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WBraun
climber
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Mal
You're one hell of a guy ..... cheers to you.
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maldaly
Trad climber
Boulder, CO
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Fine words coming from you. Thanks Werner.
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crankenstein
Trad climber
Louisville, CO
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Topic Author's Reply - May 10, 2007 - 12:00am PT
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Thanks so much for all the replies, guys. I knew I wasn't the only one to suffer this malady (ever noticed the pun resembles Mal Daly?) A little more history on my ankle; I tore all the soft tissues up doing gymnastics, had surgery to remove bone spurs a year later, and was able to run and climb comfortably for at least the first 12 to 15 years afterward. About 10 years ago it caused me to give up running but I have climbed comfortably since. It's the walk up the hill that hurts. My ankle doesn't want to flex very well. Eight years ago I went to 3 different ortho docs and all of them looked at my XRays and said the only option was fuse it or replace it, and that it was too calcified to try to salvage it. My most recent doctor, a doctor Ocel in Louisville, Co immediately said that we need to get MRI and CT scans to see if my talus bone is still alive and if it is we might be able to realign, reshape and rebuild the joint. He also told me to research everything I can on total ankle replacement. Hence my question to this group.
It's possible that I will be given several options and opt to do nothing but suffer the pain and stay mobile until whatever time that I can no longer do that. The fact that I have young kids that are starting to outwalk me and the fact that I currently have good insurance is making me revisit the whole maybe-I-can-get-it-fixed thing.
Again, thanks for all your input as it helps for me to know how other people, especially climbers, have dealt with similar circumstances.
And by-the-way, Malcolm, I really appreciate your input and just knowing your situation helps when I think of all the different outcomes that may be in my future.
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maldaly
Trad climber
Boulder, CO
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May 10, 2007 - 12:11am PT
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Hey crank'
If your insurance will allow you to go to the Orthopedic Center of the Rockies (the "bone palace") in Ft. Collins, check them out. They've got great surgeons who actually talk to each other and lots of foot and ankle specialists. They're not afraid to say what's up and some of the orthopods are actually climbers. I can make a personal reference if you want. Send me an email at mal.daly @ mac.com.
Mal
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devaki
Trad climber
socal
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May 10, 2007 - 01:02am PT
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im fascinated by the interchangable feet! hows the fish foot? see ya in a week, mal--
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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May 11, 2007 - 06:00pm PT
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Hi Scott. I got in touch with a cousin in Leeds about this. Both he and his wife are PhDs, and work for a company that's one of the few in the world that designs artifical hips. (Oddly, his brother, in Calgary, is an orthopaedic surgeon, and replaces lots of hips.)
Anyway, his comments, slightly edited:
"There are many research papers on the web (Clinical Orthopaedics and related research, among others, you may need to go to a university library to get copies). You will probably not be able to make sense of them unless you are familiar with the area. Look for a recent review paper on ankle arthroplasty, or total ankle replacement. Standard company information , or general web sources I would stay well clear of. Search under "Web of Science", or "Science Direct" , or "Medline" , all are web search engines."
"Traditionally ankle replacements have not been very successful, less so than the alternative, fusing, which is a relatively successful proceedure. If you fuse the ankle (metal rod), the articulation generally takes place somewhere else in the foot, and you can still walk almost normally. Eventually (after several years) the new location of articulation will also suffer from arthritis, if indeed that was the original cause. For elderly patients fusing is definitely the most successful procedure. If you are younger, ankle replacement may be an alternative as there are many new designs on the market that may be improved compared to the older designs. There is no real long-term results on these yet, so it may be best to wait for 10 years to see how these are performing and then make a decision."
Not a great deal of help - it sounds like the aging baby boomers will drive improvement in ankle replacements, but it may take time. It also depends very much on circumstances, as with most medical situations, so seeing someone who is skilled and knowledgeable may be your best strategy.
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AP
Trad climber
Calgary
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May 11, 2007 - 06:13pm PT
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Speaking of all this amputee stuff does Hugh Herr still climb? I know he designs prosthetics for active people.
I heard when he was climbing hard in the 80's he had a real hard time on the approach hikes, especially on talus.
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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May 11, 2007 - 06:17pm PT
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Not sure about Hugh Herr, but Warren MacDonald still climbs. http://www.warren-macdonald.com/
Edit: Concur with Tom's comment below. I help with the Climbers Access Society of B.C., the local equivalent of the Access Fund, and also do some work with the disabled. It's important to remember how fortunate we mostly are, as climbers and westerners, and that access means different things to different people.
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LongAgo
Trad climber
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May 11, 2007 - 06:48pm PT
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A passing observation:
High praise is due people who love the rocks and hills, are injured, make tough choices for/against operations, then come back to the outdoors again at whatever level. We may heap praise on the latest gymnastic climbing feats and feature them in magazines, journals, web sites, blogs and the like, but climbers enduring deeper, tougher challenges to selves, families and friends, as those featured here, sometime slip by unsung. There undoubtedly are very anguished and deeply human stories behind these pictures, matter of fact reports and cheery tones. I would like to say bravo to the true brave.
Tom Higgins
LongAgo
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ron gomez
Trad climber
fallbrook,ca
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May 11, 2007 - 07:17pm PT
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And Bravo to you Tom for all the inspiration and motivation you have provided many of us! Oh so long ago.
