Risk is high for "avascular necrosis" (bone death).
I'd listen to the doctor and PT(s). These injuries teach us the finer points of patience sometimes. Recovery takes time .. longer as we get older. Bones may knit within 6 weeks, but healing takes MUCH longer.
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ruppell
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 5, 2011 - 01:49pm PT
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rhyang
Doctors have told me the talus bone gets the worst blood supply in the whole body. Risk is high for "avascular necrosis" (bone death).
I'd listen to the doctor and PT(s). These injuries teach us the finer points of patience sometimes. Recovery takes time .. longer as we get older. Bones may knit within 6 weeks, but healing takes MUCH longer.
The talus is on the inside of the ankle and it's fine. Doc says almost no chance of AVN with this injury. Good words about the healing time though. It's nice to know others have gone through similar things and are back to doing what they love.
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R.B.
Trad climber
47N 122W
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I broke my heel taking a lead fall on Catchy Corner, in Yos Cookie Cliff, back in '84. After xrays at the clinic, the doc said go see an orthopedic. Well all they did was put it in a walking cast, and told me to walk on it as soon as possible. I have this unnaturally large bulb on my heel which causes blisters all the time now.
I started climbing on it about 3 months after I broke it. It hurt like h@ll back then; It was a gnarly fracture, two tongue and groove fractures and three bone chips. It has all "glued" back together. No surgery for me.
The 28-year long term effects of this is: Blisters, slightly off gait, infrequent hip joint pain from the gait, spongy scar tissue on the site. But other than that, it's just a malshapen annoyance.
I still climb and hike; just have to live with two shoe sizes and blisters.
EDIT: It hurt 'til about 6 months after, in the first 2-3 months, it had daily swelling to the size of a grapefruit, only to go down again at night. I climbed some 5.11 thin face with tight shoes about 4 months after, OUCH! 4 months is not a bad recovery. Other side effects was my calf muscle atrophied a little bit during the mend. But Jumping in the saddle again was the best medicine. Not much they can do for a busted calcaneus ... in the words of my doc "pretty much have to let it all glue back together ... start walking on it as soon as you can." Good Luck
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Brokedownclimber
Trad climber
Douglas, WY
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Not all orthopaedic surgeons are created equal! Get a second opinion, and from a real expert. You only have the rest of your life to worry about a wrong decision now. Don't fuk it up.
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ruppell
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 5, 2011 - 02:46pm PT
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R.B.
Thanks for that it's exactly what I'm looking for. You remember how long it hurt? Mines 4 months and still hurts like hell. Just livin the dream on advil for the time being!
Brokedown
No worries on the doc he's reputable. If I do need the surgery he's recomending a surgeon in San Diego who is WORLD class.
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coondogger
Trad climber
NH
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Hi,
I broke my heel several years ago and the timeline for pain varies but generally 18 months after your initial recovery is a reasonable timeline. 18 months after I took the cast off, I experienced the first day that I was active and only after climbing or whatever I realized, "Hey, I didn't think about the heel pain."
I would get in a deep water pool as before and after surgery for rehab and water walking with floatation. Burdenko method works for many in rehab.
good luck
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just_one
Mountain climber
CA
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i broke my calcaneous falling off a house on my 21st birthday. tequila makes everything seem like a good idea! i landed on the sidewalk and broke it clean in half. i was in a plastic cast for 3 months or so, then a walking cast for another month or two. it hurt like hell to climb or hike for several months after i took the walking cast off, but finally went back to normal after 7 or 8 months. it was super depressing, but buying a hangboard and working on upper body strength helped a lot with the mental aspect. hang in there man.
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landcruiserbob
Trad climber
BIG ISLAND or Vail ; just following the sun.......
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I fell about 25 feet soloing & landed flat footed on a small rock & sustained an impact fracture(dent).It took mine about 18 months to heal 100%. Remember there is very little blood flow to that area so it takes a long time to heeeeeeel.
Planter issues & A-Tendon issues can follow if you don't listen to your body.
Implement some swimming & biking to keep up the fitness.
Good luck.
Aloha & be well
rg
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ruppell
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 5, 2011 - 05:15pm PT
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Thanks
Starting to think that having range of motion and be able to walk after 4 months ain't so bad. The hangboard/upper body thing sounds good I just hate training. Actually reading this stuff and what others went through is starting to give me some perspective. Gonna go out thursday and try to do some climbing just to see how it feels. Thanks for all the replies and feedback.
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mwatsonphoto
Trad climber
los angeles, ca
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If you get around to the LA area, Kerlan Jobe has some incredible ortho surgeons. They were able to put this back together and, while it still hurts, I'm back climbing again.
