steele plate with 7 screws in r/ankle for 18 years
by Sandi
My ankle bothers me wheter walking or taking steps. I have lost 40 lbs in over a year and hope to lose more, however, I want to be a runner and have started running over the past few months and competed in my first 5k last week. I wore a brace and the ankle did ok; however, I dont want to be hurting it long term by running-but even to walk it hurts and I just try to be as careful as possible. Any suggestions? Thanks, RESPONSE Hi Sandi, There are two possible issues to evaluate here. In many instances of ankle fractures in an effort to get all the broken pieces back together many times the ankle joint itself suffers. What I mean by this is that the alignment of the ankle joint itself may not be perfect. The resulting ankle alignment is something every surgeon looks at while repairing the fracture but sometimes it is not possible to get a perfect alignment. If that is the case with you then you may have issues in your ability to fully run without pain. In many instances a good orthotic, not something you buy in the supermarket can go a long way in helping the ankle joint function better although probably not perfect. A good orthotic will accomplish two things. One, it will reposition the foot to give better alignment within the ankle joint. Two, if made of the proper materials, an orthotic will help absorb shock which in most cases will also reduce pain in the ankle area. Now, if the ankle alignment is good then you need to inquire about the possibility of having the hardware removed. Trying to run with a lot of hardware in your ankle can be uncomfortable as the hardware acts as an irritant. The potential problem here is just how bad the original fracture was. If there were multiple breaks and your surgeon had to put the bone back like a puzzle it might be a problem removing the hardware, even after all this time, because the repaired area may not be congruous enough. If however, the repaired bone is homogeneous enough there is always the possibility that the hardware could be removed and this may very well solve your problem. So, what you need to do is see a surgeon in your area, discuss your concerns with the surgeon and see if removing the hardware is a possibility. Marc Mitnick DPM DISCLAIMER
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