Bravisimo!
Peace
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Oakville, Ontario, Canada, eh?
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May 11, 2007 - 10:14pm PT
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I busted my ankle a few years ago, and had the screws and plates put in. At the time it seemed pretty bad, but my ankle is good enough now for what I need it to do. It doesn't fully flex like it used to, but it doesn't hurt, and I can run, climb, cave and carry pigs.
Man, can't believe how bad some of you other ankle guys have had it!
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Handjam Belay
Gym climber
expat from the truth
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May 12, 2007 - 01:17am PT
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i'm missing all five toes on my left foot. A year after that epic I shattered my calcaneus and tibial plateau on same foot.
Pain is a close companion.
Yesterday I wanked on a Jay Smith 5.11, with some serious sections.
Inshallah
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axlgrease
Mountain climber
Santa Cruz, CA
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May 15, 2007 - 05:20am PT
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I haven't looked at the forums in a few days, and just saw this thread - interesting as I broke an ankle two years ago.
For those interested - I took a 10-footer on lead, and caught my heel on a slight protrusion, resulting in communinuted bi-malleolar and intra-articular pylon fractures. In layman's terms - I broke both ankle bones and impacted the end of my tibia, creating lots of little and medium-sized pieces. The tibia fracture also went through the joint surface. I've had three surgeries, with a total of 18 screws and two plates. (Fortunately, I didn't break anything south of the leg bones.)
A general orthopedist did the first (emergency) surgery, then I found an ankle specialist for the others. At my first consultation with the specialist, he said I probably wouldn't climb again. (I've been climbing for 20 years - that was a depressing day...) Both surgeons told me that there was a 50% chance of developing osteo-arthritis in the first 3-6 months after the injury, and my actions during rehab wouldn't make any difference in this statistic - it would either happen or it wouldn't. If it did, the joint would have to be fused or replaced. I got lucky, and only developed a tiny pocket of arthritis that hasn't grown.
Now, two years later, I'm climbing again, and doing everything I did before - though falls on lead still spook me. The ankle is definitely not 100% - range of motion is somewhat limited, and I have intermittent mild pain. My doctors told me the ankle will be the first thing to deteriorate, so sometime in the future (hopefully another 20 years?) I'll be facing the same issues as you, Crankenstein.
I'm very happy with my recovery and prospects. I credit the success to:
 A bit of luck.
Finding a great ankle specialist.
Great physical therapists - one of whom insisted that gym climbing was the best rehab I could do and the other that hiking in Yosemite a month after my last surgery was better that coming into the PT office.
A positive and motivated attitude toward my rehabilitation.
This last point deserves special mention. During my time in PT, I was able to observe quite a number of different patients around me. The ones who had a positive attitude inevitably improved. Those that didn't - well... didn't, even when they had less serious conditions. It really reinforced in me a belief in positive thinking - it's not that it's mystical magic - it just makes it a lot easier to do the things that have to be done to get better.
Finally, hearing about other recovery stories has been great. To the other posters on this thread, your stories are truly inspirational. Thanks.
Ax
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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May 15, 2007 - 10:09am PT
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Climbers can be impressively determined about their game.
Show of hands -- who sets off metal detectors?
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Florrie
climber
Boulder
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Jun 29, 2018 - 01:55pm PT
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Hi Crankenstein, saw your post from 2007. I currently have a bum ankle and am looking at ankle replacement. I am curious as to what you did in the end and if you had a replacement were you able to climb again afterwards?
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skywalker1
Trad climber
co
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Jun 29, 2018 - 03:15pm PT
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Florrie not sure your issue and I'm not a Dr. I was having ankle issues for a few years. I've broken it, sprained it many times as a youth. All from big falls. Finally it just stopped working well. I called it my dumb ankle as if it was not part of me. I quit climbing. I sought out every possible solution. After exhausting all treatments I had it "fixed" with a surgical procedure. The surgeon basically could dislocate it at will.
Not sure what it is technically called but he basically pulled my ligaments tight and stuck a plastic brace in it. Recovery has been 10 months now. Its stiff or rather tight. I have less mobility with it but I can run now and I'm paragliding almost daily and I'm not the best at landing :-), but the ankle feels strong.
If I could do it over again...I would. Can I climb? Yes just not that yoga flexy stuff with that ankle but can compensate. I'm told that it just takes time and its way better than it was. I should probably stretch it more but we all can stretch more.
Again I don't know your issue, just offering my experience. If you have further questions I'll try to answer.
Good Luck!
S....
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mwatsonphoto
Trad climber
Culver City, CA
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Jun 29, 2018 - 05:09pm PT
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Funny to see this thread pop back up. In 2014 I went to see Dr. Rozbruch in NYC b/c of the recommendation here and reviews online of his stem cell therapy to regenerate new cartilage in my ankle. Found mild relief but personally didn't find it worth the time/pain/expense. Searched online looking for information on amputation and came across a device called the "Exosym". Lots of info online about it (unless you are military) it can only be hand-crafted in Gig Harbor, Washington. Am I pain free with it? No. However, I can get out and hike and run with it.
I've also been reading about a Dr. at Duke that is 3-D printing new Talus bones and doing replacements for people with AVN.
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