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is mf/bromstrom successful for ankle ocd

Has anyone had mf with two other injuries at same time
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need help deciding to have surgery or not for ankle ocd
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Author Topic: New here and have lots of questions.  (Read 3821 times)

Offline bc

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New here and have lots of questions.
« on: September 10, 2011, 05:58:52 PM »
50 yr old female with ankle ocd 5x5x10 lesion and lax ligaments.  Had ocd since 2006 without pain and no problem so i elected no surgery.  everything is fine until July, 2011 and i'm having tingling, crushing pain when I walk more than 15minutes at a given time.  My range of motion and strength is normal, PT suspect nerves are irritated but no permanent damage.  PT says I have low endurance and will work on strengthening the leg muscles.  I've had 8 sessions with improvement but still limited.  IM SCARED and am seeking advice, tips and support from fellow ocd buddies.  I have been off work since end of july and in addition to the ankle ocd which is the worse part right now I am also concurrently suffering from shoulder tear and back pain.  Has anyone underwent ankle MF and possible bromstrom surgery with two other joint problems?  I'm wondering how i can get around with crutches during NWB stage?  Can someone share the typcial recovery time. wondering if arthroscopic surgery will work for me as i'm reading mf may not work.   thanks and best of wishes to everyone on this forum. 

Offline airjaw

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Re: New here and have lots of questions.
« Reply #1 on: September 11, 2011, 03:02:30 AM »
Hello, welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear about your OCD problem first of all.

Can I ask for more background as to how the pain started suddenly?
It is strange to go from no pain at all to "crushing" pain.

I think understanding what brought about this sudden physical change might illuminate the best course forward.

As for crutches.. you get around just like others do... take steps one at a time. You can still drive if your right foot isn't the one that's injured.

As for arthroscopic surgery or MF recovery time you're looking at 8-12 weeks NWB.

Also, anecdotally, PT doesn't help much with OCDs.

Offline bc

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Re: hi thanks for reply
« Reply #2 on: September 17, 2011, 10:16:19 PM »
Hi Airjaw thanks for replying.    Had chiropractor manipulate ankle (mistake) and after that got nerve tingling and unstable ankle.  Stayed off of it for awhile and now leg and ankle very weak.  Hopeful that ankle and leg strength have been increasing but the tingling never goes away.  Today ankle started throbbing more.    Questions to anyone:  Should i try another month of PT or toss in the towel and get the surgery?  Injured shoulder too and can't use crutches so what is recommended.  How did u stay sane for 2 months? 
is surgery successful or "it's never the same"?   my surgeon says 85% better but does that mean one can run and play sports?  thanks for any feedback and support as I'm not coping well with this.  Thanks Airjaw for saying hi.

Offline airjaw

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Re: New here and have lots of questions.
« Reply #3 on: September 19, 2011, 02:00:57 AM »
Hey BC, these things are really tough to decide. I don't feel there is a clear solution for you.. just a lot of murking around trying to figure out what course is best. These injuries are usually like this.
I would say that due to your past of no pain, even with OCD, I wouldn't immediately panic and rush into a surgery. Remember that with surgery comes risk. You know what you have now.  You have no guarantee of what you will have after surgery.

About PT:
I also wouldn't count on PT too much. In my experience PT are extremely limited in what they can do for OCD injuries. What are they supposed to do, when the problem is bone and cartilage related? They have no solution except more PT, because that's the only thing they offer.

About Recovery:
What happened to your shoulder? If the shoulder isn't serious I'd get that healed first so at least you can use crutches at some point. Recovery is tedious but it is not complex. Enlist the help of others.. get crutches, wheelchair, etc. Someone to drive you around if need be and buy groceries etc. Recovery is something you can manage and which is in your control, so I would worry the least about that part..

About "85% better":
You hear this statistic thrown out a lot but it is largely meaningless. How is "better" defined? No one knows, and no one bothers to inquire deeper because I doubt the studies are actually there. From my experience I was not one of the "85%", and I've heard more horror stories from others which leads me to seriously distrust doctors whenever they parrot this number around.

Is the little improvement worth the risk, money, and recovery?
This is tough to answer. Depends on what you're willing to live with.. what kind of risk you will take.. how bad your ankle is now. I would forget about ever playing sports again. It sounds very harsh but I wish someone had forced me to let go earlier. The scar cartilage formed from MF simply isn't very strong, so even if you can run at first, the cartilage is not going to last very long. In the best case I'd give it a few years at most if you play sports.

If you want to know my anecdotal experience I'll add that in another reply. I tried to be objective in this reply so as not to color it with my personal bias too much.