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Reeotch
Trad climber
Kayenta, AZ
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Yeah, I broke my calcaneus taking a "test fall" on this route I was working on. Got whipped in to the wall at a 90 degree angle going feet first.
I had a crack going about 1/3 to 1/2 the way through this very thick bone.
The pain was incredible, way worse than any of the half dozen or so ankle sprains I've endured. I was on crutches for about 2 weeks. Then I graduated to one of those foot brace things with the air bags on the sides. It wasn't designed for this particular injury, but it did an ok job of keeping the weight off my heel. After that I wore these tennis shoes with an air chamber under the heel for extra padding.
I experienced discomfort in the sole of my foot for at least 6 months after the "accident". There are a whole lot of tendons that attach to your calcaneus through the bottom of your foot. Right after the injury, I couldn't put weight on my toes or my heel. Fuking hurt like hell!
The good news is that it was back to normal, without any residual pain or anything within a year. My ankles still give me problems after all the sprains, but not my heel.
I'd be wary of surgery for something like this. Remember there is a financial incentive for the docs to recommend something invasive like surgery. It could create more problems than it solves. Your body has an amazing ability to heal itself, if you give it enough time, rest, and appropriate therapy.
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ruppell
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 5, 2011 - 09:38pm PT
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Yeah Riley surgery my or may not be neccessary and it won't be for realignment it would be to scrape stuff out of the subtalar joint if theres any in there. The missalignment is really slight. I couldn't notice it on the xray but the doc could. The thing is he's already given me the go ahead to keep hiking and trying to climb? I can't see screwin it up that much more by trying. It's not so much the bone thing that's getting to me it's the tendon and soft tissue stuff. It just won't stop welling. Kinda weird but if it takes a year it takes a year. Hopefully not.
Mwat
That is bad! stoked to hear it healed up ok for you
reeotch
Good point on the surgery. It's just the athritis I'm worried about. Seems like everyone is saying a year before any real return to normal. Guess I'll just have to learn to love 5 easy.
Thanks again guys feeling way more stokes by the post.
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ruppell
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 5, 2011 - 10:35pm PT
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Base
Surgery it is. Cool yours wasn't displaced. Still 18 months is a long time to live with pain.
Riley
Surgery it's not. I think the CT scan should clear up whether or not the joint is fubared. If it is I'm going with base if not I'll go with you. Seems like a coin toss right now.
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ruppell
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 5, 2011 - 11:44pm PT
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Base
By no means am I sitting on my ass. Just dealing with pain when I'm not on my ass.
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timt
Trad climber
Wheat Ridge, CO
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I shattered my calcaneus in a lead fall14 months ago. Got some screws put in and some extra bone frags removed. This far out, it still hurts every day, but i am able to climb at almost the same ability as before. It hurts, but functions just fine.
One of the issues I ended up having was that i developed lower back pain. I went to see a chiropractor & he told me my "limping muscle" was extremely inflamed. Go figure. Bottom line is that you should work at keeping your whole body in balance while you heal. It was my right foot that shattered & now i have issues with my knee and lower back on the left. Look at getting a body blade & doing planks for some core work to prevent issues from chronic limping. When you are strong enough, do plyometrics (jump boxes) to rehab the foot. These did wonders for me.
Be patient & be prepared for a long recovery.
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ruppell
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 6, 2011 - 12:19am PT
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Timt
Patience is a virtue it's just one that I'm lacking. Well I lack many but that's beside the point. I'm starting to get it though. Expect the pain and just deal. As far as knee pain goes bet your ass my left knee is feeling a little stressed. I wonder what the your "limping muscle" is. I suspect after this mine might become quite strong.
Thanks
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Raafie
Big Wall climber
Portland, OR
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Up on Flagstaff above Boulder in 1989, I fell off a boulder problem when my shoulder spontaneously dislocated. My right cancaneus partially fractured when I hit the ground. Talk about a bad day of bouldering!
Same treatment as many of you: no surgery, plastic cast for 3-4 months, light use for a while after. It's definitely a painful spot to get healed up. The fracture was near where my achilles tendon connects, and a bump formed there that caused me soreness for several years after. In mountaineering boots and some rock shoes, the bump would get extra pressure from the shape of the heel cup, increasing the pain factor.
Over the next 8-10 years, it seemed like the scar-tissue-related bump gradually decreased in size, but never fully went away. But it was back to 100% function easily within a year. Conclusion: it's a frustrating injury, but eventually it will heal and not be at-risk again. It's annoying to have a source of pain, but it won't hold you back for too long.
Now, that shoulder was a different story. . . . . .
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