OCD Left Ankle

[afoster]

Hey Everyone,

I am super nervous about my upcoming surgery! I am a 21 year old very active female (dancing and Cheerleading my whole life). I have sprained my ankle so many times i can not remember the first time but every time I got a brace, some crutches and a your fine. I have had a clicking in my ankle for about 2 years now and it bothers me on and off when I do certain things (walk up hill, run, jump bend down etc.) but not all the time. I finally was able to see an ankle specialist after an hour flight (I live in Alaska). I was told I have an OCD, synovitis, and  anterior ankle impingement. I am having surgery in about 2 weeks and I have no idea what to expect. I have tried researching the topics and what to expect post op, but every website is different so I have no idea how painful, or long the recovery is going to be. I also have to fly home a week after the surgery. Its only an hour and a half but I have read flying after surgery is bad. Pleae help.

[mhop]

what kind of surgery are you having?  deep vein thrombosis is an increased risk after surgery and also while flying (blood can clot due to immobility of the joint; altitude can also increase this risk of blood clot, and untreated this can lead to pulmonary embolism; this is much less common in young people though), and it sounds like you have a very short flight, so that may be a non-issue.  ??

Can your doctor give you any advice on when it's okay to fly after surgery?

I sympathize.  I was also told to R.I.C.E. and given NSAIDs after my 30 or so ankle sprains.  I had no idea how serious repeated sprains could be.

Good luck with your surgery.

[dave1234]

I got surgery in CA, and I live in IL, so I flew a week after surgery to get back home.  my doctor gave me a blood thinner to inject myself with the morning before flying.  everything worked out fine.  then from the 5 week point onwards, I resumed flying every week (I fly a lot for work).  No problems.  Just keep your foot elevated while on the plane e.g. get the bulkhead seat and rest your injured ankle on your opposite knee. 

Based on posts on this site, seems like recovery can be anywhere from 6 months to a couple of years - guess it depends on how bad your injury was in the first place.  I'm more on the 2 year track vs. the 6 mo track. 

Best of luck with everything!

[Perryric]

Hello from Kiddishop.