[cowman]

Hey guys, I know most of you probably are not doctors. But I just wanted to know if anyone here has experience with a broken talus bone in their ankle and what the whole process is like? I broke mine clean through yesterday. I have an appointment tomorrow with an orthopedic doctor, but I just kinda want to know what I'm in for. The ER doctors said I would definitely need surgery involving at least a pin and a plate. Thanks!
Cameron

 

[ChrisKring]

pm wallstreetbiker He did it on a moto bike. he doesn't get here often but he should see the PM.

 

[altix]

I bruised my talus bone pretty bad last august. the timeline goes something like this, bruised the talus at keystone last august. kept off it for a week, started riding again with pain, but knew it wasn't broken so i figured i wasn't hurting it. then i few weeks later i get an MRI that says its bruised, my doc tells me to stay off it for a month. i do so. and now im surfing riding again with a brace with no pain at all. I say if its out of place get it pinned, stay off it as long as your doctor says, get some physio - go ride your bike =] this bone gets alot of blood flow so healing time should be about the same as a color bone. at least it was for me.

 

[bobsten]

Just do what your Mom told you and stop riding that damn bike.

 

[steveDH]

the talus is a special bone because a huge part of its surface is cartilage and that makes the problem in healing. it can be compared to a scaphoid fracture in the hand. longer healing times and if the fractured pieces don´t fit together it´s possible that one piece could necrotize. another point is that the joint alignment of the upper ankle joint must be correct, so that you don´t have problems in there in the near future....so surgery is mostly the way to go...of course it depends on the size and kind of the fracture

 

[davep]

Sure you are not thinking of the navicular (which IS the foot equivalent of the scaphoid)?

 

[steveDH]

sure ;-)

 

[leprechaun]

scafoid/navicular = the same thing! Been there, broke that.

Recovering from surgery is a great time to
1 drive rc cars
2 frame rad pictures
3 go fishing
4 read RM
5 quit drinking while on pain meds
6 get new tattoos
7 all of the above if you're me for the last month

 

[steveDH]

yeah right but his question was about the talus

 

[bizutch]

yeah right but his question was about the talus

Krispy just gave that trooper a phenomenal exit strategy. Follow that game plan, regardless of appendage, and the time will fly by. Relevant.

 

[leprechaun]

I broke my left scafoid and radial head (elbow) in may , no surgery, and my right radial distal (at wrist) into pieces, got all the ti upgrades in october...i thought i was good at riding these bicycles...i love the tat i got last night, and the indoor RC track is mint right now!

OK back to that broken foot

 

[trust4130]

A couple of points: SteveDH is on point regarding the possibility of (avascular) necrosis with this bone - it may not get "a lot" of blood as was previously mentioned. Also, healing / recovery times can be rather prolonged, i.e. longer than most other typical fractures. Don't expect a "speedy" or a full recovery. It's going to take time and effort, and it's not going to be pleasant. You'll likely not have full range of motion when you’re done.

I’ve had first hand experience with broken Talus – mine was in May 2002. Bone was surgically repaired with three screws. I had two follow-up surgeries over the next nine months: one to remove (some) screws, another remove scar tissue and clean out the joint so to speak. To this day I have limited range of motion in dorsiflection (pulling the tip of your toes towards you) of only about 5 degrees. This certainly limits some activities – I’m sure I’m a sight to behold when I (try to) run, and strict-form squats are impossible. My doctors (yes, more than one!) have told me limited range of motion is common with these fractures, more the rule than the exception. I also still experience pain most every day, more so with certain or prolonged activities, and lots of swelling as well.

I know this paints a bit of a bleak picture, and this is merely my long personal experience with this fracture, but it does represent a bit of what I have learned over the past 7 ½ years. I’ve had plenty of broken bones and lots of surgeries over the years (just had surgery #6 on what’s left of my knee last week), but the day I broke my talus remains the one day I wish I could do over. Feel free to pm with any questions you may have. I wish you luck and the best recovery possible!